Culture
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
How to Wear and Style a Summer Yukata
Your guide to styling Japan’s most iconic seasonal garment
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
What’s Up With Bad Sex in Murakami?
Pleasure and prose in 'Killing Commendatore' and other novels
The Top 10 Japanese Movies Of All Time
How would you rank your favorite Japanese cinema?
Audemars Piguet x Swatch’s “Royal Pop” Watch Lands in Tokyo on May 16
Eight pocket watches, three stores, one per person. Your complete drop guide.
Book Review: Hunchback by Saou Ichikawa
a sharp and uncompromising voice in modern Japanese fiction
The Japanese Aesthetic of Transparency: From Hokusai to Pocari Sweat
"Toumeikan" is symbolized by water and made visible by the color blue
What is Zakka Style?
A kind of curated coziness
Artist Tomei: Curating Transparent Life (+Aesthetic Jelly Recipe)
Interview with mysterious artist Tomei on the beauty of clear things.
Book Review: The City and Its Uncertain Walls by Haruki Murakami
A quiet return to memory, longing and surreal boundaries
The Best Anime Songs of All Time
Certified bangers, no skips
The Most Handsome Anime Crushes of 2026
The hottest heartthrobs this year
Traditional Japanese Performing Arts
A guide to the major styles of Japanese Performing Arts
Museums and Art Galleries to Visit in Tokyo
An art-lover’s dream itinerary
Inside the 2026 Akutagawa & Naoki Prizes
The Most Prestigious Prizes in Japanese Literature
10 Japanese Horror Movies That’ll Make You Switch the “Big Light” On
Eerie films to haunt your nights this spooky season
Your Japanese Summer Reading List 2026
Our best new recommendations from Tokyo’s literary scene
Why Are There So Many Cats in Japanese Fiction?
Literary symbol or cultural cliche?
Godzilla: The Kaiju That Remembers
A Creature of Fallout and Postwar Memory
The Art of Japanese Handmade Jewelry
Hayakawa’s beautiful crafts
How the English Language Failed Banana Yoshimoto
Looking back at the Japanese literary icon 30 years after the translation of her debut novel ‘Kitchen’
Based in Japan: Inside Rakugo With Katsura Sunshine
Translating Japan’s Traditional Comedic Storytelling
8 Art Events in Tokyo To Visit This Spring
Fill your calendar with these must-see art exhibitions
Why Do So Many Japanese Love Stories End in Double Suicide?
How a trope lasted from its birth in theatre to its role in anime
Anime and Manga to Keep an Eye on in 2026
From returning blockbusters to new adaptations shaping the anime landscape this year
Anime and the Adverse Effects of Growth
Milking the proverbial cash cow dry
Inside the Life of a Kabuki Actor
Kabuki actor Monnosuke on the art of becoming someone else
Edo-Tokyo Museum Returns After Four-Year Renovation
Two Names, One City, Centuries of History
Shuna’s Journey: Miyazaki’s Forgotten Masterwork
The 1983 illustrated story that helped shape Miyazaki’s later films
Your Essential Sumo Wrestling Vocabulary Guide
Ready to wrestle? Prepare for the upcoming sumo tournament with this sumo wrestling vocabulary guide and master the essential lingo and must-know moves.