Tag: japan politics

Japan To Charge Tourists Consumption Tax and Refund At Departure

Thanks, scammers. Due to some people exploiting the system, Japan will now change how it handles duty-free purchasing by tourists.

How This Remote Village of Japanese Fishers Got Rich

Not all of Japan's wealthy residents live in cities. Learn how a small Hokkaido village of 2,700 found itself swell with cash.

Pien: Its Life As Emoji, Vocabulary, and Fashion

Learn how "pien" became the in-fashion word of 2020 - and how its use spread through popular media and Kabukicho street culture.

A Railway on Mt. Fuji?! Why Critics Are Crying Foul

Mt. Fuji may lose its World Heritage Status if it can't control overtourism. But one proposed solution - a railway - has critics up in arms.

Why Japanese Women Traveling to Hawaii are Being Turned Away

An increasing number of Japanese women are finding it harder to enter the US and are getting turned back at the border. Learn why.

Review: In Beat Takeshi’s Kubi, Samurai are Queer Yakuza

Internationally famed director Kitano Takeshi is back with his new samurai epic, Kubi. The violent, darkly funny film has some surprises in store for viewers.