Culture
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
Japanese Makeup Products Professionals Love in 2026
J-beauty Picks—From Tokyo Sets to Hollywood red carpets and K-Pop Stages
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
Tokyo Neighborhood Guide: Thrifting in Shimokitazawa
Where to start your secondhand journey in Tokyo’s thrift city
LGBTQ+ Anime That Strive To Get It Right
No heavy-handed yaoi or male-gaze pandering yuri here
Does Japan Celebrate Chinese New Year?
Welcoming the year of the horse on February 17
Tokyo Trends: Spring 2026
Where urban edge meets delicate detail
10 Must-Read Japanese Novels Set for Release in 2026
Read ahead of the flow by picking up these translated masterpieces as they hit global bookstore shelves
Yuji Nishida’s Apology: The Final Boss of Japanese Politeness
The sincerest bow the internet has ever seen
The Best Japanese Films for Beginners Learning Japanese
Why children’s stories and quiet domestic life work better than reading textbooks will
Tokyo Music Scene: New Releases February 2026
Your monthly dose of new music from Japan
Japanese Netflix Shows You Can Watch With English Subtitles
Yes, Netflix does count as studying
Most Popular J-Pop Artists to Watch in 2026
Who to have on your listening radar this year
Exploring Japanese Traditional Incense and the Art of Kodo
Yoshimi Higuchi and the spirit of incense
Upcoming Movies in Japan in 2026
Enjoyed Demon Slayer? Here are 7 movies to keep on your radar this year
Video Games Set in Japan
From samurai adventures to yakuza melodrama, these games let you live your wildest dreams in Japan