Essay

LIVING IN JAPAN

Ranking Japan’s Best Cities for Immigrants

Perhaps it's surprising, or perhaps not—but when you weigh all of these factors, Tokyo is not the winner.

HISTORY

Queer Echoes: Koike Chikyoku, Unlikely Warrior Artist

The story of a little-know artist-turned-warrior during the waning days of the samurai -- and who just might have been a queer…

LIVING IN JAPAN

What Is My Worth as a Foreigner in Japan? A Pandemic Query

Our author discusses how the pandemic has laid bare elements of how the Japanese public and government perceive the foreign residents in…

JAPANESE LANGUAGE

Pass the JLPT! How to Study for the JLPT Reading Section

The JLPT reading section is likely the most difficult part of the entire test. Why? While all other questions are relatively straightforward,…

LIVING IN JAPAN

Appreciating the Moon in Japan, Land of the Rising Sun

Although Japan is the land of the rising sun, with its indigenous religion centering around the sun goddess, we cannot overlook the…

FEATURED

Tsukimi (月見), The Season of Moon Viewing

Tsukimi, the season of moon viewing, starts next week in Japan. Learn more about this day's origins, how to make Tsukimi Dumplings,…

FEATURED

Melonpan: The Japan Sweet Bread’s Armenian History

Melonpan, the sweet baked good that delights people across East Asia, was the creation of one Armenian man living in the diaspora…

BOOK REVIEWS

Review: “Black Box: The Memoir That Sparked Japan’s #MeToo Movement”

Ito Shiori's arresting memoir, Black Box, has been credited with starting #metoo in Japan. Now her seminal book has a superlative new…