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Maiko: I Tried to Leave the Geisha World. They Sent Me a Bill
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A Japanese Soapland Fired Her. So She Turned Them In to the Cops
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Get a quote today → Japan’s New Tax-Free Rules Will Give Shoppers Less Money Back
Japan's new tax-free shopping rules start November, leaving handling to private operators and leaving tourists with less than…
Perfume in Japan: Why Less Is More, and Where to Wear None at All
Will your perfume cause problems? Here's what to know about what to wear (and when not to wear…
Japan Is Building a Separate Transport Network for Tourists’ Luggage
A new hands-free travel service is part of Japan's latest effort to separate the flow of people from…
The Tokyo Neighborhoods With Japan’s Most Acclaimed Restaurants, According to Its Harshest Reviewers
Which Tokyo neighborhoods really have the best food? Tabelog scores from 794 restaurants reveal surprising winners and losers…
Happening Bars: A Guide to Japan’s Hidden Sex Hotspots
What are happening bars? What actually "happens" in one? And the bigger question as a foreigner in Japan:…
A Crime-Free Kabukicho? Tokyo Police Start “Purging” Touts and Scouts
Touts and scouts in Kabukicho say they feel they're in the middle of a crackdown. Will this new…
21 Soaplands Shut Overnight, Leaving Japanese Sex Workers High and Dry
The incident highlights the shift in sex-related businesses in Japan - and the precarious situation of sex workers.
Japanese Women Increasingly Trafficked Overseas for Sex Work by Scout Groups
The groups have made a killing by recruiting financially vulnerable women. Ordinary Japanese travelers are feeling the blowback.
Ōsawa Takamasa’s Tokyo Restaurant Only Serves Biryani. It’s Earned Him Michelin Praise
Inside Biriyani Osawa: a tiny, reservation-only Tokyo spot serving one pot of biryani per seating, praised in the…
Yakitori in Tokyo: From Cheap Skewers to High-End Grills
All you need to know and more about yakitori: its history, nose-to-tail cooking, and popular chains vs. Tokyo's…
Celebrity Japanese Chef Says “Nagoya Has No Good Restaurants” – and the City Erupts
A remark from influencer chef Ryuji ignited a firestorm in Nagoya, but there's a lot more than meets…
The World Loves Japanese Food. So Why Does Japanese Bento Get Kids Bullied Abroad?
A Japanese mother in Canada took to social media after her daughter started bringing her homemade bento home…
Why You Still Need Cash in Japan: A Cautionary Tale
You just finished your meal at a Japanese restaurant. Then you realize the store only takes cash. Don't…
Japan’s Extreme Heat is Killing Off Its Cultural Traditions One by One
As Japan gets hotter, age-old cultural rituals such as radio calisthenics, going to the beach, and even Obon…
Pentagrams and Boulder Gods: Japan’s Shrines That Break the Mold
A boulder as an object of worship. A "breakup shrine" that's a stone covered in papers. Meet the…
Why There’s an 11-Meter Goddess Inside This Tokyo Department Store
It's impossible to miss: a soaring goddess ensconced inside a paragon of capitalism. What inspired a sculptor to…
Japanese Woman Scolded for Taking Menstrual Leave That’s Protected by Law
Why do fewer than 1% of Japanese women use legally protected menstrual leave? One viral complaint has reignited…
“Foul-Smelling Men”: Demand for Women-Only Shinkansen Seats in Japan Goes Viral
Should Japan's bullet trains have women-only spaces? Proponents say it would protect women, but implementation wouldn't be easy.
In Japan, Sanitary Pads Are Getting Pricier. In Korea, They’re Going Free
A viral post blamed Japan's first female prime minister for higher pad costs, highlighting a highly controversial political…
Working Mothers Now Exceed 81% of Japanese Households With Kids, a Record
Working mothers have hit their highest record ever in Japan. But that's not necessarily a sign of growing…
Why Does Japan Have So Many Last Names Compared to China and Korea?
Why does Japan have hundreds of thousands of surnames while China and Korea rely on a handful? The…
Ikezu-Ishi: Are Kyoto’s “Rude Rocks” an Insult, or a Kindness?
Some domestic tourists point to one local custom, the "rude rock," as proof of Kyoto spite. But it…
How Higashino Keigo Improved My Japanese
In the wake of the beloved author's death, our author shares how Higashino Keigo's accessible writing made his…
You Say Tsuyu, I Say Baiu: How Japanese Jukujikun Make Kanji Even Harder
Why do the same two kanji for Japan's rainy season change pronunciation based on context? Blame the phenomenon…
“He’s a Victim Too”: People Defend Japanese Man Convicted of Female Streamer Mogami Ai’s Murder
Takano Ken’ichi stabbed Satō Airi, known online as Mogami Ai, 55 times. A brutal murder. So why are…
Why Did This School in Japan Quietly Fire a Teacher for Sexual Coercion?
A teacher emailed a student 192 times, ordering her to commit sex acts. Why did it take 18…
Japan’s Internet Wants Uchida Riko Executed. Here’s Why That Won’t Happen
The Internet is calling for blood in the brutal murder of a 17-year-old girl. But prosecutors are following…
“Accidental” Affair? Japan Supreme Court Reconsiders Cheating Damages Award
On June 5, 2026, Japan's Supreme Court issued its first-ever ruling on a question most Westerners don't know…
“Katakana Hell”: The Culture Shocks Japan’s Asian Immigrants Actually Face
What surprises Asian immigrants in Japan? From corporate jargon to the country's famously indirect "no," there's a lot…
Japan’s New Permanent-Residency Rules Would Demand Foreigners Out-Earn Most Japanese
Japan may soon raise the income requirements for permanent residency, shutting out most workers here from ever qualifying.
