Oliver Trapnell Japan’s rainy season is in full swing and people have begun spending more time indoors. To help satiate their boredom, many will begin...
We officially launched japan-forward.com on June 1, 2017, with the goal of delivering Japan-related news, features, analyses, and commentaries to reveal the real face of...
Taylor Bond For those based in Tokyo, travel expenses can be a make-or-break factor when considering whether to take a trip to regions...
Chelsea Jeter Ah, the onsen—a distant dream for those with tattoos in Tokyo…or so we thought. More and more bathhouses are allowing our...
Luca Vogel Due to its curved geographical shape and chains of mountains separating its regions, Japan is, culturally-speaking, quite diverse. There are many...
Patrick Kelly In the Seto Inland Sea, a large body of water separating Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu—three of Japan’s four main islands—lies the small...
This is our final installment of the 2018 Sakura Photo Contest. Thank you to everyone who submitted photos and contributed to our photo gallery. Please...
Read any Haruki Murakami novel and it is easy to tell the inescapable grip jazz once had on Japan. Following World War II, when...
When I was 15, a friend went to a Comic Conference in Italy. The next day he approached me excitedly, raving that “the ramen was...
To anyone familiar with Japan it should not come as a surprise that mascots, animal-themed products, and services cover most of the cultural landscape....
Vase with Reddish Brown Overlay on Blue Ground and Fish and Lotus Design Inscription: qian long nian zhi Qianlong era (1736–95), Qing dynasty Victoria and Albert...
Since JAPAN Forward asked readers and followers in mid-March to send us their original sakura photos this year, we’ve been getting really amazing submissions. Here are some...
