The latest Japan travel and culture news

FEATURED

A Militarized Japan? The Quest to Revise Article 9 of Japan’s Constitution

Will Japan move from maintaining a pure self-defense force to creating an army that can go on the offensive?

LAW & CRIME

99.9%: Is Japan’s High Conviction Rate a Product of “Hostage Justice”?

The prolonged detention of Carlos Ghosn has led to scrutiny of Japan's 99.9% conviction rate - and the tactics used to maintain…

FOOD

Rice Flight: Why Japan’s Eating Less Rice Than Ever

Japan is considered synonymous with rice. So why has consumption decreased steadily for decades?

SOCIETY

Dawn of a New Era: Why Japan’s Calendars Will Change With the New Emperor

When Crown Prince Naruhito becomes Emperor this year, a new era will literally dawn in Japan. Alyssa Pearl Fusek explores the history…

SOCIETY

Singles Culture in Japan on the Rise

Why singles life in Japan tends to be less like The Bachelor and more like The 40 Year Old Virgin.

SOCIETY

Idol Yamaguchi Maho Forced to Apologize for Her Own Sexual Assault

A Japanese idol management company comes under fire after ignoring an attempted sexual assault on one of its stars - and then…

JAPANESE LANGUAGE

Colors in Japanese: Not as Black and White as You’d Think

Did you know that Japanese once only had four colors? A look at the interesting evolution of color vocabulary in the Japanese…

CULTURE

Hatsumode: Japan’s First Shrine Visit of the New Year

How Japan's most popular New Years custom has changed over the centuries.