Essay

You Can’t Do That in Japan (Anymore!): Hanzawa Naoki and Japan’s Modern Business World

The revival of a popular drama is met with huge fanfare and ratings - but some are pointing out that its depiction of Japanese business feels a tad dated.

Japanese Writing: The Kanji Debate of the Meiji Period

The story of how modern Japanese came to assume its current written form - and how kanji nearly got left on the cutting room floor.

What’s Up With Okinawan Names? A Language History

Why are Okinawan names difficult for even mainland Japanese speakers? How the languages of the Ryukyu kingdom survived - despite attempts to eradicate them.

Black Dragon Society: Japan’s Secret Imperialist Clique

How the Black Dragon Society of right-wing nationalists and pan-Asianists pushed Japan ever further rightward prior to World War II.

Hosono Masabumi: The Shunned Survivor of the Titanic

How Japan's lone passenger on the Titanic survived - and the ridicule and judgment he faced upon his return.

Sakamoto Ryoma: The Samurai Who Forged a New Japan

July 29, 2020
Featured, History, History, Video

Learn about how a low-ranking samurai, Sakamoto Ryoma, helped bring down the Shogunate - and why he lost his life for it.

How The Kremlin Saved Kurosawa Akira

Japanese film maestro Akira Kurosawa was at his lowest point - and then the Soviets stepped in.

Sukyo Mahikari: Not All Harmony and Light

Founded by an architect of the Nanking Massacre, Sukyo Mahikari bathes its followers in "purifying energy", anti-Semitism, and Japanese nationalism.

The Lesser-Known Festivals of Japan: Dangerous Edition

Bamboo battles, precarious log rides, and a literal firefight make up three festivals in Japan that'll get your blood pumping - but not without risk.