Metropolis Japan | Your Guide to Lifestyle, Travel and Culture

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Cycling Japan: Fukuoka to Tokyo by Bike in One Month

Cycling Japan: Fukuoka to Tokyo by Bike in One Month

One rider’s journey from Fukuoka to Tokyo in one month

Where is Downtown Tokyo? Finding the Real Center of the City

Where is Downtown Tokyo? Finding the Real Center of the City

Let’s explore the six wards that each lay claim to being Tokyo’s true city center

How to Wear and Style a Summer Yukata

How to Wear and Style a Summer Yukata

Your guide to styling Japan’s most iconic seasonal garment

The 9 Best Japanese Whiskies for Gifting

The 9 Best Japanese Whiskies for Gifting

Japanese whisky for beginners

Soccer in Japan: A Guide to the J-League for Expats and Visitors

Soccer in Japan: A Guide to the J-League for Expats and Visitors

How to get into the J-League

Uber Just Added “Professional Drifting” to Its App in Tokyo

Uber Just Added “Professional Drifting” to Its App in Tokyo

Tokyo Drift IRL

Book Review: Strange Pictures by Uketsu

Book Review: Strange Pictures by Uketsu

a clever and unsettling puzzle disguised as a novel

Your Weekly Horoscope May 15 – 22

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.

Events In Tokyo This Week

Seed Planting: Cultivating Culture, Planting the Future | Planting Experience Tokyo

Seed Planting: Cultivating Culture, Planting the Future | Planting Experience Tokyo

Jul 12, 2026 at 4:30pm ~ Jul 12, 2026 at 6:00pm

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

ICC Annual 2026: What is Left, What Remains and What We Take On

ICC Annual 2026: What is Left, What Remains and What We Take On

Jun 20, 2026 at 11:00am

Nov 08, 2026 at 6:00pm

Hachijio Summer Festival

Hachijio Summer Festival

Aug 07, 2026 at 6:30pm

Aug 09, 2026 at 9:00pm

Opanchu Usagi, Npochamu & Kimimaro’s Paradise Cafe

Opanchu Usagi, Npochamu & Kimimaro’s Paradise Cafe

Oct 10, 2025 at 11:00am

Oct 10, 2026 at 9:00pm

Hilton Tokyo Unveils Beer Garden: SUNSET BEACH AUSTRALIA

Hilton Tokyo Unveils Beer Garden: SUNSET BEACH AUSTRALIA

May 15, 2026 at 5:30pm

Sep 30, 2026 at 10:00pm

“To The Sky” Exhibition at WHAT CAFE

“To The Sky” Exhibition at WHAT CAFE

Jul 03, 2026 at 6:30pm

Jul 20, 2026 at 5:00pm

Takato Jazz & Blues 2026 Brings Live Music to the Japanese Alps

Takato Jazz & Blues 2026 Brings Live Music to the Japanese Alps

Aug 29, 2026 at 11:00am

Aug 29, 2026 at 8:30pm

Future Frequencies Festival 2026

Future Frequencies Festival 2026

Jul 11, 2026 at 3:30pm

Jul 12, 2026 at 11:00pm

HANAE MORI Vital Type Exhibition

HANAE MORI Vital Type Exhibition

Apr 26, 2026 at 10:00am

Jul 06, 2026 at 8:00pm

See All Events Events This Week Events Next Week

Culture

Based in Japan: Inside Rakugo With Katsura Sunshine

Based in Japan: Inside Rakugo With Katsura Sunshine

Translating Japan’s Traditional Comedic Storytelling

8 Art Events in Tokyo To Visit This Spring

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?

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

Anime and Manga to Keep an Eye on in 2026

From returning blockbusters to new adaptations shaping the anime landscape this year

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Living

Your Guide to Surviving Rainy Season in Japan

Your Guide to Surviving Rainy Season in Japan

Your complete guide to navigating the infamous tsuyu with confidence.

