New & Featured Resources for the Spring Term!

Oshogatsu (Japanese New Year)

The New Year is the most important holiday of the year in Japan. On New Year’s Day, people eat traditional dishes called osechi ryori and many will visit a shrine or temple or watch the first sunrise of the year. Extend your learning with our YouTube videos about New Year and Osechi Ryori (Japanese New Year's food) as well as our kamishibai story, Taa-chan's Oshogatsu, which tells the story of a little girl's New Year with her family and a lesson on loss.

Suitable for Key Stages 1, 2, and 3. Click for more info.

Setsubun - Division of the seasons

Setsubun marks the transition from winter to spring in Japan, celebrated with the tradition of throwing beans at 'demons' to ward off bad luck and welcome good fortune. For those who love storytelling, take a look at our kamishibai story, Onikko. This touching tale follows an oni (demon) boy navigating prejudice from his human classmates. Our kamishibai sets are available to borrow or access digitally. 

Suitable for Key Stages 1, 2, and 3. Click for more info.

Winter Food in Japan

Hotpots, Christmas cake, osechi, mochi, yakiimo, and more – learn all about some of Japan’s most popular and delicious winter foods and dishes with this resource for Key Stages 1, 2, and 3!

Discover some of the different kinds of food people love to enjoy in Japan during the winter time, including special festive dishes associated with Christmas and New Year.

Suitable for Key Stages 1, 2, and 3. Click here to learn more.

Sumo Training Moves

Learn how to train like a real sumo wrestler with this fun and interactive resource pack and try practicing some of the fundamental moves in their everyday training! Suitable for KS2 pupils - or for anyone who wants to try at home!

Also check out our Sumo resource – it covers all the essential information pupils need to know about the fascinating world of sumo, including its rich history, traditions, and even what an average day in the life of a sumo wrestler is like! Suitable for Key Stages 2 and 3, but can be adapted to suit older and younger pupils. Click for more info.

Geography of Japan (KS3)

The Geography of Japan is a 7-lesson unit that introduces pupils to both the human and physical geography of Japan. Ideal for KS3, within this unit, pupils will learn about Japan's location, climate, wildlife, population, and natural hazards.

These lessons can be taught together as a unit about Japanese geography but can also be easily-adapted to use as a stand-alone resource, too. Click for more info.

The Japan Project

The Japan Project is a multi-lesson unit designed to give pupils across Key Stages 1-3 a cross-curricular introduction to Japan, with lessons that focus on a range of topics including geography, climate, wildlife, art, culture, and more!

Each lesson within the unit covers aspects across the Geography, Science, Art & Design, Computing, and History curricula and can also be easily-adapted to use as a stand-alone resource. Click for more info.