Tokyo’s Original Tattooed Tough Guys Weren’t Yakuza, They Were Firefighters

Inside the wild, brawling, tattooed world of the men who protected the "City of Fires"

International Artists Coming to Japan in 2026

Major global acts to add to your calendar in Japan

7 Japanese Romance Movies That’ll Break Your Heart (in a Good Way)

So you can sob while practicing your Japanese listening skills

Japanese LGBTQ+ Films To Watch in 2026

Love, heartbreak and the untold tales of Japan’s queer community

Book Review: Strange Pictures by Uketsu

a clever and unsettling puzzle disguised as a novel

Book Review: Tokyo These Days by Taiyo Matsumoto

a quiet meditation on creativity, relevance and persistence

Best Parks for Seasonal Flowers in and Around Tokyo 2026

It's hydrangea season! Tokyo in bloom

Where to Buy Pokémon Cards in Tokyo

The best shops in the city, with map links to find them

The Bullet Train, A Loaded Story

Japan likes to say the Shinkansen arrived just in time for the Olympics. But in truth, it arrived in spite of everything.

Book Review: Hunchback by Saou Ichikawa

a sharp and uncompromising voice in modern Japanese fiction

What is Zakka Style?

A kind of curated coziness

The Metropolis Agony Aunts

Being Foreign in Tokyo: Our totally unqualified opinions to guide you through it.