If you’re a history buff, or time traveler, this could come in handy.
culture (Page 41)
Coming to Japan and dressing up like a geisha is a bit like going to the USA and dressing up as a confederate soldier. Sure it’s fun, but it doesn’t really reflect modern society. What you need to feel the Japan of today is leopard print…and lots of it!
The legendary creator of Lone Wolf and Cub has no patience for such affronts to fine dining.
Food fight! Are these foods cultural adaptations, or abominations? Students take up issue with their university’s menu.
‘Tis the season for grumbling about cultural differences, but does it have to be?
Experience the samurai spirit first-hand with original swords and armour at the recently opened Samurai Museum.
Studies show that only 60 percent of Japanese 20-somethings are able to correctly solve this math problem, compared to a whopping 90 percent 30 years ago.
From fashion to extracurricular activities, the lives of an American colleges students are an ocean apart from their counterparts in Japan.
See this tanuki? Aren’t his balls cute? Welcome to Japan, where raccoon-dog genitals are universally admired.
14 Japanese volunteers tell us about moments in their lives that seemed to come straight out of an anime.
What would be the ultimate luxury in personal service for a highborn aristocrat? Someone to draw your bath? Peel your grapes? Fan you with palm fronds? How about a servant whose job it is to take the blame for your farts.
After these passengers got stranded, they walked the rest of the way in such a precise line they practically became a train themselves.
Despite Japan’s relative safety, abundance of delicious food, fascinating culture, and friendly people, the country still lags behind as a tourist destination for foreign travellers. So the upcoming 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games are the perfect opportunity for Japan to show off its famed omotenashi hospitality to the droves of foreign visitors who’ll be pouring into Tokyo to spectate.
As foreigners who’ve been living in Japan for a while, we think we might have some pretty good ideas about certain things Japan could do in order to make things a little easier on this influx of foreign guests…
Earlier this month, we looked at a collection of photos taken by the late Kusakabe Kimbei that showed the cityscapes of Japan as they looked in the late 1800s, right before the country’s rapid modernization. But Kimbei didn’t just photograph Japan, he also photographed the Japanese, so today we’re taking another trip back in time, but with a more personal touch, with dozens of photographs that show what daily life was like for the people of Japan generations ago.
In the past few months the Japanese word mottainai, which conveys a sense of regret over waste, has begun to spread into the Western world, and the concept of mottainai can be seen most clearly in every bowl of rice.
















Tokyo’s best museum for foreign travelers finally reopens after being closed for four years
Japan now has stricter requirements for foreigners applying for citizenship
McDonald’s Japan releases “intense” McPork burger, prompts Michelin chef to create jam hack
Japanese masturbatory aid and insect repellent companies collab on a new product
Pokémon lacquerware series expands for Year of the Horse with new handcrafted design[Video]
Japan now has a special desk for people who work at home with a pet cat[Photos]
Tokyo subway and almost all Tokyo train lines now accepting credit card tap payments
Godiva now makes tofu in Japan, and sakura chocolate tofu too![Taste test]
Why is Yoshinoya called Yoshinoya?
Burger King Japan Offering 15 Bacon Strips for $1 So We Order Whopper With 105 Bacon Strips
Famous Tokyo cherry blossom spot installs view-blocking screens to fight overcrowding[Video]
Uniqlo announces new T-shirts for One Piece, Naruto and more for manga publisher’s 100th birthday
Krispy Kreme releases Super Mario doughnuts in Japan for a limited time
7-Eleven Japan releases a crazy new viral sandwich: Chocolate Sprinkles and Whipped Cream
Totoro and Calcifer become little light-up lanterns for Ghibli-style excursions or at-home decor
Japan now has a “for foreign tourists only” Mt. Fuji sightseeing train[Video]
Picturesque Tokyo park plays host to millions of flowers and soap bubbles this spring
Ramen restaurant in top Tokyo tourist neighborhood skips price gouging, but how does it taste?
Fatal stabbing at Pokémon Center in Tokyo reignites concern over rising stalking cases in Japan
Starbucks Japan unveils new sakura cherry blossom collection for hanami season 2026
Train station platform ramen store closes its doors on half a century of history in Tokyo
Starbucks Japan releases new My Fruit³ Frappuccino at only 34 stores around the country
Studio Ghibli releases Catbus pullback keychain that runs like the anime character
Japanese onsen egg maker from 100-yen store Daiso needs to be on your shopping list
Nine great places to see spring flowers in Japan, as chosen by travelers (with almost no sakura)
Survey asks foreign tourists what bothered them in Japan, more than half gave same answer
Japan’s human washing machines will go on sale to general public, demos to be held in Tokyo
Starbucks Japan releases new drinkware and goods for Valentine’s Day
We deeply regret going into this tunnel on our walk in the mountains of Japan
Studio Ghibli releases Kodama forest spirits from Princess Mononoke to light up your home
Starbucks Japan releases new sakura goods and drinkware for cherry blossom season 2026
Japan’s newest Shinkansen has no seats…or passengers [Video]
Major Japanese hotel chain says reservations via overseas booking sites may not be valid
Put sesame oil in your coffee? Japanese maker says it’s the best way to start your day【Taste test】
No more using real katana for tourism activities, Japan’s National Police Agency says
Japan now has a special desk for people who work at home with a pet cat[Photos]
Tokyo subway and almost all Tokyo train lines now accepting credit card tap payments
Godiva now makes tofu in Japan, and sakura chocolate tofu too![Taste test]
Why is Yoshinoya called Yoshinoya?
Burger King Japan Offering 15 Bacon Strips for $1 So We Order Whopper With 105 Bacon Strips
Famous Tokyo cherry blossom spot installs view-blocking screens to fight overcrowding[Video]
Are all Starbucks coffee sizes the same? Testing the viral video claim in Japan
Yakuza may be blocked from using all expressways in Japan within the decade
Studio Ghibli releases the My Neighbour Totoro tea caddy, with a magical self-closing lid
Japan now sells…sake made with moth poop?!?
Observing the first night of a married couple – Does such a family tradition exist?
Uni Donuts are pretty in pink for a limited-time spring sakuramochi flavor
The top nine stand-and-eat soba noodle restaurants in Tokyo