Our latest articles

Horoscope Your Weekly Horoscope July 17 – 24

Horoscope

See what the stars have in store for you this week. World-renowned astrologer Cathryn Moe discusses love, money, luck and all else in this weekly series.

Event Events In Tokyo This Week

Tokyo Idol Festival Returns to Odaiba for Its 16th Year

Tokyo Idol Festival Returns to Odaiba for Its 16th Year

Jul 31, 2026 at 10:00am ~ Aug 02, 2026 at 9:00pm

Read The Latest Issue Read The Latest Issue Summer 2026

Summer 2026

Read our latest print magazine online and browse all the locations across Tokyo and the Kanto Region where you can pick up a copy for yourself.

Events

See All Events Events This Week Events Next Week

Culture

The Best Japanese Cookbooks

The Best Japanese Cookbooks

Metropolis’ Editorial Team reviews the best new cookbooks for gourmands and oenophiles
Tokyo’s Top Haunted Spots for Ghost Hunting in Summer 2026

Tokyo’s Top Haunted Spots for Ghost Hunting in Summer 2026

13 of Tokyo’s Most Paranormal Spots
The Asadora Effect

The Asadora Effect

Fifteen minutes to shape a nation
7 Japanese Romance Movies That’ll Break Your Heart (in a Good Way)

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

So you can sob while practicing your Japanese listening skills
See more

Living

Japan Drugstore Guide: Insect Repellent in Japan

Japan Drugstore Guide: Insect Repellent in Japan

Best Japanese insect repellents recommended by pharmacists in Japan

Tokyo Game Show 2026: Full Guide to Lineup, Events and How to Watch

Tokyo Game Show 2026: Full Guide to Lineup, Events and How to Watch

What to expect from Japan’s biggest gaming event
Beating the Heat: A Practical Guide to Heatstroke in Japan

Beating the Heat: A Practical Guide to Heatstroke in Japan

What the record numbers say, how to spot heatstroke early, and what to buy to stay safe
Summer in Japan: 12 Things to Spot This Season

Summer in Japan: 12 Things to Spot This Season

Traditions, sights and local experiences you can spot during summer in Japan.
See more

Community

Guide to International Schools in Japan

Guide to International Schools in Japan

How to choose the right school for your child
Paid Clinical Trials in Tokyo for International Residents and Visitors

Paid Clinical Trials in Tokyo for International Residents and Visitors

Inside Tokyo’s paid clinical research program for foreigners—compensation, eligibility and what the experience is actually like
Have You Explored The New Takanawa Gateway City Yet In Tokyo? 

Have You Explored The New Takanawa Gateway City Yet In Tokyo? 

A next-generation district built around innovation, culture and global exchange
Dog Day Care in Tokyo: Wanchanland

Dog Day Care in Tokyo: Wanchanland

A home-away-from-home for your pet, with an English-speaking team
Dog Adoption & Fostering in Tokyo

Dog Adoption & Fostering in Tokyo

Buddies in Collaboration with Metropolis
Metropolis Spring Issue 2026 Out Now

Metropolis Spring Issue 2026 Out Now

See what’s inside and where to pick up a copy

See more

Travel

Imperial Hotel, Kyoto: A Timeless Blend of Heritage and Luxury

Imperial Hotel, Kyoto: A Timeless Blend of Heritage and Luxury

Debuting in Kyoto’s historic Gion district in spring 2026
Visiting Punch the Monkey’s Hometown: Ichikawa

Visiting Punch the Monkey’s Hometown: Ichikawa

Greater Tokyo’s unexpected spotlight, courtesy of one baby monkey.
11 Biophilic Cafes in Chiba for a Nature-Filled Escape from Tokyo

11 Biophilic Cafes in Chiba for a Nature-Filled Escape from Tokyo

Escape to nature with these cafés near Tokyo
Affordable Monthly Rentals in Japan for Remote Workers and Digital Nomads

Affordable Monthly Rentals in Japan for Remote Workers and Digital Nomads

A low-cost taste of nomadic living
Teshima: Not Just Another Island

Teshima: Not Just Another Island

From overgrowth to island icon, a restored 1943 residence becomes a beacon for community revival
Awaji Island: Japan’s Hidden Culinary and Cultural Getaway

Awaji Island: Japan’s Hidden Culinary and Cultural Getaway

How food, pop culture and slow living coexist on Japan’s quietly changing island
See more

Dining

Best Summer Beer Gardens in Tokyo 2026

Best Summer Beer Gardens in Tokyo 2026

Cold pours, sunset views and rooftop grills
Ukiyo: Creative Cuisine in Yoyogi-Uehara

Ukiyo: Creative Cuisine in Yoyogi-Uehara

Elevating Japanese ingredients into a sophisticated dining experience
caveman in Tokyo

caveman in Tokyo

“Slow food” with the highest quality of ingredients
Food Fantasies: Japanese Aphrodisiacs

Food Fantasies: Japanese Aphrodisiacs

The exotic and erotic foods of Japan to titillate your taste buds, and more
5 Tokyo Restaurants Serving Meals That Feel Like Art

5 Tokyo Restaurants Serving Meals That Feel Like Art

Good Eats: The Art of Attention
Japanese Luxury Fruits and Where to Find Them in Tokyo

Japanese Luxury Fruits and Where to Find Them in Tokyo

Where to buy fancy fruit and why it costs so much
See more

Literature

Book Review: The Memory Police By Yoko Ogawa 

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)

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

The Best Japanese Mystery Novels to Read

Honkaku, thrillers and crime sagas — Japan’s got it all
10 Must-Read Japanese Novels Set for Release in 2026

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
How to Lose Weight the Japanese Way

How to Lose Weight the Japanese Way

Wa – the art of balance by Kaki Okamura
Lafcadio Hearn (Yakumo Koizumi) and His Many Lives

Lafcadio Hearn (Yakumo Koizumi) and His Many Lives

The Irish-Greek wanderer who became Japan’s foremost folklore chronicler
See more

Japanese Movies

10 Japanese Horror Movies That’ll Make You Switch the “Big Light” On

10 Japanese Horror Movies That’ll Make You Switch the “Big Light” On

Eerie films to haunt your nights this spooky season
Godzilla: The Kaiju That Remembers

Godzilla: The Kaiju That Remembers

A Creature of Fallout and Postwar Memory
Inside the Life of a Kabuki Actor

Inside the Life of a Kabuki Actor

Kabuki actor Monnosuke on the art of becoming someone else
See more

Western Movies in Japanese Cinemas

See more

Join the Metropolis community

Stay in the loop with Tokyo's international community and beyond. Get weekly Tokyo news, stories and events delivered straight to your inbox each week. Curated by our editors. Never spam. We're here so you can live your life in Tokyo to the fullest.