Japan is a country where ceremonies are a traditional and essential part of the life from the moment of their birth until the day of their last breath. Beginning with the pregnancy period and birth, the life of a Japanese citizen becomes a succession of ceremonies, festivals and traditions to follow.

Approximately 11km east from Nara Park, lies an ancient trail called Yagyu Kaido. This track once served as pilgrimage for mountain Buddhists, a form of mountain asceticism during the Nara and Heian period, therefore many historical sites, monuments, and ruins of the time remain here barely touched.

From late November until the beginning of January, you will start seeing two-layered mochi varieties in different sizes for sale in supermarkets, convenience stores and food stalls everywhere. Let’s take a look into the tradition of the “kagami mochi!”

Tsukimi is the Japanese festival of moon viewing. The word “Tsukimi” is from two words, “Tsuki”（月）, which means moon in Japanese and the word “mi”（見）,which means to view or to look in Japanese.

Only at Imamiya Shrine, can you find the 1000-year-old traditional Kyoto confection, aburi-mochi which is roasted rice cakes skewered on a bamboo stick. Just 2 kilometers from the famous Kinkaku-ji (Golden Pavilion). One may go to Kyoto for sightseeing, but in my opinion, you’re not in Kyoto yet if you haven’t tried it.

Warabimochi is a very popular summer sweet in Japan. Even though it is available in all parts of Japan, the Kansai region is famous for this sweet item.