Culture

Sumida Aquarium Gives Love Advice with Sea Metaphors

A popular aquarium in Japan has found a clever marketing gimmick: turning its staff's experience with sea creatures into relationship advice.

Japan’s Top Pet Peeves on Trains for 2019 May Surprise You

Japan's train service is legendary - but people are still people. Here's what those in Japan said most annoyed them about riding the train in 2019.

How Halloween in Shibuya Became Notorious

How did Shibuya's Halloween celebrations grow out of control? One commentator says the blame lays squarely with the media.

Ainu to Receive Grants for Cultural Promotion

Japan's native Ainu residents will receive financial support from the government for the first time - a move that has some right-wing groups up in arms.

A Disconnected Phone in Japan Connects Survivors to the Departed

How a lonely "wind phone" in Japan's Iwate Prefecture provides a sense of solace to survivors of the 2011 tsunami.

Nagoya City Suggests the Disabled Use Drones to Scale a Castle

When the city of Nagoya announced the renovated Nagoya Castle would lack an elevator for disabled access, the response was...left than uplifting.

#KimOhNo: Anger in Japan Over Kim Kardashian’s “Kimono” Clothing Project

"Cultural appropriation" usually hasn't made waves in Japan. Then Kim Kardashian came along. Learn why even the city of Kyoto is objecting to the celebrity's latest business project.

10-Year-Old School-Skipping “Revolutionary” Goes Viral in Japan

An Okinawan boy's anti-school rant continues to rack up hits - and criticism of both the boy and his parents.

Unseen Japan Kaiwa 3: Tattoo Blues – Japan’s Tattoo/Tourist Problem

How deeply ingrained are cultural attitudes against tattoos in Japan? We sat down again with YouTuber Misaki to talk about her experiences - and how her thinking shifted after moving to America.

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