Culture
100-Year-Old Secret of Baumkuchen Puts Japanese Island Village on the Map
This year marks the 100th year since Baumkuchen, the German version of a spit cake, was introduced to Japan. […
Culture
Ekai Kawaguchi: First Japanese to Reach Tibet via British India and Nepal
Archival accounts of 19th century Tibet describe it as the forbidden, inaccessible, daunting, and remotely unreachable
Culture
[Mythbusters] KIMZNICKERS and the Crass KIMONO Flap
For much of May, my Google news alert was peppered with stories about a slug that had allegedly brought […]
Travel
Niigata’s ‘Giant Kite Battle’: A Story of Retaliation Turns Into A Festival Tradition
Three hundred kilometers west of Tokyo, in the heart of Japan’s Niigata Prefecture, lies Shirone. It is a modest [&hel
Culture
Kyoto Craftsmen Take Pride in the Art of Restoring Cultural Property
CAPTION: Kunito Horii is surrounded by karihari (temporary pasting) mounds used to dry Hanging Scrolls, which are being
‘Forced Labor’ Photo Disseminated by South Korean Media is Actually Postwar Photo of a Japanese Coal Miner
South Korean media have been promoting a photograph of a man working in a coal mine, alleging it shows […]
Travel
In the Small, Mystical Town of Ono, A Castle in the Clouds and Other Wonders
Top Photo Source: Osamu Sasaki In a small city in Japan, on a cold morning with no wind […]
Culture
Japan and Turkey: A (Hi)story of Kindness
It is often said that the strongest of friendships are forged during the hardest of times. Sometimes strength can [&he
Travel
Samurai Spirit of Fukushima: The Shonentai Youth Corps of Nihonmatsu Castle
(First of 3 Parts) At the end of the Edo period (1600-1868), Japan was in turmoil. There had […]
Special Reports
A Mingling of Souls at Yasukuni — Toward A Strong, Beautiful Japan
In February 2018, just before his summit meeting with President Donald Trump, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe laid
Culture
[Hidden Wonders of Japan] Oto Fire Festival Blazes on At Wakayama Prefecture
It turns out that wishing for the cold to subside and a fruitful spring to unfold is a […]
Special Reports
INTERVIEW | Harvard Professor Mark Ramseyer Asks, ‘What’s Gotten Into the Korean Judiciary?’
Mark Ramseyer, Mitsubishi Professor of Japanese Legal Studies at Harvard Law School, is one of the world’s foremost au