Unseen Japan

Nestled between Osaka and Kobe, Ashiya is a place that many travelers pass by without a second thought. Trains speed by, carrying commuters and tourists between Kansai’s two biggest cities. Yet it has a unique reputation among those living in Japan.

For most Japanese people, Ashiya is associated with hillside mansions, old money, and an elegant lifestyle that develo...

On June 16, 2026, Japan’s cabinet approved the first basic plan under the 2023 LGBT Understanding Promotion Act. However, experts say three years of postponement on marriage equality in Japan leaves a country where a same-sex couple’s rights depend almost entirely on which city line they fall on.

Japan still lacks a national anti-discrimination law, and partnership...

Call him the Marie Kondo of the kitchen. At a whopping 5.6 million YouTube subscribers, Ryūji is one of Japan’s top home-cooking and recipe bloggers. His channel, Buzz Recipe, features him cooking mostly otsumami (small dishes eaten while drinking) while getting ...

Japan’s famous bullet trains are getting a long overdue luxury upgrade. JR Central, the railway company that operates the shinkansen between Tokyo, Nagoya, Kyoto, and Osaka, has unveiled “Supreme Class,” a new premium offering featuring privat...

With the Mt. Fuji hiking season officially commencing, officials in Shizuoka Prefecture are debating what to do about the off-season. The number of hikers who have to be rescued because they make an unprepared trek during the more treacherous months is climbing. That’s forcing prefectures like Shizuoka and Yamanashi to launch more costly rescue missions.

Now, Shizuo...