FOOD
Bikkuri Donkey: An Unfamiliar Family Restaurant Favorite
How a restaurant originally created to compete against McDonald's is truly becoming a "surprise" hit in Japan.
culture
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FOOD
ENTERTAINMENT
Anime From the Left – and From the (Far, Far) Right
Anime may be entertainment, first and foremost. But art is almost always political. Anime is no exception.
CULTURE
Rokuyo: Japan’s Lunar Calendar Tells You When To Marry
Japan's lunar calendar traditionally influences how people select their wedding days. But how many still abide by it?
JAPANESE LANGUAGE
How to Translate a Haiku into English
Translator Eric Margolis covers the major points involved in translating haiku into English well, providing a step by step example.
JAPANESE LANGUAGE
And the Japanese Kanji for the Year of 2020 is…
What one Japanese ideograph best represents the year of COVID-19? Learn more about the winning kanji - and the runner-ups.
JAPANESE LANGUAGE
What Was Japan’s Hottest New Buzzword of 2020?
The national chatter in Japan this year was dominated by anime, COVID-19, and killing time. But which word summarized 2020 Japan the…
ENTERTAINMENT
Review: “Ainu Mosir” Paints Reality of Japan’s Northern Indigenous People
A film currently streaming on Netflix provides a sensitive and nuanced introduction to the modern lives of the Ainu people.
LIVING IN JAPAN
10 Cultural Differences in Japan That Surprise Foreigners
We asked our readers about the surprising cultural differences in Japan they experienced while living there. Here's what YOU had to say!