This article was originally published in Metropolis Magazine, “Designing the City,” Spring 2025. Read the full issue here. A cold, un-spring-like March day in Tokyo. Fingers numbly flick across a smartphone screen, navigating... Read more »

Credit: Yurika Kono While it’s true that Japan’s famous bathhouses have historically banned tattoos, “fashion tattoos” are increasingly accepted in sento and onsen (bathhouses). Keep in mind that there is a distinction... Read more »

Photo credit: Paradise Sento Mita Visiting a Japanese bathhouse can be somewhat nerve-wracking the first time because a few etiquette rules must be followed. To make it super simple for first-timers, here’s... Read more »

Agency for Cultural Affairs wants two-tiered ticket pricing system at 12 National Museums. Located in Tokyo’s Ueno Park, the Tokyo National Museum is considered by many to be the finest museum in... Read more »

Hunting for Japan’s best caffeine-free drinks in these temples to caffeine. There are a myriad of reasons to keep your caffeine in check, be it pregnancy, health, or just to ensure a... Read more »

For some of us, our bodies tell us it’s hay fever season in Japan before we have had a chance to check our calendars. For others, the dreaded hay fever season causes... Read more »

“People don’t forget to take their testicles with them when they go home” says sauna in explaining new policy. Most of the posts made through the official Twitter account of Sauna Monkey,... Read more »

J-beauty was the original Asian beauty export. Shiseido was already behind department store counters in Paris and New York by the 80s, Shu Uemura had become a professional standard in fashion capitals,... Read more »

Good idea to hold the election before it’s too hot to think. The days are starting to warm up here in Japan, and while that used to be a nice thing, I... Read more »