Before we get into the meat of this article, let’s start with a linguistics appetizer. Pretty much anyone with a passing interest in the Japanese language, or even Japanese culture in general, knows ...

You’re walking home late at night. Someone is following you. You squirt pepper spray in the person’s face. You’re just defending yourself, right? Not quite. According to the laws on self-defense in ...

While sex may sell, affairs are guaranteed to attract attention worldwide. A quick Google search shows there’s also a common belief that Japan is tolerant of adultery. Just as with sex, attitudes ...

You can’t talk about dating in Japan without the concept of kokuhaku, or directly confessing one’s romantic feelings, coming up. But while a pivotal kokuhaku scene is a must in romance TV dramas and ...

It is not hard to see why people visit animal cafes in Japan. Animals are cute. Owl lovers want a close-up experience. Capybaras look so unbothered that you can imagine they’re enjoying the attention.

At hotels in Japan, the bathing facilities usually fall into two broad categories. There might be a traditional setup, with compact shower booths where you wash off before entering a large communal ...

From mindful meals to early dinners, Japan’s daily routines reveal why its people live longer, healthier and more fulfilled ...

Japan’s first female Prime Minister, Sanae Takaichi, has rejected work-life balance, urging relentless labor as the key to ...

Some of you may curse the day that you – or perhaps more likely, your partner – heard of Marie Kondo. Ever since her multi-million selling The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying sparked a revolution in ...

He works all weekend long.” “He’s too physical.” “They don’t have any money.” Those sound like common complaints that anyone on the dating scene might make, but you may be surprised to find out that ...

Let’s take a walk. Walking is to us what flying is to birds – ascent. We don’t have wings but we have legs, and minds that can soar higher than any bird. That walking is good for the body everybody ...

Japan’s legendary sushi master Jiro Ono has reached the incredible milestone of 100 years, yet retirement is not on his agenda. Revered as the culinary genius behind Sukiyabashi Jiro in Tokyo’s Ginza ...