TECHNOLOGY
Japan’s Anime and Manga Industries Are Feeling the AI Squeeze
Japan's anime and manga industries are growing wary of the impact of GenAI on their bottom line - but don't have any…
Technology
TECHNOLOGY
HISTORY
Hanafuda: How a Banned Card Game Defined the Pre-Pokémon Era
Before Mario, Nintendo sold hanafuda cards to the yakuza. Read the 400-year forbidden history of the flower cards that tricked the Shogun.
SEX & NIGHTLIFE
Japanese Sex Toy Firm Tenga Suffers US Data Breach
The company took pains to reassure its Japanese customer base that information about their masturbatory habits was safe.
ENTERTAINMENT
How an AI Manga Became a Bestseller on Japan’s Largest e-Book Store
How did a fully AI-generated manga hit number one in Japan? And what does its success portend for the future of the…
TECHNOLOGY
Japan Is Betting That Tourists Want…NFTs?!
The world has moved on from the NFT scam. Japan, however, thinks it's found a nifty new tool to promote regional tourism.
TECHNOLOGY
How AI Is Warping Everyone’s Perceptions of Japan
Propagandists have always spread disinformation about Japan. AI has made it worse—and, in some cases, may have put people's lives in danger.
SOCIAL MEDIA
Japanese Gamer Skips Middle School to Work on Fortnite Skills
It's a rare move in a country with no legal structure for homeschooling - but the gamer and his parents stand by…
FOOD
More Restaurants in Japan Move to Smartphone Menus. Here’s Why Some Customers Hate It
It's not just old people who are grousing. Even young Japanese say they resent restaurants sucking up their battery life and bandwidth.