The latest Japan travel and culture news

FOOD

How Much for Great Sake? A New Tokyo Restaurant Lets You Decide

A new sake bar is using a radical model to bring in customers - but there are a few catches.

ENTERTAINMENT

Message from Space: Why “Japan’s Star Wars” Was a Domestic Dud

In 1978, the Toei Company rushed a Star Wars knock-off into theaters. It nearly blew up on the launchpad. Here's why (and…

CULTURE

#KimOhNo: Anger in Japan Over Kim Kardashian’s “Kimono” Clothing Project

"Cultural appropriation" usually hasn't made waves in Japan. Then Kim Kardashian came along. Learn why even the city of Kyoto is objecting…

SOCIETY

Why This Love Lock Fence in Japan is Doomed

An expression of love and devotion in Japan has turned into a public menace. Learn why a popular "love lock" fence in…

HISTORY

Cataclysm: The 1888 Eruption of Fukushima’s Mount Bandai

In 1888, "the Mount Fuji of the North" erupted so fiercely that it remade the local landscape. The incredible story of how…

POLITICS

Japan Tackles Its Plastic Problem

From Cup Noodles to onigiri wrappers, some major Japanese businesses are taking steps to reduce plastic waste. But many experts say these…

FEATURED

Why Some Westerners in Japan Never Learn Japanese

How a casual tweet promoting an author's new book about Japan blew up into a discussion of Western privilege and Orientalism.

POLITICS

Japan’s Predicted Pension Gap Puts Government on the Defensive

A government report telling citizens they'll need to save big to make it to 95 has Japan anxious - and Prime Minister…