Kōan is a short story, enigma or dialogue that a teacher uses to teach his student lessons in Zen Buddhism. These stories are often enigmatic, sometimes absurd and paradoxical, not soliciting conventional logic. They lead to great doubt, leaving a bittersweet aftertaste to the receiver.
Traditional Japanese Instruments 和楽器
As a musician and general music lover, I’ve been wanting to learn more about Japanese traditional instruments and music. As it turns out, there are plenty of traditional instruments in Japan with a lot of variety in all classifications, from strings, to winds, to drums…. These instruments are called Wagakki (和楽器, literally Japanese instruments) and were used during the Antiquity. They’re pretty different from western instruments and it’s really interesting.
The History of Kanji 漢字の歴史
What is kanji exactly ?
The Japanese writing system is composed of three scripts (technically four if you include the roman alphabet). One of them is Kanji. It comprises thousands of characters, each one representing an idea, a meaning. Each kanji can have multiple readings, going from a few (1 or 2), to a LOT (dozens), and it can be quite a pain to learn. Believe me, I’m talking from personal experience.