Nara Deer Move Themselves to Osaka – and Nara Doesn’t Want Them Back
There are too many deer in Nara Park. To remedy the situation, it seems at least a few…
Tokyo Citizens Protest That the Rent Is Too Damn High
Tokyo is becoming hard to afford for more people, with the cost of a one-bedroom home reaching record…
20% of Japan’s Manga Artists and Illustrators Say AI Has Cut Their Income
A new Nikkei survey finds that roughly one in five Japanese manga artists and illustrators say generative AI…
Galapagos Rock: Why It’s So Hard for Foreign J-Pop Fans to Buy Concert Tickets in Japan
Some overseas fans of Japanese music say the hassle is proof that "Japan hates foreigners." The truth is…
Are Japanese Teens Leaving Manga Behind?
One prominent journalist argues the youth market is slipping away. Others say they've heard this false cry before.
Swimsuit Snow Performance Lands Japanese Idols in Hot Water (and They Don’t Give a F$*!)
Planck Stars isn't a group to shy away from controversy. Indeed, it seems to be reveling in its…
40% of Young Japanese Men Don’t Own a TV
The data shows people aren't just moving online - they're not watching content from traditional broadcast networks at…
Japan’s Anime and Manga Industries Are Feeling the AI Squeeze
Japan's anime and manga industries are growing wary of the impact of GenAI on their bottom line -…
Hanafuda: How a Banned Card Game Defined the Pre-Pokémon Era
Before Mario, Nintendo sold hanafuda cards to the yakuza. Read the 400-year forbidden history of the flower cards…
Japanese Sex Toy Firm Tenga Suffers US Data Breach
The company took pains to reassure its Japanese customer base that information about their masturbatory habits was safe.
Kaneko Fumiko: The Japanese Anarchist Who Died Young Defying the Emperor
The state never even recorded her birth. A century after the Japanese anarchist Kaneko Fumiko died in prison…
Suzuki Masa: The Samurai’s Daughter Who Helped Found Modern Japanese Nursing
NHK's 2026 morning drama Kaze, Kaoru modeled one of its heroines on a woman most people in Japan…
Kikuya: The Cast-Out Dancer Who Invented the Geisha
The Tatsumi Geisha were the first female geisha of Japan. And they owe their existence to a woman…
Sapporo Lets “Ainu Aren’t Indigenous” Panel Exhibit Run – Again – Despite Opposition
The city of Sapporo cleared a display that denies the legal status of the Ainu - and that…
“The Meal-Skipping Crowd”: Cute Japanese Gen Z Slang, or a Sign of Japan’s Poverty?
Are young people skipping meals because they don't want to eat? Or are they just too broke? The…
Osaka Station’s “Exclusion Art”: Hostile Architecture Comes to Kansai
Why did 150 concrete blocks outside JR Osaka Station spark outrage? We explore the divide in Japan's "exclusion…
Japan’s “Leg-Hair Harassment” Debate: What English Media Is Missing
Are Japanese women really accusing Japanese men of harassing them in the workplace with their body hair? Here…
Japan’s Hikikomori “80/50” Crisis is Putting a Strain on Elderly Parents
Japan coined the word "hikikomori" for its withdrawn young people. But its reclusive population has quietly aged.
In Japan, LGBTQ Protections Depend on Which Town You Live In
Japan just approved its first national LGBT plan. But with no anti-discrimination law and partnership certificates that carry…
Tokyo Court Awards Damages to Outed Transgender Author
Award-winning author Li Kotomi won a small but symbolic ruling against a lawyer who had been involved in…
Love and Cherry Blossoms: Celebrating LGBTQ+ Pride in Japan’s Rural North
While Tokyo’s cherry blossoms had all but disappeared from the trees, Japan’s most iconic trees had just gone…
“Love Wins”: Marriage Equality Advocates in Japan Press Case Ahead of Supreme Court Ruling
As Japan's Supreme Court prepares to hear a pivotal case on marriage equality, a local advocacy group launches…
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Maiko: I Tried to Leave the Geisha World. They Sent Me a Bill
A former maiko who says she was harassed and abused in Japan's geisha world is now telling her…
A Japanese Soapland Fired Her. So She Turned Them In to the Cops
A soapland allegedly fired a worker after she was sent home with a fever. Here's the story of…
The Museum of Roadside Art: Inside The Tokyo Museum Where Sex and Kitsch Collide
Inside Tokyo's Museum of Roadside Art, a Japanese photojournalist's mission to save erotic art others consider too "lowbrow"…
The World Gives Japan’s Konbini Five Stars. Why Japan Only Gives Them Three
Why konbini are especially low rated plus the highest-rated chain in Japan (it's not who you think).
Japan Trend Radar: Kumamoto, Takaichi Criticism, Empress Support
Japanese social media condemned corporate greed, re-iterated their support for an Empress Aiko, and demanded women-only Shinkansen seats.
Takaichi Wants Japan to “Coexist” With Foreigners. Japan’s Hard Right HATES Her for It
Takaichi Sanae's pledge for "coexistence" with Japan's immigrant population has Japan's online right on the warpath.
Japan’s PM Says She Doesn’t Sleep. That’s Gonna Get People Killed.
Japan's PM bragged that she barely sleeps. Why the remark went over like a lead balloon in a…
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…