The winter cold melts away and spring peaks its way through to welcome new life and a new year for Japan. Out with the old and in with the new. To welcome spring, Japan celebrates Shunbun no Hi (春分の日) also known as Vernal Equinox, or even simpler, Spring Equinox.

私たちは、信じています。 繊細で多感な思春期に、多様な人と出会い・語り・悩み・学ぶこと。「こんな風になりたい」という憧れを見つけること。 そのすべてが、未来をつくりだす意欲と創造性になることを。

For two weeks, from March 1 to 14, the historic temple becomes the stage for one of Japan’s oldest living traditions: the Omizutori Festival (お水取り). This ceremony has been held every single year since 752. That’s more than 1,270 years of continuous history.

If you’ve travelled to Kyoto in the past decade, you may have noticed that at certain times of the year, a soft warm glow lights up temples across the city as it welcomes the night. That’s Hanatouro.

Since 2014, World Wildlife Day has been celebrated on March 3rd with the goal to “celebrate and raise awareness of the world’s wild fauna and flora”(United Nations). In simple terms, the goal is for us to see the beauty and importance of the animals and plants that make up our ecosystem. Every animal, reptile, amphibian, and sea creature has a unique role to play, as do the plants that are necessary for their survival and ours.

The TOMODACHI Initiative is a public-private partnership, born out of support for Japan’s recovery from the Great East Japan Earthquake, that invests in the next generation of Japanese and American leaders through a leadership program.

UN Women is the United Nations organization dedicated to gender equality and the empowerment of women. A global champion for women and girls, UN Women was established to accelerate progress on meeting their needs worldwide.

About 70% of Japan is mountainous. These mountains have snow, onsens, and even monkeys that bathe in the onsens. Since 1964, the Jigokudani Monkey Park, also known as the Wild Snow Monkey Park, has been a habitat for the Japanese macaques and has become a must-see tourist attraction.