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Get a quote today → How an Ex-Engineer Revived A Public Bath in Tokyo
Japan's neighborhood bathhouses are disappearing, but some are bucking the trend. See how one ex-engineer keeps his family's…
“Insta-Pests”: Why A Kyoto Temple Reportedly Banned Kimono-Clad Visitors
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[Insider] How “Cool Japan” Ruined Japan’s Cool
Japan could have won big by embracing "Otaku Japan." Instead, it tried to redefine a cool it already…
[Insider] The Yani Neko Mirror: Why Japan Won’t Look at Poverty
A new anime tells a complex story of addiction and discrimination. It also sheds a light on a…
[Insider] Fuji TV Fails Again in Japan Sexual Harassment Scandal
Fuji TV is once again dealing with a public relations crisis. And, once again, it's showing how unequipped…
[Insider] Urine Nation: Japan’s 150-Years-Long War Against Peeing in Public
During Japan's Edo Era, peeing in the street wasn't a crime, but a contribution to the economy. Here's…
[Insider] Japan Invented MSG. Why Do Even Some Japanese Call It “Poison”?
MSG has been pilloried for decades in the United States. But Japan's "additive-free" movement has also labeled glutamate's…
[Insider] New Zealand Deported a Japanese Porn Star. Is Japan’s Porn Law to Blame?
Japanese adult video actress Fukuda Yua says she was turned away at the New Zealand border. While she…
[Insider] Japan Wants to Jail Men Who Buy Sex. Sex Workers Say That’ll Get Women Hurt
A majority of voices are clamoring for Japan to criminalize prostitution buyers. Here’s why the country's sex worker…
[Insider] Why Gender Equality is Stalling Under Japan’s First Female Prime Minister
Japan finally has its first female Prime Minister. But that isn't translating into victories for ordinary Japanese women.