Japanese Language
Why Are More Japanese Girls Calling Themselves “Boku”?
How do you refer to yourself in Japanese? For most women, it’s some variant of "watashi." But for many young girls, the…
Articles by Jay Allen
1,144 articles · Page 5
Japanese Language
Business and Economy
Calbee Strips Color From Its Potato Chip Bags as Iran Crisis Reaches Japan’s Snack Aisles
Starting May 25, Calbee will ship 14 of its flagship snacks, including Potato Chips and Kappa Ebisen, in austere black-and-white bags. The…
LGBTQ
Osaka High Court: Japan’s Family Registry Discriminates Against Non-Binary People
An Osaka High Court ruling found that Japan's gender-binary family register violates Article 14 of the Japanese Constitution. But it dismissed the…
Sex & Nightlife
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: Will they even allow…
Food
Natto-ku Dekinai! Price of Japan’s Stinky National Food Spikes
Japan's two biggest natto makers are hiking prices on the nation's beloved fermented soybeans.
Insider
[Insider] How a “Library War” Helped Japan’s Communists Elect a New Mayor
A plan to shutter four of Kiyose City's six libraries angered citizens so much that it gave the Japanese Communist Party a…
Sex & Nightlife
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 attempt to "clean up"…
Women
Solo Weddings: Why Japanese Women Are Saying “I Do” to…Themselves
Japan's marriage rate has tumbled to a postwar low. But the country's bridal industry isn't shrinking: it's pivoting.