The Shimadakara (“Island Treasure”) Art Festival in Urama, Okinawa celebrates the people, culture, and nature of Japan’s southern islands. One aim of the festival is…

“World’s largest living rodents” can be a bit of a hard sell in terms of cuteness for the uninitiated, but anyone familiar with Capybara knows…

Sheila Cliffe, for JAPAN Forward The recent enthronement ceremony of the new Emperor and Empress has been a talking point in the last few weeks,…

Ikuboss Have you heard of ikuboss? A portmanteau term derived from the Japanese word ikuji 育児, meaning “child care” and the English loan word “boss,”…

On November 6th, Japanese morning news variety program “Sukkiri” aired a segment addressing the issue of Japanese companies prohibiting women employees from wearing glasses while…

Ayako Kurosawa for JAPAN Forward Japanese bamboo art has become a hot sensation overseas, although in Japan such works are viewed more commonly as crafts…

Workaholic Japan and Labor Law Reform While the ethic of hard work has served Japan well in the past, the country’s workaholic culture has taken…

Japanese Voices 日本語のままクールジャパン is a regular series designed for learners of Japanese to enjoy real Japanese language programming from Nippon Broadcasting System, one of the…

UNESCO World Heritage Site: Enryaku-ji Many foreign tourists interested in exploring Kyoto’s religious and cultural heritage make it a point to visit the “Historic Monuments…

Some of our readers may recall Shikimi’s designs from our article on the latest Yuru-Hakama loungewear series (now enjoying a wildly successful crowdfunding campaign on…

Located in southeastern Fukushima Prefecture, the coastal city of Iwaki, which is in process of recovering and and showing resilience following the Great East Japan…

Japan and cosplay go hand-in-hand, so it’s no surprise that every year the gigantic Halloween celebration in Shibuya (which unfortunately erupted into complete chaos last…

Even visitors who don’t necessarily identify themselves as fans of Japanese games, anime or idols are probably aware of the Japanese phenomenon known as the…

Japanese Voices 日本語のままクールジャパン is a regular series designed for learners of Japanese to enjoy real Japanese language programming from Nippon Broadcasting System, one of the…

Those who are visiting Tokyo this fall or live in the area may be interested in an exciting opportunity to enjoy traditional Japanese culture thanks…