Expo 2025 Osaka was envisioned as a global stage for cutting-edge innovation, and nothing symbolized that ambition more than the Grand Ring. Designed by celebrated architect Sou Fujimoto, the structure functioned as... Read more »

Every New Year, we burden ourselves with resolutions. Japanese customs, however, offer another way to begin the year: not with vows for completion, but with reverence for beginnings. Here, the New Year... Read more »

In Tokyo’s quiet season, the city slows to a simmer. Steam curls from teapots and kitchen windows, carrying whispers of charcoal, broth and roasted leaves. Hands cradle cups; laughter softens over wooden... Read more »

There ain’t no gettin’ offa this bullet train we’re on, till we get to…Nagoya. Rail operator JR Central (a.k.a. JR Tokai a.k.a. Central Japan Railway Company) recently announced that they’ll be adding... Read more »

When Xiao Xiao and Lei Lei leave Tokyo, it’ll bring an end to more than 50 years of pandas in Japan. Ueno Zoo is both the biggest zoo in Tokyo and the... Read more »

Tokyo doesn’t mark the New Year with a single countdown. Instead, the city splits into many parallel moments, with temple bells ringing through the cold night, shrine paths filling at midnight and... Read more »

It’s said that trends are destined to make a comeback every 20 years or so, with tastes resurfacing as trendsetters get nostalgic for their childhoods and times past. This cyclical nature is... Read more »

White horse with plum flowers around it, celebration of the Chinese New Year 2026 Chinese New Year in 2026 falls on: Tuesday, February 17, 2026Year of the Horse It isn’t certain exactly... Read more »

Extra bullet trains at peak times and new early-morning/late-night departures will make it easier to zoom from one region of Japan to another. The Shinkansen isn’t the only way to get around... Read more »