Travel
Ashiya: How to Visit Japan’s Most Exclusive Small Town
Ashiya, a leafy enclave between Osaka and Kobe, carries a cachet no other Japanese town quite matches: old money, hillside mansions, and…
Articles by K. Lou
64 articles · Page 5
Travel
Travel
JR East’s New “Luna Azul” Overnight Express Revives Japan’s Sleeper-Train Era
Do you miss Japan's sleeper trains? If JR East has its way, they may be mounting a comeback. Learn how to ride…
Society
4,000 Singles, One Theme Park: How Japan’s Mass Blind Date Brought People Together
A unique event in Saitama opened up an amusement park to men and women. The catch? You needed to find a partner…
Food
Japan’s Bear Crisis Is Putting Bear Meat on the Menu
As bear populations expand and attacks increase, Japan is looking to turn an environmental challenge into a culinary trend with bear meat.
Society
Why These Special Edition Pokémon Goods Ask for Your Japan National ID
To fight scalpers, the Pokémon Company will use Japan's My Number national ID to verify buyers of its 30th-anniversary cards. Most Japanese…
Race in Japan
A Nepali Konbini Clerk Foiled a Scam in Japan, Even as Politicians Cast Foreigners as Threat
A 24-year-old Nepali convenience-store clerk in Kobe sensed an elderly customer was being scammed and stepped in.
LGBTQ
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 the Aum Shinrikyo trials.
Travel
Shibuya’s Littering Fine Targets Both Tourists and Trashy Locals
Who's making Shibuya a worse place to live? The ward rolls out a new fine targeting not just tourists, but messy locals.