society

Kyoto announces two-tier admission price plan for Nijo Castle, non-residents would pay twice as much

First-of-its-kind system for Kyoto would raise maintenance funding and fight overtourism, proponents say, but will it really reduce crowd sizes?

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Japan announces new permanent residency guidelines, foreigners must earn more than average Japanese person

Japanese government suddenly raises income bar for foreigners seeking permanent residency, will apply new rules even to applications filed six months ago.

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Toys R Us is leaving Japan after 35 years in the country

U.S. born chain has soldiered on for nearly a decade after the closing of stores in America.

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It’s been raining in Tokyo for more than a month now, breaking a record at least 150 years old

No one can say exactly when the last time Tokyo got this much rain was, but it was a long, long time ago.

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Tons of used books in Japan being bought up by someone or something

The purchasers are unknown, so let’s call them “anonymous individuals” or “AI” for short.

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Robot bartender bar opening in Kyoto, and no, they’re not controlled by AI

Human hearts and minds will be at the core of the OrySNACK Kyoto experience.

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Japan restarts at-home collection agent visits for public TV fees

Japan’s public broadcaster will once again send third-party agents to people’s doors, resuming unpopular tactic of collecting quasi-obligated fees.

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Free Mt. Fuji helicopter rescues for offseason hikers are ending in Yamanashi

Governor asks offseason hikers to “stop waving around their freedom to climb the mountain as if it’s the only thing that matters.”

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Tokyo to repaint streets over rule that makes it impossible for cars to pass bicycles

Some rules are meant to be broken.

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Mt. Fuji may soon require off-season climbers to register with government or pay for their rescues

The question of whether it’s illegal to hike Mt. Fuji in the off-season is complex, and so is the question of who should pay for it.

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Tokyo ward looking to change lodging laws, ban more than half of its Airbnb-style rentals

Shinjuku has more private lodging rentals than any other part of Japan, but a whole lot of them could be going away as pushback against overtourism continues.

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Kobe middle schools begin abolishing extracurricular activities, shift to community programs

The Kobekatsu program could end up being better for kids than the options they had before.

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Japan’s birth rate rose for the first half of the year for the first time in over a decade

More babies follow two consecutive years of more marriages.

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Japan approves foreign resident visa renewal fee increases of up to 967 percent, starts soon

Fee for permanent residency jumps 1,900 percent.

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Amid foreign sex tourist rise, Japanese government considering outlawing paying for prostitution

No selling should also mean no buying, expert panel says.

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The Japanese government is ending its Cool Japan Fund program

Cool Japan’s mission has been accomplished, but not because of Cool Japan.

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Tokyo giving out free furoshiki from Pikachu’s designer to help tourists carry their garbage home

The traditional, reusable cloth that can be converted into a bag is part of a new campaign designed to “Keep Tokyo Clean.”

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Japanese workers reveal their top five mysterious rules they wish would disappear【Survey】

A single vacation can lead to near-forced souvenirs and apologies to the entire office.

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Study finds hundreds of people in Indonesia legally named after Naruto, Inuyasha, other anime stars

Anime’s growing international popularity is affecting name choices overseas.

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Over 1,400 cities in Japan see foreign population rise, total populations drop in new statistics

Japan’s foreign population is growing in both size and proportion, ministry study shows.

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