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UNSEEN JAPAN

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Dual tornadoes strike the Izu islands in Japan.

Tornadoes in Japan: A Rotating Rarity?

Tornadoes are far from the first natural disaster one thinks of in association with Japan - yet they occur more often than you may realize.
Asama Sano Lodge

Last Stand: The Hostage Crisis That Ended Japan’s Red Army

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.
Blood on the Snow - JRA Part 2

Blood on the Snow: The Horrifying Implosion of Japan’s United Red Army

Pushed underground by vigilant police surveillance, Japan's militant far left went down a dark path that would tarnish its name in infamy for decades to come.
Kotobagari - censored words in Japan

Kotobagari: The Banned Words of the Japanese Language

It's often said that there are no swear words in Japanese. But while profanities may be rare, taboos - and banned words - abound.
Wanted poster for members of the Japanese Red Army

Japanese Red Army: Birth of a Homegrown Terror

Bombings, battles with the police, hijackings. Read about the Japanese Red Army - the revolutionary group that would shock Japan to its core.
Tohoku Dialects

Zuzu-ben: How Japan’s Northern Dialects Became Shorthand for “Hick”

Why a wide range of local dialects in Japan's north are intrinsically - and unfairly - associated with rural backwardness.
Crying Freeman

Crying Freeman and the 1980s Home Video Revolution in Japan

How an absolutely ridiculous anime released for home video sparked interest in OVAs both in Japan and abroad.
Hajichi tattoos of Okinawa

Hajichi: The Banned Traditional Tattoos of Okinawa

These tattoos, native to the Ryukyuan people, were once banned from being practiced. Now, they're making a comeback.
Benkei, Japan's warrior monk

Benkei: Was Japan’s Warrior Monk Real?

Benkei was a Warrior Monk whose life was filled with rich history and folklore. Or at least, that's how the tale is told...

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