flying cotton balls, hokkaido, japanese traditions, shima enaga, tiny birds

Shima Enaga: Tiny Birds in Japan That Look Like Cotton Balls

Specific wildlife species native to Japan are adorable, and one such example is the tiny Shima Enaga bird. The Shima Enaga is a subspecies of the long-tailed bushtit. They are also known as the silver-throated tit or silver-throated dasher. The Shima Enaga are tiny birds (at 5-6 inches in length, including their tail at 3-4 ...

Emma Lu

Shima Enaga sitting on a branch quizzically looking out.

Japanese Children Win at the Starting Line

Japan has always led the way with its unique approach to education. Their traditions are embedded in their education system so that Japanese children inherit a solid foundation of virtue and morality, along with academic knowledge. China, on the other hand, has been focussing more on a child winning than being virtuous. China’s education system ...

Kathy McWilliams

Japanese school children.

The Mesmerising Tradition of Japan’s Ama-San Free-Diving Women

The Ama-San women of Japan uphold a 2,000-year-old tradition of free-diving. Ama means “sea woman,” and the connection these women have with the ocean is one of utmost care and respect, something in this day and age we could all learn from. Why Ama-San divers are treasured What makes the Ama unique is that they rejected modern technology that would ...

Jessica Kneipp

Japans traditional Ama-San diver.