SOCIETY
Why The Mukoseki is Japan’s Deadliest Legal Trap
People without a family registry can die without access to essential services. Divorce law and Japan's koseki system explain why.
history
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SOCIETY
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
Japanese Twitter Language Historians Debunk This Kanji Conspiracy Theory
A wild theory about how the Japanese word for "I" was corrupted by Allied occupiers leaves Japanese Twitter users shaking their heads.
FEATURED
Japanese-Brazilians: The Story of Their Return to Japan
The epic tale of the 300,000 Japanese-Brazilians that Japan insisted it needed - until it suddenly didn't.
HISTORY
The Japanese Who Came to Call Brazil Home
Why are there so many Brazilian-Japanese in Japan? The answer goes back to the Meiji era, and the government's need to get…
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.
JAPANESE LANGUAGE
Japanese Writing: The 80-Year Battle for “Genbun Itchi”
How did written Japanese come into accord with the spoken language? A short history of the movement to bring Japanese writing to…
CULTURE
Yasukuni Shrine: Founded in War, Haunted By Controversy
How Yasukuni Shrine, a shrine to commemorate Japan's fallen soldiers, became a politically-charged breeding ground for controversy.