National / Media | BIG IN JAPAN Jun 19, 2021

Read the ones about the priest, the comedian and the ostrich?

Three individuals feel they need to make a change, and laughter helps them through it.

National / Media | BIG IN JAPAN Jun 5, 2021

Financial stress causes fission in Japan's families

The weeklies are warning older people in Japan that their families may not be around when they need them because of increasing financial problems.

National / History | THE LIVING PAST May 17, 2021

When Japan's pioneers migrated north to Ezo

As Japanese discovered the vast northern part of their lands, a pioneer spirit took hold. How long would the Ainu tolerate them?

National / Media | BIG IN JAPAN May 15, 2021

Can Japan say 'no' to China and 'yes' to political activism?

Japanese media reports a tense situation in the Taiwan Strait, with domestic brands dependent on Chinese money and a local populace that may not take action.

National / Media | BIG IN JAPAN May 1, 2021

Solitude or isolation? Whatever it is, it's spreading.

While humanity is a social species, there's something to be said about solitude. The good kind, that is.

National / History | THE LIVING PAST Apr 18, 2021

Driven to murder by poverty and racial prejudice?

A gifted child's talents go to waste as a result of his ethnicity. Falling into a life of despair, he lashes out in revenge. How would his situation be treated nearly 100 years later?

National / Media | BIG IN JAPAN Apr 17, 2021

Paralysis and calm: Two sides of Japan's inertia

COVID-19 hasn't (so far) affected Japan as badly as other Western countries, but sometimes extreme situations can push people to get up and try to improve their lots in life.

National / Media | BIG IN JAPAN Apr 3, 2021

Humanity can't seem to escape its own web of lies

When did you last tell a fib? Go on … be honest.

National / History | THE LIVING PAST Mar 22, 2021

Archetypes of the 'modern girl' from Japan's 'jazz age'

People thronged European-style cafes and breathed new air with new lungs. At the center of it all were the "mobo" and "moga": modern boys and girls, respectively.

National / Media | BIG IN JAPAN Mar 20, 2021

Reality check: ‘We’re in a tunnel with no exit in sight’

Buddhist priest Myoyu Tamaoki describes the world in terms hard to argue with. “Calm,” she says, “is elusive.” Disaster, ruin and upheaval, if not hitting you personally at any given moment, may strike the next, as a glance at news of them hyperactive elsewhere ...