Where is Downtown Tokyo? Finding the Real Center of the City

Where is Downtown Tokyo? Finding the Real Center of the City

Let’s explore the six wards that each lay claim to being Tokyo’s true city center

How to Wear and Style a Summer Yukata

How to Wear and Style a Summer Yukata

Your guide to styling Japan’s most iconic seasonal garment

The 9 Best Japanese Whiskies for Gifting

The 9 Best Japanese Whiskies for Gifting

Japanese whisky for beginners

See more

Community

Tokyo Parasports Forward 2024

Tokyo Parasports Forward 2024

Celebrating Inclusion and Sportsmanship

Metropolis Autumn Issue 2024

Metropolis Autumn Issue 2024

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

EXPAT EXPO TOKYO 2024

EXPAT EXPO TOKYO 2024

Connect with Tokyo’s international community, businesses and services

Alternative Medicine in Japan

Alternative Medicine in Japan

Visit these traditional alternative medicine clinics and salons in Tokyo

Metropolis 30th Anniversary Beach Party Recap

Metropolis 30th Anniversary Beach Party Recap

The Metropolis team thanks you for 30 years of unwavering support

Tokyo American Club

Tokyo American Club

A community of authenticity and organically fostered diversity

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Travel

Escape to Zaltana Cabin in the Mountains of Nagano

Escape to Zaltana Cabin in the Mountains of Nagano

A log cabin retreat where city life feels a world away

Discover Japan’s Autumn Colors at Hakuba Iwatake Mountain Resort

Discover Japan’s Autumn Colors at Hakuba Iwatake Mountain Resort

Explore Hakuba Iwatake Mountain Resort this autumn with foliage, hikes, alpine views and activities

Tokyo Station Hotel: Old And New

Tokyo Station Hotel: Old And New

The Tokyo Station Hotel is the centerpiece of Tokyo’s time-warp district

Escape the Tokyo Heat

Escape the Tokyo Heat

This summer, travel up north

Visiting San’in: Japan’s Sacred and Slightly “Pagan” Region

Visiting San’in: Japan’s Sacred and Slightly “Pagan” Region

Shimane and Tottori’s spiritual landscapes

JUNGLIA: Okinawa’s Ambitious New Theme Park

JUNGLIA: Okinawa’s Ambitious New Theme Park

Live out your Jurassic Park dreams

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Dining

Movie-inspired Custom Cocktails in Shibuya: The Whales of August

Movie-inspired Custom Cocktails in Shibuya: The Whales of August

Choose from either the menu items, or challenge the bartenders to whip up whatever movie comes to your head

Aesthetic Coffee Shops for Every Area in Tokyo

Aesthetic Coffee Shops for Every Area in Tokyo

Editor’s picks for coffee shops in all 23 of Tokyo’s Wards

The Origins of Japanese Curry

The Origins of Japanese Curry

The surprising international history of one of Japan’s most beloved comfort foods

A Complete Guide to Yoshoku Dining in Tokyo

A Complete Guide to Yoshoku Dining in Tokyo

From omurice to tonkastu and everything in between

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

Tokyo’s Best Filipino Restaurants

Tokyo’s Best Filipino Restaurants

The best Filipino spots to dine

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Literature

Cirrocumulus Clouds

Cirrocumulus Clouds

The English-language debut of Kenji Miyazawa’s story

Fresh Ink: Debut English Translations of Chuya Nakahara’s Japanese Literature

Fresh Ink: Debut English Translations of Chuya Nakahara’s Japanese Literature

The English-language debut of a Japanese modernist master

Traditional Japanese Yokai and Modern-Day Pokemon

Traditional Japanese Yokai and Modern-Day Pokemon

Beyond the monsters with Adam Kabat’s The River Imp and the Stinky Jewel and Other Tales

Ryunosuke Akutagawa’s Kappa

Ryunosuke Akutagawa’s Kappa

Enter the absurdity of Kappa Land in this new English translation

Fresh Ink: Love

Fresh Ink: Love

The English-language debut of Kanoko Okamoto’s piece, Love

The Thorn Puller

The Thorn Puller

Hiromi Ito’s debut English-language novel translated by Jeffrey Angles

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Japanese Movies

Based in Japan: John Daschbach on finding a filmmaking niche

Based in Japan: John Daschbach on finding a filmmaking niche

“Every creative person’s path is unique…”

World Cinema at Tokyo International Film Festival 2019

World Cinema at Tokyo International Film Festival 2019

TIFF 2019 celebrates classics and award-winning foreign films

Nagai Owakare

Nagai Owakare

Based on a best-selling novel of the same name by Kyoko Nakajima

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Western Movies in Japanese Cinemas

Modi: Three Days on the Wing of Madness

Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale

28 Years Later: The Bone Temple

Caught Stealing

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