Cooled Masks Sold in This Vending Machine Turn Out to Be a Hit
Masks have been on the tip of everyone’s tongue, here in Japan and across the larger international community. While their effect against the COVID-19 infection…
Written By : Luke Mahoney
Spacey Ambient Japanese Music of the 1980s
My first introduction to the gentleness of Japanese music was from the SNES—AKA Super Famicom—game Pilot Wings. I don’t know if you remember, but in…
Japan Sees Rise in Vigilantism and Harassment During COVID-19 Outbreak
COVID-19 has brought to light the dark impulses of some people. Widespread panic buying resulted in massive hoarding while anxieties fueled xenophobic and even racist…
Tongue-Tied Singles Turn to High-Tech Matchmaking Services to Help Break The Ice
Dating is hard, especially early on. It’s awkward, stressful, and expensive. I would know. If there were video footage of any of my many first…
Crazy Japanese Game Show Flashback
As a teenage suburbanite, I spent many a weekend flipping endlessly through daytime television because I had already finished every video game I owned and…
Spotted Eels at COVID-closed Sumida Aquarium Have Forgotten What Humans Look Like
Everyone is having a hard time adjusting to the new normal of social distancing and on-again, off-again lockdowns during the current pandemic. We’ve touched on…
SNS Fans Do a Double Take: The End of Legendary Site Mixi—Well, Not Quite
The social media landscape is a little different in Japan than in other countries. While smartphone penetration is nearly ubiquitous and internet accessibility is notably…
Okinawan Governor Seeks to Back Anti-hate Laws with Criminal Punishments
Japanese citizens are by and large peace-loving and tolerant. The vast majority obey the law, protect group consensus, and avoid rocking the boat. Nevertheless, in…
16-year-old Develops Contact Tracing App as Japan Reopens Its Economy
Like the rest of the world, Japan has been walloped by the COVID-19 pandemic. Many restaurants and small businesses have shuttered shops as shopping districts…
The Happy Science Religious Movement Claims to Hold the Cure for COVID-19
The religious landscape in Japan is complex. While traditional Shinto culture dates back to time immemorial, its practice is intermixed with the later-to-arrive Buddhist tradition….
Artist pens a touching manga on trials, and joys, of being a deliveryman during COVID-19
The world feels topsy-turvy these days. Many things seem out of place. To protect the people we care about, we must keep our distance. Some…
Parents’ handling of son’s angry wall-punching outburst is a stroke of genius
Children are cute. And judging by the exhausted countenance of parents with toddlers, they are also a handful. For all their mischief and animal-like behavior,…
Fed-up residents seeking tidy toilets demand municipalities clean up their act
It’s happened so many times. I have a busy day and a jam-packed schedule with obligations that take me from one side of the city…
Delicious dinners made on an overheating CPU
Japanese food is delicious, and I would suggest that residents in Japan are particularly well-versed when it comes to cuisine. Metropolitan centers are havens for…
Edible plates provide a delicious way to limit plastic waste
We live in a disposable world. Eager consumers lineup outside of Apple stores as the iPhone supercycle accelerates, and marine life is awash with the…