LIVING IN JAPAN
Kotatsu: Japan’s Way of Staying Warm in Winter
It's kept Japan warm for over 500 years. So why is it disappearing from Japanese homes? A short history of the kotatsu…
aging population
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LIVING IN JAPAN
LIVING IN JAPAN
How Schools on Remote Japanese Islands are Fighting Depopulation
As depopulation hits the Japanese countryside, remote islands are even more at risk. Chad Kohalyk details the exchange program one island hopes…
SOCIETY
As Cases Surge in Tokyo, Shimane Prefecture Offers Safe Haven
Governor Maruyama of Shimane, openly critical of the central government's COVID response, offers monetary support to prefectural returnees.
ENTERTAINMENT
Japan’s TV Habits are Changing
Two great recent Japanese dramas failed to draw a TV audience - but they weren't failures. Here's why.
JAPANESE LANGUAGE
New Japanese Words Describe an Eventful 2019
The annual list of hot new Japanese words provides valuable insights into the ideas and events that dominated the country this past…
SOCIETY
Japan Has The World’s Strongest Passport (That Few People Use)
Japan's passport is one of the strongest in the world. So why do only one in four Japanese citizens have one?
FOOD
Aging Ramen Shop Owners Struggle to Pass on Their Legacies
Japan's aging population has created a successor crisis that threatens to shutter half of the country's ramen shops.
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…