FEATURED
The Disappearance of Meiji: Why it’s Hard to Find Tokyo’s Recent Past
In Tokyo, the recent past is often obscured beneath endless concrete. Take a journey through the city's history to discover why.
history
Page 23
FEATURED
JAPANESE LANGUAGE
How Nihon Became Japan: The Etymology of Japan in English
Most languages use a variation of the name Japan - except for Japan itself! Learn the etymology of Japan, and the reason…
FOOD
Mr. Yakult: Shirota Minoru, the Microbiologist Behind Japan’s Favorite Health Drink
Learn how tragedy inspired Shirota Minoru, father of popular Japanese drink Yakult, to pursue a career in preventive medicine.
NEWS
Abuse in the Geisha World: Former Maiko Speaks Out
A former apprentice geisha at a Kyoto geisha house has created a flurry of online activity after describing abuses in the traditional…
BOOK REVIEWS
Stranger in the Shogun’s City is Masterful History and Storytelling
An historian and scholar of Japan uses her knowledge and talent to bring the story of one 19th-century Japanese woman to life.
ENTERTAINMENT
Pachinko in Japan: The Game That Definitely Isn’t Gambling!
How the game of pachinko in Japan become one of the country's primary forms of legalized...well, let's not call it gambling, shall…
ENTERTAINMENT
NHK Fee: Why You Have to Pay Even If You Don’t Own a TV
A revision to Japan's Broadcasting Act might make it impossible to avoid the NHK guy slapping you with the NHK fee.
WOMEN
Right-Wing Party’s Comfort Women Exhibit Sparks Outrage
A grotesque "art exhibit" by a staunchly anti-Korean right-wing Japanese party has led to a harsh backlash in the country.