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A quick glance at this particular YouTube channel will usually spur two reactions. The first is a cursory look over the shoulder with an alt-tab maneuver ready to go should an unsuspecting…
By Samantha Low
On this day in 1925, Hidesaburo Ueno collapsed and died while giving a lecture at the University of Tokyo. Though not a particularly well-known figure during his lifetime, Ueno’s death is remembered…
By Matthew Hernon
Kimono literally means “something to wear.” However, as simple and true as this is, the traditional Japanese garment comes with centuries of culture and history layered on top. It’s something simultaneously governed…
By Zoria Petkoska
Junichi Shimodaira was one of the first to take up an interest in Chicano culture in Japan in the 1980s. Just a decade before, during the Chicano revolution, Mexican Americans had taken…
By Paula Chiarino
The philosopher Kiyoshi Miki said, “the best books are those that constantly ask us questions.” We’ve put together the following list for just that reason. Fiction and nonfiction alike can help us…
By Shane Healy
One day I was standing outside my local ward office staring forlornly into the distance, the way people are wont to do when they undergo stress-inducing encounters with Japanese bureaucracy, when an…
By David McElhinney
From traditional fabric designs to family seals, Japan is full of symbols to dissect. Many of these symbols can be seen regularly, but there are a few others that may go unnoticed.…
By Taylor Drew
I will make my film! That’s why I have dared To enter this world of cinema To show men, not to work for them! Tazuko Sakane wrote these words in 1936 when…
By Cezary Jan Strusiewicz
Many are trying to reinvent the kimono, weave in some modernity, or even transmute it into other objects. What Michail Gkinis from the eponymous Michail Gkinis Aoyama atelier does with the kimono…
Kyosai Kawanabe is perhaps the most fascinating and unique artist of the Meiji Era (1867-1912) in the transition from old to new Japan. A master creator of both the natural and supernatural…
By Malene Wagner
With almost 56,000 convenience stores in Japan today, it’s hard to believe everything started with a single shop. With their familiar logos shining their lights on every street corner and many places…
By Andreas Neuenkirchen
The immensity of Japanese history is enough to intimidate most of us, with its multiple eras and sprawling cast of major players. But learning about the country’s incredible past need not be…
By Ciaran Lawler
On this day in 1946, Fukunichi Shimbun published Sazae-san for the first time. A four-panel comic strip, it was later bought by the Asahi Shimbun before making its television debut in 1969. More than five decades on and…
On a sunny cool spring morning on April 9, an age-old tradition took place in Suwa, Nagano Prefecture again after six years. (Locals, however, will tell you it happens every seven years…
By Patrick Murphrey
Sakura season may be over for another year in the Kanto region, but there’s still an opportunity to enjoy the precious little pink flowers in the north of the country. They are, of…
One of the great pleasures of traveling in Kyushu, whether you’re interested in art, history, shopping or all three, is delving into its heritage of fine ceramics. Kyushu has one of the…
By Alice Gordenker
Often translated to “melon bread,” this Japanese bakery staple comes in various forms and sizes. It’s also almost never infused with melon flavorings. Far from being a fanciful, homegrown creation, there’s a…
By Russel Thomas
With Japan’s varied regional climates there are always beautiful flowers blooming. Despite the cherry blossoms often stealing the show, other Japanese flowers are also both beautiful and steeped in history and culture.…
By Cassandra Lord
