Category: CULTURE

The prolific and award-winning photographer Nobuyoshi Araki has become one of the first major cultural figures in Japan to become embroiled in the MeToo movement. KaoRi, who was once frequently ...

The American chain Ace Hotel will open its first branch in Japan with a stunning new hotel, designed by Kengo Kuma and located on the site of the ShinPuhKan mall in central Kyoto. "A friendly ...

People in Japan and around the world have reacted with incredulity at the news that women performing emergency first aid were ordered to leave a sumo ring. The mayor of Maizuru, Ryozo Tatami, ...

Every spring, as Japan comes alive with the arrival of the cherry blossom (sakura) across the archipelago, the cherry blossom viewing parties (hanami) rapidly take over all the parks and an ancillary ...

"Diversity" is a popular buzzword in Japan right now. All eyes are on the 2020 Tokyo Olympics that the media and government policy-makers think will be a game-changer of sorts. Tokyo will, albeit ...

Suigian is a new sushi restaurant in central Tokyo that combines classical performing arts with some of the finest dining the city has to offer. Opening March 20th in Nihonbashi, the lunch and ...

JR West has announced that a special Hello Kitty version of the Shinkansen bullet train will be in operation this summer. Sanrio's immensely popular cat character will decorate a 500 Series ...

Leading Japanese confectionery brand Glico has created what will surely be one of the best commercials of the year. Using 72 actresses of different ages, it charts a single woman's ...

The two official mascots for the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Tokyo have been announced. The winning pair are designed by character designer and illustrator Ryo Taniguchi, who was born in ...

Does Piko Taro have another hit on his hands? Nearly a million views seems to suggest so. The "Pen-Pineapple-Apple-Pen" creator has recently launched a new song on YouTube, this time significantly ...

The heyday of manga magazines is over, so it takes something for a controversy about a mainstream comic to make the headlines. That is what has happened with Shogakukan's monthly manga magazine, ...

Following its successful debut in 2014, the site-specific festival Dogo Onsenart returns, transforming hotel and traditional Japanese inn rooms at the famous hot spring resort into art ...

Visitors to Sanrio Puroland, the theme park with attractions based on Sanrio characters, can enjoy a whole new kind of entertainment from March with a kabuki-inspired Hello Kitty ...

You've heard the one about the Tower of Babel. But what the 350-meter wooden tower? The somewhat cryptically named W350 is set to be the tallest wooden structure in the world, standing 350 meters ...

The manga and anime franchise Cardcaptor Sakura has spawned a lot of spin-off merchandise over the years, and it now has its own cafe in Tokyo. The shojo manga about elementary school student ...