What Is Beyond Kimono?
Beyond Kimono is a personal blog about the practical, cultural and human sides of Japan.
You will find useful information about travelling, shopping, food, safety and everyday life. You will also find observations about Japanese behaviour, communication, society and the small cultural habits we often follow without stopping to question them.
Some articles may help you prepare for a trip. Others may simply make you think:
Wait—is Japan really like that?
The honest answer is usually: yes, no and sometimes.
Japan is never as simple as a list of rules or stereotypes, and that is exactly what makes it interesting.
Who Is Behind This Blog?
Hi, I’m Rieko.
I was born and raised in Japan, but I also spent several years living abroad. When I returned, Japan felt both familiar and surprisingly unfamiliar. Things I had once accepted as completely normal suddenly became more visible: the way we apologise, avoid direct answers, follow unspoken rules and quietly adjust ourselves to the people around us.
Living abroad gave me distance. Returning home gave me questions. Beyond Kimono grew from those questions.
I write as a Japanese person, but I do not claim to speak for every Japanese person. These are my experiences, observations and occasionally confused thoughts about the country I come from.
My husband, Suzu, also adds his humour and observations from time to time—especially when something is too strange to ignore.
What You Will Find Here
Beyond Kimono moves between three worlds:
Practical Japan
What to bring, what to buy, how to prepare and what to know about travel, weather, animals, earthquakes and everyday safety.
Culture and society
Japanese manners, communication styles, stereotypes, social habits and the reasons people sometimes behave the way they do.
Personal perspectives
Stories about returning home, living between cultures, identity, relationships and seeing ordinary life from a slightly different angle.
Some posts are useful. Some are reflective. Some are a little weird. Most are probably a mixture of all three.
New Here? Start with These:
- Top 5 Things You’ll Regret Not Bringing to Japan
- Things to Know Before Going to Japan
- Why Japanese Live longer: From Japanese Point of view
- Wabi-Sabi: Why Your Messy, Imperfect Life is Actually a Masterpiece
- What Does “Kawaii” Mean? Fun Facts About This Word
- What Not to Do in Japan: 10 Japanese Manners to Avoid Offending People