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UNSEEN JAPAN

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The Colonization of Hokkaido

Video: The Colonization of Hokkaido

Watch our latest video - a reading by author Noah Oskow of his original essay on the history of Hokkaido and how it came to be part of Japan.
Nicholas II

The Otsu Incident: Tsar Nicholas II’s Near-Assassination in Japan

In 1891 Japan, history was nearly changed when a Japanese policeman took aim at Russian Crown Prince Nicholas II - the future czar of Russia.
Head(ache) of Household

Video: Head(ache) of Household – Women in Japan and the COVID-19 Crisis

Sachiko Ishikawa explains how Japan's "head of household" system works, and we discuss how this puts women in Japan at a disadvantage.
Husband Management

Video: Husband Management – Women in Japan and the Struggle at Home

"How do you protect your daughter when you can't even convince your own husband?" A discussion of a challenge facing many Japanese women.
The explosion of Mt. Bandai

Video: The Explosion of Mt. Bandai

The video version of our essay on the explosion of Mt. Bandai in Fukushima during the Meiji Era - and how Japan responded.
Conveyor belt sushi restaurant

Video: Sayonara, Conveyor Belt Sushi?

Many of you have heard about or eaten at a revolving conveyer-belt sushi - or kaiten-zushi - restaurant. What most people don't know, however, is that this business gimmick in Japan is slowly going out of business.
End of Japanese Red Army - picture of multiple terrorists from the Japanese Red Army in black and white. In the background, pictures of their symbols and of some of them in revolutionary poses

Japanese Red Army: End of a Global Reign of Terror

How a string of violent attacks and a shifting political landscape spelled the end for the Japanese Red Army.
7-11

Unseen Japan Kaiwa 4: An Inconvenient Conbini

Why has the 24-7 Japanese convenience store suddenly become controversial? How critical are such stores to daily life in Japan? And why did Anthony Bourdain always head to a conbini when he landed in Japan?
tattoo

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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