Travel
Which Tokyo neighborhoods really have the best food? Tabelog scores from 794 restaurants reveal surprising winners and losers…
Travel
A "sleeper" run of JR Central's Tokaido shinkansen was a huge hit. It also offered something other shinkansen…
Living in Japan
What surprises Asian immigrants in Japan? From corporate jargon to the country's famously indirect "no," there's a lot…
Sex & Nightlife
Soaplands are one of Japan's most euphemistic open secrets: “special bathhouses” where sex is sold under a legal…
Travel
Coming to Japan? Want to experience the country outside of the tourist traps? Here's how a tour guide…
Sex & Nightlife
Learn more about the hihōkan, the erotic museums where drunken salarymen used to while away their time before…
Living in Japan
Japan may soon raise the income requirements for permanent residency, shutting out most workers here from ever qualifying.
Society
Japan coined the word "hikikomori" for its withdrawn young people. But its reclusive population has quietly aged.
Insider
A new anime tells a complex story of addiction and discrimination. It also sheds a light on a…
Society
Are Japanese women really accusing Japanese men of harassing them in the workplace with their body hair? Here…
Insider
Takaichi Sanae's pledge for "coexistence" with Japan's immigrant population has Japan's online right on the warpath.
Law & Crime
Takano Ken’ichi stabbed Satō Airi, known online as Mogami Ai, 55 times. A brutal murder. So why are…
Here's how Shimokitazawa has avoided overdevelopment, and why it should be on your list of must-see spots in Tokyo.
Read the full story →
Personalized tours with knowledgeable, Japanese-speaking guides who'll take you where most travelers can't go.
Get a quote today → Which Tokyo neighborhoods really have the best food? Tabelog scores from 794 restaurants reveal surprising winners and losers…
A "sleeper" run of JR Central's Tokaido shinkansen was a huge hit. It also offered something other shinkansen…
Traveling to Japan while also wrestling with a gluten allergy? It's tricky but it can be done. Here's…
Want a private, mixed onsen experience in the heart of Tokyo that won't sweat your tattoos? Welcome to…
What are happening bars? What actually "happens" in one? And the bigger question as a foreigner in Japan:…
Touts and scouts in Kabukicho say they feel they're in the middle of a crackdown. Will this new…
The incident highlights the shift in sex-related businesses in Japan - and the precarious situation of sex workers.
The groups have made a killing by recruiting financially vulnerable women. Ordinary Japanese travelers are feeling the blowback.
All you need to know and more about yakitori: its history, nose-to-tail cooking, and popular chains vs. Tokyo's…
A remark from influencer chef Ryuji ignited a firestorm in Nagoya, but there's a lot more than meets…
A Japanese mother in Canada took to social media after her daughter started bringing her homemade bento home…
As bear populations expand and attacks increase, Japan is looking to turn an environmental challenge into a culinary…
A boulder as an object of worship. A "breakup shrine" that's a stone covered in papers. Meet the…
It's impossible to miss: a soaring goddess ensconced inside a paragon of capitalism. What inspired a sculptor to…
Japan's booming oshikatsu (fandom support) economy has inspired a new insurance policy. And it makes a lot more…
Forget maid cafés. Japan Maid School is training professionals for luxury private homes, focusing on housekeeping, etiquette, and…
Why do fewer than 1% of Japanese women use legally protected menstrual leave? One viral complaint has reignited…
Should Japan's bullet trains have women-only spaces? Proponents say it would protect women, but implementation wouldn't be easy.
A viral post blamed Japan's first female prime minister for higher pad costs, highlighting a highly controversial political…
Working mothers have hit their highest record ever in Japan. But that's not necessarily a sign of growing…
Some domestic tourists point to one local custom, the "rude rock," as proof of Kyoto spite. But it…
In the wake of the beloved author's death, our author shares how Higashino Keigo's accessible writing made his…
Why do the same two kanji for Japan's rainy season change pronunciation based on context? Blame the phenomenon…
Is auto-translation on Japanese social media breaking language barriers or creating new problems? We look at the illusion…
Takano Ken’ichi stabbed Satō Airi, known online as Mogami Ai, 55 times. A brutal murder. So why are…
A teacher emailed a student 192 times, ordering her to commit sex acts. Why did it take 18…
The Internet is calling for blood in the brutal murder of a 17-year-old girl. But prosecutors are following…
On June 5, 2026, Japan's Supreme Court issued its first-ever ruling on a question most Westerners don't know…
What surprises Asian immigrants in Japan? From corporate jargon to the country's famously indirect "no," there's a lot…
Japan may soon raise the income requirements for permanent residency, shutting out most workers here from ever qualifying.
