Culture
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.
Japanese Color Theory: How Japan Sees Color Differently
What a thousand years of Japanese color tradition can teach us about the way we see
Eight Japan-Based Influencers to Have on Your Radar
From food creators and fashion figures to cultural voices shaping life in Japan today
Why CDs Are Still Big in Japan
On the country's love for the plastic disc
Open Mic Session with Stand-Up Comedian Yurié Collins
Bringing sharp wit and cross-cultural insight to Japan's comedy scene.
What Niseko Says About the Future of Travel in Japan
A weekend in Hirafu's luxury bubble, staying at Niseko Kyo and dining at Masonry
Tokyo Cafés Featured in Anime
Tokyo Cafes to visit in real life that your favorite characters dined at
MOMAT Spring Festival 2026
Celebrating spring at the National Museum of Modern Art Tokyo
Alternatives to the Cherry Blossom Hanami
Make the most out of your springtime by ditching sakura
Sento Architect Kentaro Imai and the Art of Bathing Spaces
The architecture mastermind behind today’s sento boom
Don’t Miss These Japanese Music Festivals Coming in 2026
From seaside stages to mountain backdrops, here’s your guide to Japan’s most anticipated music festivals of 2026
Book Review: The Memory Police By Yoko Ogawa
Which do you trust: your memory or the crowd?
Book Review: “An I-Novel” by Minae Mizumura (Translated by Juliet Winters Carpenter)
A bilingual meditation on navigating belonging in isolation
The Best Japanese Mystery Novels to Read
Honkaku, thrillers and crime sagas — Japan’s got it all