While picking tea leaves in the fields of the Sayama Green Tea School I glanced up and saw a friendly Totoro statue standing outside a neighboring house. As it turns out, the…

A recent judgement made by the Supreme Court of Japan ruled that trans people must be sterilized before legally changing their gender. Same-sex marriage is still not recognized by Japan’s national government. Yet…

Until recently, Kumagaya City was a hidden gem in Japan’s rural landscape, and a place I was lucky to call home for five years. Now with the Rugby World Cup soon approaching…

When I first traded in my mamachari – a clunky “mama’s bike” – for a sports bike five years ago, it was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. I joined…