There are too many deer in Nara Park. To remedy the situation, it seems at least a few…
Tokyo is becoming hard to afford for more people, with the cost of a one-bedroom home reaching record…
A new Nikkei survey finds that roughly one in five Japanese manga artists and illustrators say generative AI…
Some overseas fans of Japanese music say the hassle is proof that "Japan hates foreigners." The truth is…
One prominent journalist argues the youth market is slipping away. Others say they've heard this false cry before.
Planck Stars isn't a group to shy away from controversy. Indeed, it seems to be reveling in its…
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 growing wary of the impact of GenAI on their bottom line -…
Before Mario, Nintendo sold hanafuda cards to the yakuza. Read the 400-year forbidden history of the flower cards…
The company took pains to reassure its Japanese customer base that information about their masturbatory habits was safe.
The state never even recorded her birth. A century after the Japanese anarchist Kaneko Fumiko died in prison…
NHK's 2026 morning drama Kaze, Kaoru modeled one of its heroines on a woman most people in Japan…
The Tatsumi Geisha were the first female geisha of Japan. And they owe their existence to a woman…
The city of Sapporo cleared a display that denies the legal status of the Ainu - and that…
Are young people skipping meals because they don't want to eat? Or are they just too broke? The…
Why did 150 concrete blocks outside JR Osaka Station spark outrage? We explore the divide in Japan's "exclusion…
Are Japanese women really accusing Japanese men of harassing them in the workplace with their body hair? Here…
Japan coined the word "hikikomori" for its withdrawn young people. But its reclusive population has quietly aged.
Japan just approved its first national LGBT plan. But with no anti-discrimination law and partnership certificates that carry…
Award-winning author Li Kotomi won a small but symbolic ruling against a lawyer who had been involved in…
While Tokyo’s cherry blossoms had all but disappeared from the trees, Japan’s most iconic trees had just gone…
As Japan's Supreme Court prepares to hear a pivotal case on marriage equality, a local advocacy group launches…
Featured
Want an alternative to Duolingo now that they're firing workers and resorting to AI slop? Here's a much…
Culture
Purikura photo booths remain popular in Japan. But if you're an unaccompanied male, odds are you won't be…
Food
Looking to pack on muscle while in Japan? Why the country's largest konbini chain may just be your…
Culture
Most foreigners reported experiences with a "gaijin hunter". But the reality of these interactions is more complicated than…
Society
Would you hire a stranger to be your spouse or your parent? For some in Japan, the rental…
Featured
How the case of Furuta Junko led Japan's press to break the rules, and citizens to question the…
Japanese Language
Japanese is fraught with unspoken rules and meanings. For example: how should people refer to their husbands?
Japanese Language
Reading Japanese menus can be tricky, as you'll often find many kanji you don't encounter elsewhere. Here's a…
Insider is Unseen Japan's paid weekly tier. Subscribers get bonus articles, deeper investigations, and full archive access. Free readers can browse and read previews of every Insider post before subscribing.
Why konbini are especially low rated plus the highest-rated chain in Japan (it's not who you think).
Japanese social media condemned corporate greed, re-iterated their support for an Empress Aiko, and demanded women-only Shinkansen seats.
Takaichi Sanae's pledge for "coexistence" with Japan's immigrant population has Japan's online right on the warpath.
Japan's PM bragged that she barely sleeps. Why the remark went over like a lead balloon in a…
Japan could have won big by embracing "Otaku Japan." Instead, it tried to redefine a cool it already…
A new anime tells a complex story of addiction and discrimination. It also sheds a light on a…
Fuji TV is once again dealing with a public relations crisis. And, once again, it's showing how unequipped…
During Japan's Edo Era, peeing in the street wasn't a crime, but a contribution to the economy. Here's…
