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Essay
Why has Aokigahara, a forest full of legend and history, gained notoriety as a haven of death?
After all these years, the Japanese government officially recognized the Ainu. Here's why the Ainu can't take them seriously.
How a rebellion by rich girls against their own status became a rollicking fashion phenomenon.
It rakes in trillions for Japan, but is kawaii culture forcing Japanese women into a no-win situation?
How Japan's samurai resistance fell to the pressure of history - and how its leader went from hatred traitor to respected leader.
Ancient. Colorful. Hard as hell. Learn how the samurai's "way of the bow and horse" evolved into a beautiful art form.
The story of the samurai who fought the rise of modern Japan to the end - and who, when all else failed, founded his own nation-state.
How a mysterious frontier island peopled by "barbarians" became one of the four main islands of Japan - and how the original inhabitants suffered as a result.