About This Website

Ehime Prefecture・Dōgo Onsen

“MORIKOBOSHI” is a blog that shares a variety of information about Japan with the world. Japan is a country with a long and rich history. Throughout that history, a rich traditional culture has emerged. This culture encompasses traditional performing arts, festivals, traditional cuisine, and many other aspects. There is also a culture in Japan with a comparatively short history. This popular culture has become praised across the world. This culture includes aspects such as comic books, video games, and more. Whether it’s traditional culture or modern culture, one can gain insight into what kind of country Japan is through it.

The best way to experience Japanese culture and learn about the country in depth is, without a doubt, traveling across Japan. By visiting various tourist spots, one can learn about what the Japanese people have traditionally held important. One can also see this culture with their own eyes and learn specifically just what it is. Each prefecture has its own unique culture, and by traveling across Japan, one can learn about the many differences between each region. Even if the food may be similar, the way it is prepared often changes. Depending on the prefecture, a dialect unique to that region may be spoken. As mentioned above, traveling across Japan is not only a good way to understand the country in depth, but it also shows each person the appeal the country has.

This website not only provides information on Japanese culture and tourist spots in Japan, but also offers a variety of information about Japan, all written in an easy-to-understand format. This is a great website not only for those who'd like to learn about this unique culture and its many sightseeing spots, but it also contains information that is beneficial for those who would like to understand Japan from the inside out. We’re constantly updating this website and are slowly (but surely) adding essential information for understanding Japan. We also include photos and videos, and try to make the culture of Japan and its appeal as easy to understand as possible.

The name “MORIKOBOSHI” comes from the Japanese word 盛りこぼし (morikoboshi), which refers to a particular way in which 日本酒 (nihonshu), or Japanese rice wine, is poured. There’s a specific glass often used when drinking rice wine, which is commonly placed in a 升 (masu—a square wooden cup) or directly on top of a plate. When pouring rice wine, the glass is filled to the rim and is deliberately spilled into the masu or plate below. This particular way of pouring rice wine is referred to as morikoboshi. Just like rice wine being deliberately spilled, this website contains so much information about Japan that it's practically overflowing. Richard Perkins, the founder of MORIKOBOSHI, loves rice wine. That, too, played a big part in the naming of this website.

Richard Perkins

Richard first came to Japan in 2009 (in his third year of high school) as part of a short-term study abroad program. While studying Japanese at a language school in Tokyo, he lived with a Japanese family. Finding various aspects of Japanese culture interesting, Richard knew he’d like to visit Japan at least once in his life, which is what led him to study there.

Richard grew up in Massachusetts in the United States. After graduating from high school, he went to college there. However, with a desire to further his Japanese language skills and learn more about all aspects of Japan, he dropped out of college and returned to Japan in 2012, just one year after the Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. After studying at a Japanese language school for two years, Richard went on to Takushoku University in Hachioji, Tokyo.

In his first year of college, Richard passed the Japanese Language Proficiency Test N1. He spent his long spring and summer breaks in college traveling around Japan, using cheap railway tickets and overnight buses. Richard also volunteered numerous times in the northeastern region of Japan, the area that was devastated by the massive earthquake and tsunami on March 11, 2011. He also volunteered in Kumamoto Prefecture in the south of Japan, which was devastated by several large earthquakes in 2016. Through these experiences, Richard fell in love with traveling across Japan and with learning about the “Land of the Rising Sun” (Japan).

After graduating from college, Richard worked at a typical Japanese company as a translator of car manuals. However, because he loves learning about all aspects of Japan, he started the website “MORIKOBOSHI”. Whenever he has time off, Richard continues to travel across Japan. Through this website, he shares his travels (and what he learns on them). His ultimate dream is to make traveling across Japan and posting blogs about those trips on this site his full-time job.

In his free time, Richard enjoys watching Japanese movies. He’s a fan of films by directors Akira Kurosawa, Takeshi Kitano, and Yoji Yamada, but he enjoys Japanese period films, such as “Zatoichi”, the most. These are movies where 武士 (bushi—warriors once found in Japan) show off their skills with a Japanese sword.

Richard also enjoys visiting Buddhist temples and Shintō shrines and collects 御朱印 (goshuin—stamps/seals with the name of the temple or shrine handwritten on them). He travels all across the country to collect goshuin, and while doing so, is constantly on the lookout for delicious locally brewed alcohol. He also can’t get enough of Japan’s regional food and loves sampling the local specialties of the prefectures he visits.