Animated Pictograms

Fun and easy-to-understand presentation of historical culture and traditional customs that are uniquely Japanese.

  • VISIT TO TEMPLE / SHIRINE
  • BOWING
  • POUNDING RICE CAKE
  • HAILING A CAB / TAXI
  • TAKING A BATH
  • WATER ABLUTION
  • TEA CEREMONY
  • RHYTHMIC CLAPPING AT CELEBRATIONS
  • RIDING THE TRAIN
  • WINNING MOVES IN SUMŌ
  • AWA DANCE FESTIVAL
  • Coming Soon

About The Project

EXPERIENCE JAPAN PICTOGRAMS were developed to provide visual support for tourists in Japan.
For more information about the objectives and design concept of the project, please click here.

Request

If you would like us to create new PICTOGRAMS for you or have other requests, please contact us here.

KELP

昆布[KOMBU]

Edible kelp essential to Japanese food. Kombu is a good source of glutamic acid, an amino acid responsible for umami (savoriness) and one of main ingredients needed to make dashi (soup stock). Kombu dashi made by soaking kombu in water for a few hours is used widely in a variety of Japanese dishes, including nabe (hot pot), nimono (boiled foods), and soup for udon and soba noodles. To Japanese, kombu dashi is soothing and calming. Do you know why? Because its glutamic acid content is about the same as that of breast milk. To us, it is a familiar taste from infancy.