CULTURE
Japan’s Extreme Heat is Killing Off Its Cultural Traditions One by One
As Japan gets hotter, age-old cultural rituals such as radio calisthenics, going to the beach, and even Obon dances are suffering.
summer
CULTURE
TRAVEL
Hanabi Taikai: A Traveler’s Guide to Japan’s Summer Fireworks Festivals
Japanese summer is impossible to imagine without hanabi taikai, the riverbank fireworks displays that pack millions onto seawalls every July and August.…
TRAVEL
Bon Odori: Inside Japan’s Soulful Summer Dance Tradition
Every summer, neighborhoods and remote mountain villages across Japan ring with taiko, flute, and shuffling feet. Bon Odori is Japan's quietly extraordinary…
TRAVEL
Where Japanese People Actually Travel in August (And Why Foreign Tourists Don’t)
While inbound tourists mainly clog up the Golden Route, domestic Japanese travelers make full use of hisho-chi, highland summer resorts.
TRAVEL
Surviving Summer: A Traveler’s Guide to Japan’s New Era of Extreme Heat
You CAN travel to Japan during the summer. It just takes a little preparation. Here are some tips for where to go…
BUSINESS AND ECONOMY
As Summers Heat Up, Smelly Customers Challenge Japan’s “Omotenashi”
A user at one game center in Japan reeked so badly that customers complained, and employees said they "wanted to vomit." As…
LIVING IN JAPAN
As Japan Temps Rise, Are The Trains Too Damn Hot?
Japan's train companies keep some of their cars hotter than others. As climate change advances, riders on social media debate: are the…
NEWS
Beat Toyko’s Heat With These Hidden Underground Train Passages
Trying to stay cool in the blistering Japan heat? Good news! You can get around in Tokyo without leaving the cool confines…