I Come with the Rain

Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on August 2009 Previously respected French-Vietnamese [...]

Hachiko: A Dog’s Story

Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on August 2009 Though it’s unlikely [...]

A Legacy of Emotion

Why do people care so much about the death of pro wrestler Mitsuharu Misawa?

Bustin’ Down the Door

Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on July 2009 This documentary looks [...]

Spirit Parties

Japan's Obon and summer festivals are loud and mad enough to wake the dead - Here are a few of the major events being held around the country during the coming month.

Niijima

Surf, sun, sand… Tokyo? Enjoy a beach holiday without (technically) leaving the city

Taking the Stares

Or, how to avoid being gawked at in Japan

Director of Chaos

After tantalizing Japanese audiences in films like Suicide Club and Love Exposure, director Sion Sono makes his scariest move yet: a big-budget Hollywood production

Hung Jury

Changes to Japan's legal system may energize the debate over capital punishment

Highway to Hell

Or, why I hate driving in Japan

On the Cards

The government says its new registration system for foreign residents will make our lives easier. But some lawmakers and privacy rights activists claim that Big Brother lurks around the corner

War Story

Gregory Hadley's Field of Spears recounts a dramatic—and little-known—episode from the closing days of World War II. Yet as the author discovered, the story didn’t finish with the war's end