In Japan, colorful silk kimonos with beautiful patterns are often passed down from mother to daughter, and sometimes purchased for coming-of-age ceremonies and weddings. However,…

Osaka’s Expo 2025, which will take place on the man-made island of Yumeshima, finally has an official logo. The Japan Association for the 2025 World…

While Japanese retailer Village Vanguard is largely known for their quirky oddity goods, their catalog seems to also favor all things shiny, such as RPG…

As most cat owners know, our feline friends can seemingly become liquid and fit into impossible containers and crevices if they so choose to. It…

Wasabitool is a talented photographer who takes breathtakingly beautiful photos of Japanese landscapes. Some of our readers may recall his photos of snow-blanketed Kyoto which…

If I were to go home and sift through the boxes in my parents’ basement, I’d come across many memories. Old yearbooks, school textbooks, baseball…

Dirty roommates are the worse. You come home from a long day, and there are empty pizza boxes and Doritos bags everywhere. They say they’ll…

Life has a learning curve. Spend some time with younger children, and you’ll quickly understand that many still haven’t mastered the basics. Forming a line,…

Working at a cafe or bar, you meet a lot of different people. Perhaps you could compare the situation to a watering hole in the…

Studio Ghibli movies are pretty classic, especially the 1997 blockbuster “Princess Mononoke.” The animated movie is an epic story complete with demon curses, battles, and…

What people fail to think about when they are panic buying [manga] During the outset of the pandemic, like a lot of the world, Japan…

Preschools in Japan are a little different than back home. While there are poorly and expertly run academies, some of the more exciting nurseries seem…

Little gremlins are a different breed. While hyperactive at times—especially with sugar in their system—they are capable of surprisingly deep introspection. At particularly cogent times,…

There is a bit of debate about how environmentally friendly Japan is. Upon a precursory glance, you’d be forgiven for thinking this spick-and-span country is…

Does the ideal marriage actually exist? I would imagine not. Although rewarding, relationships involve compromise, patience, and endurance—just like anything else in life that’s worth…