HISTORY
Saigo Takamori: Hero of the Meiji Restoration
How the "last samurai" Saigo Takamori escaped exile and changed Japan forever - before he rebelled against the new state he helped…
meiji era
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HISTORY
FEATURED
Saigo Takamori: The Making of a Legend
Saigo Takamori would ultimately tear down the samurai system he so dearly loved. But first, he had to survive an ordeal that…
SOCIETY
Is It Too Soon for Joint Custody in Japan?
Joint custody might become more common in Japan - but family advocates say the country should do more to protect women and…
CULTURE
Enka Music: From Political Protest to Cultural Tradition
How a form of political protest music came to be regarded as an art form that captures "the heart of Japan."
HISTORY
Cataclysm: The 1888 Eruption of Fukushima’s Mount Bandai
In 1888, "the Mount Fuji of the North" erupted so fiercely that it remade the local landscape. The incredible story of how…
BUSINESS AND ECONOMY
Japan’s New Currency: Who’s On the 2024 Yen Notes?
Japan may be pivoting to a cashless society, but cash is still king - and the figures chosen for its new currency…
HISTORY
Karafuto: How Japan Gained – and Lost – a Prefecture
The story of how, for a brief period of time, the island of Karafuto controlled by Russia became an official part of…
FEATURED
Sakhalin Island: Japan’s Final Frontier
How Japan's discovery of a large northern island devastated the island's native population - and how Japan lost control when Russia muscled…