- Thu. Mar 13th, 2025
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Upcoming “Tree Hugging” Event In Tokyo Will Protest Controversial (and Wildly Unpopular) Meiji Jingu Redevelopment
On April 9, 2023, protestors convened outside the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building to oppose the planned redevelopment of the culturally and historically significant Jingu Gaien area in central Tokyo. It…
O-bon: Festival of The Dead or “Please Feed The Hungry Ghosts”
The "bon" in O-bon (盆) itself refers to the vessels (plates, bowls, tupperware etc) in which offerings are placed for the spirits of the deceased. The physical bowl has come…
The 99% has a Very Different Meaning in Japan
By Henry Rogers Japan has an astonishing 99% conviction rate for suspects going to trial. This has caught the attention of the Human Rights Watch, and the organization has built…
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Lessons Learned From Encounters With Clickbait Journalists
In the yakuza world they say, “As soon as you get to the top, someone will try to kick you down.” The world of journalism is, sadly, surprisingly “If you’re…
From the pioneer of J-Pop to serial predator: Johnny Kitagawa’s legacy of exploitation and control
East Asian popular culture is on the rise, spearheaded by the global phenomenon of the Hallyu wave. K-pop idol music has played a critical part in this: it’s experienced a…
What I’ve Learned In The 30 Years Since I Became A Reporter: The 12 Rules Of Being A Good Journalist In Japan
Share your data. The internet is a vast and endless storage hub. If you’ve written something the world should know--put up supporting data and documents on the web, maybe in…
What This Means (a short-story about love and marriage in Japan during the pandemic)
And then she would pretend to pout which was another cue for me to massage the back of her feet, and then we'd head off to the bedroom or just…
UN International Symposium on the North Korean Abduction Issue: For Families, Far From Resolved
This month, the governments of Japan, Australia, South Korea, the United States, and the EU are jointly holding a symposium hosted by the United Nations (UN) on the North Korean…
Inside Yamazaki Distillery: Peaceful Shrines, Rogue Schoolchildren, and Whisky (Lots of It.)
To celebrate Suntory Whisky’s 100th anniversary, the company is releasing Hakushu highballs in canned form, sold at conbinis near you for 600 yen a pop. It’s as good of a…
Corporate Turmoil: The Ups and Downs of the Elevator Business
By Henry Rogers Fujitec, a major Japanese company that has been in business for the last 75 years, has come into the spotlight over the last couple of months. Fujitec…