A town full of tricksters, strange Japanese beauty goals, and humble fall flowers that become spectacular in numbers

Here are the features that Japanagram subscribers got in September…

Autor Jonelle Patrick in cat mask

As we slide into fall, how are you doing? I hope you’re not in the path of any of the disasters that have been coming at us from all directions. You may be feeling that NOTHING could surprise you at this point, but maybe you’ll crack a smile as we visit a town full of tricksters, shake our heads at odd Japanese beauty goals, and enjoy how the small and humble can come together to become mighty.

Links to the SEPTEMBER 2020 Japanagram features:

Japanese beauty goals: Tall noses, small faces, and big feet

Device to make nose taller in Japan

To Western ears, compliments in Japan often sound like anything but. Standards of beauty differ all over the world, but none are as quirky as Japan’s odd love of…read more

Tanuki Town: Let’s go to Shigaraki and meet all manner of tricksters

Tanuki figures in Shigaraki

This month we’re going to an ancient hamlet that’s deep in the mountains near Kyoto, where Japan’s most legendary trickster is born. Come with me as we wander through the town, and let’s see if we can spot all the ways local artists are teaching the old prankster new tricks…read more

When the small and humble come together to become magnificent and mighty

Bush clover tunnel at Mukojima hyakka-en

When I started thinking about what’s so special about September in Japan, the first things that came to mind were three obscure flowers that are nobody’s favorite. By themselves, they’re utterly small and forgettable. You might even be a little insulted to receive a bouquet of them on your birthday…read more

Japanese Home Cooking: Japanese Rice Bowl

Japanese rice bowl with miso salmon

This dish of harmonious flavor bombs can be made in less time than it takes to cook the rice! No-mess, no-smell, poached salmon with spicy miso topping teams up with chilled snow peas in soy-lemon dressing and peppery marinated mushrooms to make the perfect late summer meal…read more

The Last Tea Bowl Thief
was named an Editor’s Pick for Best Mystery, Thrillers & Suspense on Amazon

“A fascinating mix of history and mystery.” —Booklist

For three hundred years, a missing tea bowl passes from one fortune-seeker to the next, changing the lives of all who possess it…read more

Get delightful features like these every month and be entered to win the monthly book giveaway when you sign up for

(And, of course, it’s free.)

You can easily unsubscribe at any time, of course, using the link at the foot of every newsletter. And, just so you know, I hate spam too, so I’ll never share or sell your info.

Jonelle Patrick writes mystery novels set in Tokyo, the monthly Japanagram newsletter, and blogs at Only In Japan and The Tokyo Guide I Wish I’d Had

Leave a Reply

Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in:

WordPress.com Logo

You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Log Out /  Change )

Facebook photo

You are commenting using your Facebook account. Log Out /  Change )

Connecting to %s

%d bloggers like this: