National / Media | BIG IN JAPAN Dec 25, 2021

Yoko Ono: ‘Possibly the most famous Japanese person in the world’

John Lennon recognized her sometimes startling originality. His fans didn’t. It looks like they were wrong.

National / History | THE LIVING PAST Dec 19, 2021

The prince and the prophet

Their paths may be different, but the devotion to God and gods that two men display in different parts of the world changes the religious landscapes of both.

National / Media | BIG IN JAPAN Dec 11, 2021

What is happiness? These individuals appear to have found the answer.

Personal anecdotes suggest that happiness is a private pleasure, something that can be best enjoyed away from the chaos of the world outside.

National / Media | BIG IN JAPAN Dec 4, 2021

Education ministry seeks to iron out wrinkles over school history syllabus

“Modern global history” is to be made a compulsory subject in senior high schools in Japan from 2022.

National / History | THE LIVING PAST Nov 21, 2021

Loyalty before love in the tales of Saikaku’s samurai

A group of travelers comes to a river and must decide whether or not to cross. Scornful of danger, the young lord among them proceeds … and samurai politics soon come into play.

National / Media | BIG IN JAPAN Nov 20, 2021

Yukar: The timeless oral tales that are our window on Ainu life

Civilization overwhelmed Japan’s indigenous population about 100 years ago.

National / Media | BIG IN JAPAN Nov 6, 2021

Does Japan breed leaders? Does it even need to?

A panel of four men at the tops of their fields discusses what it means to be a leader and comes to the conclusion that Japan doesn’t necessarily breed them.

National / History | THE LIVING PAST Oct 17, 2021

Saikaku pens five tales to inspire lovers in the Edo Period

Born in the mid-17th century, during the earlier days of the Edo Period, novelist Ihara Saikaku explored love in "Five Women Who Loved Love."

National / Media | BIG IN JAPAN Oct 16, 2021

When the boss starts behaving like a dictator

Like a political dictator, the corporate tyrant sets things up to stay in power, according to experts. They suppress the talented and reward those who are loyal.

National / Media | BIG IN JAPAN Oct 2, 2021

Seeing the past two years through a child’s eyes

The decade is off to a rocky start, what kind of an effect is this having on younger children and the way they process current affairs?