Issues Aug 22, 2022
Hong Kong migrants seek to build a new life in Japan
With tens of thousands of residents reportedly leaving the territory following China’s security crackdown, some are choosing Japan as their new home.
Books Oct 26, 2019
Tokyo's Jimbocho neighborhood won't close the chapter on books
Thousands of bibliophiles are expected to descend on Tokyo's Jinbocho neighborhood over the next week or so as the city celebrates the 60th anniversary of its largest secondhand book fair. Some even claim the Kanda Used Book Festival, which this year runs through Nov. 4, ...
Culture Jul 20, 2019
Mane attraction: Coastal parts of Fukushima Prefecture have a long-standing love of horses
Hundreds of armor-clad participants on horseback parade through the streets of Minamisoma, Fukushima Prefecture, during the Soma Nomaoi festival on a typically blistering hot day at the end of July every year. As impressive as this spectacle may sound, the parade is actually the precursor ...
Lifestyle Jun 30, 2018
Explosions in the sky: Fireworks lie at the heart of summer in Japan
Is Japan "the best" at fireworks? George Plimpton thinks so. In 1984, this unofficial fireworks commissioner of New York declared that "Japan is by far the most enlightened and enterprising nation when it comes to fireworks" in a book titled "Fireworks: A History and Celebration." More ...
Lifestyle Feb 17, 2018
Nagaya nostalgia: The long and the short of Tokyo's famed 'row houses'
Nagaya have been disappearing from downtown Tokyo for many decades, with row upon row of these "long houses" torn down to make way for more comfortable — and profitable — residential complexes and office blocks. However, it's still possible to find examples of nagaya from ...
Lifestyle Nov 4, 2017
Sawtelle Japantown: A return to one's roots?
A Los Angeles neighborhood is struggling to preserve its unique cultural identity.
Lifestyle Jul 8, 2017
Living doll: Licca-chan's legacy lives on
As Takaratomy's popular toy celebrates its 50th birthday, we examine how it has evolved over the past five decades to reflect the times.
Lifestyle Feb 11, 2017
Akitas in Japan give a dog a good name
The breed is a fiercely loyal animal that has attracted growing interest from dog lovers in recent years
Travel Aug 22, 2015
Miyagi's hot-spring valley of the dolls
If local train rides, bucolic vistas, simple family-run ryokans and hot-spring baths overflowing with mineral-rich waters sounds like the perfect getaway, Naruko Onsen village in Miyagi Prefecture should be your next destination. Accessible by the Rikuu-East train line, the valley is flanked by wooded mountains ...
Travel Mar 21, 2015
Ghostly Japanese shipwrecks at the bottom of Chuuk Lagoon
When most people think of scuba diving, they usually envision colorful coral reefs, turtles and countless schools of fish. At Chuuk Lagoon in the Federated States of Micronesia, however, the star attraction is not the abundance of life that exists beneath the waves, but ...