Enter your search query
Tokyo Life
By Hiroko Asano
As the leaves drop off the trees and fall turns into winter, venturing out gets a bit tougher and spending time in the parks and shopping streets isn’t as pleasant. Thankfully, there…
By Cole Lubchenko
As the temperature starts to dip around Kamakura, we finally start to witness the city’s autumn colors, from yellow ginkgo leaves to vibrant red maple ones. As it is December though, many…
Often dismissed as a soulless salaryman town, Toranomon is working hard to dispel this image with ambitious plans for the future. There’s still a long way to go before it can rival…
By Stephan Jarvis
November is the first full month in a while without a state of emergency in Tokyo. While there still are some restrictions, Shimokitazawa is mostly open for business and back to normal.…
The area of Kamakura and Shonan finally starts to dazzle with autumn colors in November. This month, many of the area’s historical sites, shops and restaurants celebrate this special occasion in style,…
It feels fitting that the Japanese kanji for “autumn” (秋) contains the character for “fire” (火) because so far it has been one hot season. So much so that the fall foliage…
By Cezary Jan Strusiewicz
In this week’s news roundup, we report on a Vietnamese intern who was bullied and beaten by colleagues at a factory in Okayama Prefecture. We have the latest on Covid as 13…
By Matthew Hernon
Taking part in his first-ever Winter Olympics four years ago, Yuto Totsuka was seen as a dark horse for a medal in the halfpipe competition. Things were looking pretty good until the…
Japan’s daily coronavirus count topped 18,000 on Thursday, four times higher than the same day a week ago. In Tokyo, the number exceeded 3,000 for the first time since September 2, 2021.…
Few cults have left as nightmarish a legacy as Aum Shinrikyo in Japan. A doomsday group led by near-blind yogi Shoko Asahara, it unleashed a deadly sarin gas attack on Tokyo subway…
By David McElhinney
In the first news roundup of the year, we report on the tiger attack at Nasu Safari Park in Tochigi Prefecture. There’s the latest on the Omicron variant as cases surge nationwide,…
No trip to Japan, even if it’s your second or third time, is complete without a stop in Kyoto. As travel returns to Asia over the next few years, the ancient capital…
By Terin Jackson
There has never been a better time to get into Japanese books. 2022 is ripe with newly translated gems of both contemporary and classic authors, as well as works originally written in…
By Lisa Wallin
From intimate concerts to Valentine’s-inspired afternoon teas, there are tons of activities to do around Tokyo this week. It’s the final two weeks for some art exhibitions – be sure to check…
By Weekender Editor
It’s official: Tokyo’s cherry trees are expected to be in full bloom by the end of March, according to the recently released 2022 Cherry Blossom Forecast, courtesy of the Japan Meteorological Corporation (JMC). The…
As we breeze through January, Tokyo is seeing new exhibitions pop up throughout the city and some luxury hotels are already getting ready for Valentine’s Day. And if you haven’t already, be…
After the New Year’s celebrations comes another national holiday in Japan: “Seijin no Hi” or Coming of Age Day. Held every second Monday in January, this day celebrates those who have turned…
Happy New Year! This week, most workers in Japan go back to work and companies prepare to tackle the next quarter. As the city slowly settles back into its usual hustle and…
This year was wild. As 2021 draws to a close, Christmas and New Year celebrations are in full swing. Below are some of our favorite illuminations (perfect for a Christmas date) and…
Proposals are unique to each individual. They should reflect each other’s tastes, likes and comfort levels. Not everyone will enjoy a showy flash mob or, on the contrary, an off-hand suggestion in…
By Alexandra Ziminski
An online survey about IVF in Japan conducted in January and February 2021 received responses from roughly 47,000 national public employees. It showed 1.8 percent were undergoing fertility treatment. 10.1 percent, meanwhile, said…
By Emi Schemmer
On Monday, October 4, the committee review meeting to discuss the proposal for over-the-counter access to the emergency contraceptive pill (a.k.a. EC, or the morning-after pill) was held at the Japanese Ministry…
By Jes Kalled
Gender equality organizations are urging the Japanese government to grant over-the-counter access to emergency contraception. They have the public’s backing. A conservative government, however, continues to resist and consider their options. “Accessible…
Healthy eating practices and veganism helped tofu gain a foothold in the West relatively recently. It started slowly in the 1960s and has grown ever more popular. However, Japan has been eating…
Having spent the past few months freely lamenting the patent lack of expediency in Japan’s vaccine campaign, it’s time to give credit where indeed it is due. The turnaround has been quite…
Rice is an essential part of Japan. Not just the Japanese diet, but also the country itself. Beyond being the staple food source for centuries, the meaning behind this simple grain has been deeply ingrained…
By Sean King
When most people begin their study of reading and writing Japanese kanji, they often learn numbers, days of the week or other simple characters such as “river” and “mountain.” I began mine…
By Shannon Cothran
Fukuoka International School (FIS) began its story in 1972 amidst the rapidly growing international community of Kyushu. Since then, the non-profit school has grown from under 30 students to approximately 300 with…
I still remember the day we brought the youngest member of our family home. She was so tall and heavy; I could barely carry her. And she was crawling with bugs who…
By Andreas Neuenkirchen
With over 300 million registered users, it’s impossible to talk about language learning apps without talking about Duolingo. It was the first educational software to be chosen as iPhone App of the…
Coinciding with innovations in big data, artificial intelligence and robotics have come major changes in education, namely an increasing emphasis on STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) in secondary education and closing gaps…
By Taylor Stewart
Located in the Daikanyama neighborhood of Shibuya ward, Elite Open School Learning Resource Center Tokyo (EOS LRC Tokyo) offers an international school experience like no other establishment. A micro-school that is part…
By Lisandra Moor
A wonderful resource for struggling students and bookworms, libraries are usually free and open to everyone. In addition to national and university libraries, your ward or city surely has one too. Foreign residents…
By Paula Chiarino
Building on a ten-year history, student-led TEDxWasedaU is shaping the future while commemorating the past
By Camilla Chandra
