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UNSEEN JAPAN

Essay

Standees of a cartoon boy in a white t-shirt with a "T" logo as he puts his hands to his face in shock upon seeing a standee of himself in a state of decomposition, looking like a cartoon zombie, at the showroom floor at ENDEX.

Japan’s Booming Death Business: ENDEX, The End Of Life Exhibition

Japan’s rising death rate is good business For ENDEX: The End Of Life Exhibition. We discover that it’s more than just Hello Kitty urns!
Couple pictured on Buddhist altar

Why Post-Death Divorce is Popular in Japan

Why do some people - particularly women - go out of their way in Japan to divorce their spouse's families after death? Learn why shigo rikon has been on the rise since the 1980s.
Obon horse and cattle - Obon Pokemon

Japanese User Celebrates Obon with Cucumber and Eggplant Pokemon

A clever social media user in Japan put a modern spin on an Obon tradition, giving their ancestors a ride home in a stylish Pokemon.
The book Emergent Tokyo held in front of a line of Zakkyo buildings on Tokyo's Yasukuni Street.

Emergent Tokyo: What Makes Japan’s Capital so Alluring?

Ever wondered what makes up the 'secret sauce' for the world's biggest city? Then this book is required reading.
painted background feating the American civil war. Text reads "how the samurai saw the U.S. Civil War."

How the Samurai Saw the U.S. Civil War

When the U.S. Civil War broke out in 1861, samurai still ruled Japan. How did the samurai - recently forced into trade with the US and on the cusp of their own war - react?
Modern Girl of the Taisho Era

Moga: Japan’s “Modern Girl” of the Taisho Era

She was a symbol of prewar prosperity - and controversy. How the "modern girl" of Japan's roaring 1920s defined a new path for women.
A black and white picture of a young Tamura Toshiko in front of a faded image of books, transposed on a faint scene from 1920s Asakusa.

Tamura Toshiko: The ‘New Woman’ Feminist in Early Modern Japan

In Taisho era Japan, Tamura Toshiko emerged as one of the preeminent writers of the "New Woman" movement. Her legacy extends farther still, beyond Japan's borders.
A illustration of a Japanese man with headlight on head and armed with a gun and bladed weapons strides past a red background. Text reads "Japan's Proto-incel incident: The Tsuyama Massacre."

Was The Tsuyama Massacre Japan’s First Proto-Incel Incident?

In 1938, a disaffected young man stalked his mountain village, killing dozens of his neighbors. Was the Tsuyama Massacre the first incel mass murder?
Yakuza fims of the 1970s

Society Without Honor And Humanity: Japan’s 1970s Yakuza Films

Kinji Fukasaku’s 1970s gangster movies upended decades of depictions of the yakuza and held up a mirror to Japanese society at the same time.

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