CULTURE
Textiles of Battle: A Look at Japanese Wartime Propaganda Kimono
Were Japan's World War II-era kimonos depicting images of war a propaganda tool - or a natural outpouring of support?
meiji era
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CULTURE
WOMEN
Tamura Toshiko: The ‘New Woman’ Feminist in Early Modern Japan
In Taisho era Japan, Tamura Toshiko emerged as one of the preeminent writers of the "New Woman" movement. Her legacy extends farther…
CULTURE
Mihara Ryōkichi: The Kokeshi Dolls Savior
The story of one prolific folklorist's lifelong quest to save Miyagi Prefecture's handicrafts, history, and folktales.
HISTORY
Did Japan Nearly Have its Own Prohibition Era?
Japan has a noted drinking culture. Yet, as Japan modernized, a surprising number embraced the foreign concept of alcohol prohibition.
FOOD
Why You Shouldn’t Drive with a “Tempura License Plate” in Japan
Why some license plates in Japan are named after a delicious food (and no, it doesn't mean your car's been boiled in…
FOOD
The Kinoko Takenoko War: Japan’s Great Snack Battle
Where do you fall in the Kinoko Takenoko War? How a pair of Japanese snacks has pitted people against one another for…
HISTORY
Sendai Unearths Old Meiji-Era Transportation History
Tsunami recovery efforts in Sendai have unearthed a canal relay station and a point of local transit history.
JAPANESE LANGUAGE
Mama, Papa: How the Japanese Words for Parents Lost Out to English
"Mama" and "papa" are such ubiquitous parental terms in Japan that it's easy to forget they're foreign words - words the government…