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"Mama" and "papa" are such ubiquitous parental terms in Japan that it's easy to forget they're foreign words - words the government once tried to ban.
In Japan, the recent past is often obscured beneath endless concrete. Meiji Mura is one of the few places to discover the atmosphere of modernizing, turn-of-the-century Japan.
As the era of the samurai ended and Japan rushed towards modernization, a rough-scrabble fashion movement called the Bankara rose in opposition.
Internationally beloved director Hosoda Mamoru's new film, Belle, portrays the modern clash between online fame and anonymity - with some narrative hiccups.
Shigenobu Fusako vowed to take the Japanese Red Army global. Her mission ended with dozens of innocent deaths.
Eerie and beautiful, Kwaidan is the perfect introduction to the classic ghost stories of Japan. Further revelations await those who look deeper into its dark mirror.
Tornadoes are far from the first natural disaster one thinks of in association with Japan - yet they occur more often than you may realize.
The disintegration of a far-left paramilitary group led to a standoff that was watched on live TV by 90% of the country - and that changed Japanese politics for decades.