If you’re a history buff, or time traveler, this could come in handy.
culture (Page 42)
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.
After a week in China, one of our Japanese writers brought home a list of thoughts to share with us.
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.
MOST POPULAR
Today
Pokémon Center Online designates first Pokémon items that will require Japanese ID card to buy
Pokémon comes to McDonald’s Japan for new Happy Meals toys, brings every generation’s starters
Starbucks Japan to open Shinkansen platform stores at Kyoto and Nagoya stations
Akita Kanto Festival, one of Japan’s most spectacular summer festivals, gets an anime twist this year
Kochia calling: Right now is a great off-season season to visit this beautiful Japanese park
Aichi city throws year-long 20th birthday bash for giant beckoning cat statue, Hello Kitty invited
Japan’s largest online flea market reminds users that selling used school swimsuits is prohibited
Final Fantasy plushie shoulder bags are fuzzy and functional [Photos]
Air-conditioned dress shirts arrive in Japan to save working professionals from sweltering heat
Toyota Museum’s international retro vehicle parade returns to Aichi this autumn
Weekly
- Air-conditioned dress shirts arrive in Japan to save working professionals from sweltering heat
Tokyo’s newest viral dessert is like a Japanese parfait inside a bread bun [Taste test]- Pokémon Center Online designates first Pokémon items that will require Japanese ID card to buy
Japanese vending machine sells freshly squeezed lemon juice with a futuristic light show
Starbucks Japan releases first-ever gacha capsule toys, featuring iconic menu items as plush coffee charms
7-Eleven Japan adds new chocolate fruit gummies to its sweets range, but are they worth the hype?
7-Eleven Japan now offering baked-in-store pizza by the slice with two very different topping sets
Studio Ghibli’s No Face twirls to sound of Spirited Away’s theme song in beautiful accessory box
Starbucks Japan opens new store inside historic seaside quarantine station near Tokyo
Live-action Princess Mononoke is coming to streaming as a live event, previews look amazing [Video]
Monthly
Studio Ghibli has a new anime out, and there’s only one place in the world where you can see it
Tokyo subway installing new ticket gates that don’t accept payment through Suica or other IC cards
Japan now has human refrigerators inspired by Japanese vending machines
Hatsune Miku collaborates with Hokusai’s art in new Vocaloid ukiyo-e illustration series [Pics]
New Shinkansen luggage drop-off system begins in Japan, making train travel even easier
Studio Ghibli releases anime T-shirts that pay homage to one of Hayao Miyazaki’s most personal films
Family Mart opens new “Famima” flagship store in Tokyo that’s like a tourist attraction- Air-conditioned dress shirts arrive in Japan to save working professionals from sweltering heat
Uniqlo looks back to the very start of Pokémon with new black-and-white pixel art T-shirts[Pics]
Japanese Shinkansen becomes an overnight hotel for three nights this summer
Yearly
Japan announces sudden 400-percent increase in visa fees for foreigners entering the country
Japan’s human washing machines will go on sale to general public, demos to be held in Tokyo- Studio Ghibli has a new anime out, and there’s only one place in the world where you can see it
Starbucks Japan releases new drinkware and goods for Valentine’s Day
Starbucks Japan releases new sakura goods and drinkware for cherry blossom season 2026
Japan’s newest Shinkansen has no seats…or passengers [Video]- Tokyo subway installing new ticket gates that don’t accept payment through Suica or other IC cards
Japanese ninja certification exam attracts 131 candidates from Japan and abroad
Salomon releases Japan-exclusive Mt. Fuji hiking gear that doubles as an amazing souvenir
Put sesame oil in your coffee? Japanese maker says it’s the best way to start your day【Taste test】
RECOMMENDED STORIES
Aichi city throws year-long 20th birthday bash for giant beckoning cat statue, Hello Kitty invited
Japan’s largest online flea market reminds users that selling used school swimsuits is prohibited
Final Fantasy plushie shoulder bags are fuzzy and functional [Photos]
Air-conditioned dress shirts arrive in Japan to save working professionals from sweltering heat
Toyota Museum’s international retro vehicle parade returns to Aichi this autumn
Resident Evil’s terrifying Licker becomes a bag in Japan that wants to feed you
Yoshinoya gets into fancy fish, but is the cheap beef king reaching too far? [Taste test]
U.S. government reportedly planning to close Nagoya consulate
7-Eleven Japan rethinks convenience store sandwiches with a wild new choc-mint variety
Tokyo’s Haneda Airport airlines announce stricter luggage check-in deadline for domestic flights
Studio Ghibli’s No Face twirls to sound of Spirited Away’s theme song in beautiful accessory box
Coco’s Japan is very confident in their chilled ramen, but should they be? [Taste test]
Japanese vending machine sells freshly squeezed lemon juice with a futuristic light show
Is covering your entire upper body with cooling strips enough to fend off Japan’s summer heat?
-
