Get our free weekly newsletter summarizing the most popular content we published across all of our channels in the past seven days. Even if you follow us on social media, subscribing is a great way to help us stay in contact with you more personally and help us grow independently of social media companies and their algorithms.
Sign up for our free newsletter to get a weekly update on our latest content and help keep us editorially independent.
Need a preview? See our archives
Our newsletter is free to all – as is all the content on our site, social media, and YouTube. If you love UJ and want to support us, consider upgrading to Unseen Japan Insider, which gets you access to an enhanced newsletter with bonus content, commentary, and context on the week’s Japan news. Plus you’ll get to give us feedback, Ask Us Anything, and have a say in our future editorial direction.
You can also talk to us and other members of the UJ community – for free – via our Discord forum.
Unseen Japan is a collective of writers who report on news, history, culture, and social movements in Japan based on Japanese sources. We aim to cover viewpoints from Japan that you may not often hear in the English speaking world.
If you’re new to UJ, check out our about page for a comprehensive review of what we cover by topic. You can also dig into our latest posts, or check out our News and Essays categories. Our Featured category also contains some of our best longer-form work.
The incident highlights the dangers of climbing Mt. Fuji without adequate equipment, preparation, or common sense.
The retailer of manga and anime figures says it won’t allow pre-orders or send shipments to the US until things settle.
Why did a security guard do a deeply humiliating bow to an Osaka Expo attendee? Officials say it was because the guard feared for his safety.
A unique event held yearly in Tokyo gives participants a chance to talk about death openly – and even see what it’s like to die.
Many inbound travelers to Japan love staying in a traditional Japanese ryokan. However, they’re not so keen on the food that comes with it.
The Kameido store says it’s “repulsed” watching senior employees trick juniors into eating their 2,000+-calorie large bowls.
Yep, it’s another Conan film – but one that’s entertaining for non-fans while giving fans a deeper look at a recurring character.
Here’s what’s made the Detective Conan series so popular – and the silly things you should ignore to enjoy it.
Japan will soon only have a single Cold Stone anywhere in the country. Some are blaming the staff’s habit of breaking out into song.
A case in Saga Prefecture tells of a bold new example of “yami-baito” targeting Japan’s infamous (and dwindling) crime families.
Fans and even politicians are angry at a record company’s plans to include unreleased nudes of enka singer Yashiro Aki in its CD release.
The iconic spot, struggling with overtourism, asked reporters and media to keep their cameras away this year.
Unseen Japan is proudly hosted by Rocket.net. Get your first month of WordPress hosting on Rocket.net for just $1.
Links on Unseen Japan may point to affiliate programs from which we earn a commission at no additional cost to you. For more information, read our privacy policy.
Let’s stay in touch. Get our free newsletter to get a weekly update on our best stories (all human-generated, we promise). You’ll also help keep UJ independent of Google and the social media giants.
Want a preview? Read our archives.
Read our privacy policy