I’ll admit it: the first time I heard a Japanese friend casually mention that she and her husband sleep in separate rooms, I was stunned. Not because I thought their relationship was... Read more »

It sounds like the worst Pokémon ever, but it’s actually an important medical breakthrough that will benefit humans. There are certain wonders of the future that mankind has been dreaming about for... Read more »

Yes, even in 2026 you can still get arrested if you don’t follow a law originally enacted to keep ex-samurai in line. The late 19th century’s Meiji Restoration, in which Japan abolished... Read more »

It’s a blustery winter afternoon, and a young couple in hoodies and baseball caps study apartment listings taped to the glass doors of a real estate agency near Takenotsuka Station on the... Read more »

Amberjack are swimming up to Hokkaido. Salmon are heading to Sakhalin. And brightly colored crimson sea bream are migrating from the tropics to the waters of the Izu Peninsula. As the planet... Read more »

Ex-martial artist owner claims higher prices on non-Japanese menu are for safety reasons. A complicated aspect of Japan’s inbound foreign tourism boom is, ironically, that some of the most simple pleasures in... Read more »

A bundle so sought after we had to resort to unprecedented methods to get one.  Out of all the many fukubukuro (“lucky bags”) that appear in Japan to celebrate New Year, the... Read more »

Love, conquest, existence, and gatherings. When it comes to shopping for retro video games, you might think your best bet is to scour the back alleys of Tokyo’s Akihabara or another one... Read more »

Novelist Osamu Dazai’s relocated house now invites visitors in to drink coffee, and disappear into books. Books are wonderful gateways to worlds of fantastic realms, devious deeds, and whirlwind romances, but often... Read more »