LGBTQ
Love and Cherry Blossoms: Celebrating LGBTQ+ Pride in Japan’s Rural North
While Tokyo’s cherry blossoms had all but disappeared from the trees, Japan’s most iconic trees had just gone into full bloom in…
The latest Japan travel and culture news
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LGBTQ
Culture
When Plushies Take a Seat: Japan’s “Nuikatsu” Boom Collides With Restaurant Manners
A couple of viral incidents online highlight how some restaurants are struggling to handle customers bringing their stuffed +1s.
Insider
Why Gender Equality is Stalling Under Japan’s First Female Prime Minister
Japan finally has its first female Prime Minister. But that isn't translating into victories for ordinary Japanese women.
Sex & Nightlife
In Japan, Oshikatsu is Fostering an Underage Sex Work Pipeline
Oshikatsu has girls turning to sex work to give money to their favorite performers. Some are as young as 15.
History
Suzuki Masa: The Samurai’s Daughter Who Helped Found Modern Japanese Nursing
NHK's 2026 morning drama Kaze, Kaoru modeled one of its heroines on a woman most people in Japan have never heard of:…
Women
How Japan’s Legal System Punishes Women for Reporting Sexual Assault
Two recent cases highlight how the system in Japan is set up to protect, not the victims of sexual assault, but the…
History
Kikuya: The Cast-Out Dancer Who Invented the Geisha
The Tatsumi Geisha were the first female geisha of Japan. And they owe their existence to a woman driven out of her…
Society
Is Japan REALLY Trying to Ban Saying “Itadakimasu” at Schools?
Japan's "War on Christmas" is a viral online claim framed as an attack on Japanese culture. Just one problem: it isn't true.