Travel guide Kansai

The "way of the gods" is a set of ancient beliefs according to which the elements of nature are inhabited by kami, deities who are not always benevolent, in the image of nature. Shinto has long existed in symbiosis with Buddhism, but in the 19th century the two religions separated and Shinto became the state religion.

An essential concept of Japanese aesthetics, wabi-sabi is composed of 2 terms: wabi or the fullness of simplicity and sabi : the feeling of facing the marks of passing time, of wear and tear. It is the art of perceiving the beauty of imperfect things, exemplified in the kintsugi technique: gluing together with gold the pieces of a broken object.

Meat of Japanese origin is called by this term. Their ancestor is the Tajima beef. The wagyū is a very marbled meat. We think, of course, of the beef from Kōbe in the first place, but some other wagyū from Kansai are just as delicious... and at a much more reasonable price, like the omi-gyū or the beef from Matsusaka.

The mini-markets open 24/7 can be found on almost every street corner of the archipelago. They are convenient for buying a meal on the go, withdrawing money, going to the bathroom or even buying last-minute souvenirs. In the evening, they shine like beacons in the night around which partygoers gather.

Who hasn't seen cherry blossoms on a brochure extolling the beauty of Japan? The sakura trees are inseparable from the archipelago and its magnificent spring. The trees are elegantly adorned in pink and white and we slip under their branches to celebrate the hanami. If you travel to Kansai in spring, you will see life in pink.

Festivals punctuate the Japanese year. Traditionally linked to the agricultural seasons, they are now organized by temples or shrines. There is a wide variety of festivals and those where an o-mikoshi is carried are very common. The richly decorated palanquin shelters the local deity during his tour of the district.

Unavoidable in Japanese culture, manga are comic strips first published in magazines, which deal with all subjects and are aimed at all audiences. They are at the heart of an important industry, which is also supported by the sale of derivative products. The scale of the phenomenon goes far beyond the borders of Japan.

Access to clean toilets is easy in Japan. They are available in konbini's, train stations, shopping malls. Most of them are equipped with a real dashboard with water jet, music or seat heating options. In shopping malls, they are almost like beauty salons where women put on makeup or change their clothes.

The geta is a socque (a shoe with a wooden sole) with a particular shape. It is not uncommon to see Japanese people walking in geta in the alleys of spa towns. The sound of the wooden geta , which resounds on the pavement, is an ode to nostalgia. In Kinosaki Onsen, the geta ballet in the evening brings a touch of lyricism to the atmosphere.

The tidy fairy Marie Kondo may have been a bombshell abroad, but here she is an epiphenomenon, as the clean and tidy sector is saturated with stars who publish their advice. In a society of hyperconsumerism, minimalism drawing on values of simplicity inspired by Zen Buddhism is increasingly appealing.

Developed in conjunction with the tea ceremony, the Japanese style of hospitality takes guest service to the level of an art form. Everything revolves around the customer who is served with care. From the saleswoman who wraps your shopping in tissue paper to the hotelier who carefully prepares futons for the night, omotenashi is seen throughout society.

The Japanese cultivate the art of the "kawaii", the cute, the harmless. In Hello Kitty's homeland, it is a form of artistic expression as much as a lucrative industry. People, animals or objects take on round and childlike features, and everything is dyed in fluorescent or pastel colours. Even the police have a mascot stamped kawaii.