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New App Promises Greater Convenience in Reading Old Japanese Cursive

Kuzushiji, the “crushed letters” found in historical Japanese documents, have long been the bane of scholars. A new app may change all that.

Don’t Smoke This Flower, Warns Staff of Popular Anime

A striking post from an illustrator on the anime Lycoris Recoil also carried a warning about a pretty - but deadly - Japanese flower.

Tokyo Doctor Arrested for Dummy Vaccines, Forging Documents

A Tokyo doctor with strong anti-vax beliefs tried to talk patients out of the COVID-19 vaccine - and, when they insisted, gave them salt.

Was Divorce in Japan’s Edo Era Easy?

Divorce in Japan's Edo era was a simple affair...if you were a man. For women, "divorce temples" provided a way out.

Bill Gates and the Revival of the Meguro Parasitological Museum

A unique museum in Tokyo's Meguro ward that has been struggling to stay afloat got a boost in the arm from a surprise visitor.

Mama, Papa: How the Japanese Words for Parents Lost Out to English

"Mama" and "papa" are such ubiquitous parental terms in Japan that it's easy to forget they're foreign words - words the government once tried to ban.