Japan

Daikanyama is the kind of neighborhood that encourages you to slow down. Although it’s just one stop from Shibuya, it couldn’t feel more different. Tree-lined streets, independent boutiques, inviting cafés and striking architecture create a quieter side of Tokyo that’s hard to find in the city center. Whether you’re browsing local shops, stopping for coffee or wandering its peaceful backstreets, Daikanyama is best explored on foot and at your own pace. The History of D

You can spend entire days exploring Japan’s big cities, going from place to place to see everything. However, between the major attractions, the cityscape can start to feel repetitive. Often there is so much concrete in Japan’s big cities that all the grey becomes an endless, charmless backdrop—something you tune out as you make your way from temple to temple. Discovering the world of street art in Osaka changes that entirely. Despite sometimes being maligned as the “u

You can find foods made from the Japanese konjac yam in the cool section of the supermarket, usually near the tofu and natto. They come in a variety of forms, most notably in a block or as stringy white noodles known as shirataki (しらたき). © Photo by iStock: jreika It is believed that konjac was introduced into Japan in the sixth century as a medicinal food, but it is now a regular ingredient in Japanese home cooking, appearing often in dishes such as sukiyaki and oden. Shirataki Noodles

Kimi Onoda is currently one of the most talked-about names in Japanese politics. A member of the House of Councillors representing Okayama Prefecture for Prime Minister Takaichi and the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), she holds a hefty government title: Minister in Charge of a Society of Well-Ordered and Harmonious Coexistence with Foreign Nationals. She is active on social media, strongly conservative and leading a major administrative push to tighten rules on foreign residents. Her

If you’re looking to work in Japan, check back here each week as we review our database of the top jobs in Japan posted to GaijinPot and showcase some of the most interesting ones. You can apply directly to these companies by creating a profile on GaijinPot Jobs! {"@context":"http:\/\/schema.org","@type":"JobPosting","title":"Japanese Kitchen Knives Store Staff (Kyoto\/Tokyo)","hiringOrganization":{"@type":"http:\/\/schema.org\/Organization","logo":"https:\/\/jobs.gaiji

Tokyo is a city full of iconic neighborhoods: Harajuku for its influence on fashion and pop culture and Akihabara for its wealth of electronics and anime. When it comes to all things literary, however, no district is greater than Jimbocho, Tokyo’s book town. Jimbocho is home to more than 130 bookstores. While there are many new and chain stores, most booksellers in the area specialize in pre-loved and antique books. The neighborhood is, too, home to the Literature Preservation Society and the

Chiikawa contacts are a cute way to add some subtle anime flair to your look. In Japanese, there’s a phrase, “Me ni irete mo itakunai,” which translates literally to “It won’t hurt even if you put it into your eye.” What could be so wonderous that you wouldn’t mind doing something ordinarily so painful? Why, something very, very cute, of course! Me in irete mo itakunai is most commonly used by people to describe their children, grandchildren, or pets, but if we’re talking about cute things, we

All in a day’s work. Whenever major natural disasters hit Japan, I’m always amazed by the engineering feats that were set up in various places to minimize casualties and damage. It’s hard to feel a sense of joy or pride at times like the 7.1 magnitude earthquake that hit Kumamoto recently, but at the same time it feels like a lot of hard work and ingenuity that goes into damage prevention often gets overlooked. One prime example I noticed in the immediate aftermath was scenes of elevated highwa

One of the cutest places in Japan needs visitors’ help keeping rabbit food, and rabbits themselves, from becoming boar food. There’s an island in Japan’s Seto Inland Sea called Okunoshima. Written with the kanji 大久野島, Okunoshima’s name translates roughly to “Island with a Field from Long Ago,” which, to be honest, is a description you could apply to a lot of places in Japan. However, Okunoshima’s nickname is much more specifically descriptive: Rabbit Island. Okunoshima has no permanent human re

Several stores offer services that allow you to customize their products in Tokyo! By choosing the color, design and material, you can be part of the whole creative process. These products not only make unique gifts but also excellent souvenirs. Brands That Let You Engrave Their Products Brands That Let You Customize Their Products Brands That Offer Unique Customization Options Brands That Let You Engrave Their Products © Photo by iStock: ShutterWorx Have your name, birth dat

Today, over 90 percent of funeral services in Japan are Buddhist. A traditional Buddhist funeral is a chance for loved ones and friends to come together, mourn, and seek closure. At times, it’s a solemn affair, so the idea of unintentionally causing offense is stressful—to say the least. When the time comes, it’s a good idea to prepare beforehand so you can focus on saying your goodbyes, not your apologies. The Dress Code While shades of blue and grey are acceptable during the wake, fu

Complete with tiny matching pyjamas for your little friend. The world of fandom is vast and varied in Japan – on one hand you have fans who might show a casual interest in an actor, idol, VTuber, or anime character, and then on the other, you have diehard fans who engage in what’s known as “oshi-katsu”. Equivalent to the English slang term “stanning” – katsu means “activities” while oshi refers to the character or person you’re “stanning” – this level of fandom is reserved for those

Police say she also spent time at an Internet cafe. Carmelita Lakdesha Paul, a 12-year-old British secondary school student who went missing while travelling in Japan with her family, has been found safe after spending time at an Internet cafe while visiting anime-related locations around Yokohama. Carmelita had been staying with her family at a private rental property in Minami-Kamata, a neighbourhood in Tokyo’s Ota Ward, after arriving in Japan for sightseeing with her parents and older broth

There’s a manga-related reason Inunakin is so buff. A lot of towns in Japan have official mascot characters, so it’s no surprise that the city of Izumosano in Osaka Prefecture has one too. Also not a shock is that Izumosano’s mascot is an anthropomorphized animal, in this case a dog named Inunakin. What is startling, though, is that Inunakin is ripped. Our introduction to this muscular mascot came as we were passing through Izumisano’s Riku Town Station, which is just one train stop away from

There’s good reason why this burger chain is ranked in the top 100 Best Hamburgers in Japan. In this era of rising prices, the words “cheap” and “delicious” don’t go together quite as often as they used to, but there’s one place in Tokyo where they still go hand-in-hand: JB’s Tokyo. Boasting stores across the Kanto region, mainly in Tokyo, this locally-born chain is famous for its delicious “craft-style” burgers. The head store is located in front of Tokyo’s Yoyogi Station, and is so accl

We join the “koke katsu” trend to find out if these little ecosystems are as easy to make as they say. Japan is famous for its gacha machines, which dispense all sorts of products at random, through the clever use of capsules. After purchasing everything from tiny edible cakes to Casio Watch rings at these machines, we thought we’d seen everything we could possibly see…until the other day, when we stumbled upon a surprise find at Shibuya Hikarie in Tokyo. After stopping by the build

Snack that saved a Japanese railway gets a whole new look for a limited time. Japanese-born fast food chain Dom Dom Hamburger has a reputation for being edgier than most, with outrageous menu offerings that take things to extreme places other chains dare not go to. ▼ Now, Dom Dom is flexing its creative muscles yet again, with a new menu item called the “Nure Senbei Burger” In all our years of eating fast food, we’ve never seen a burger like this. Instead of buns, it uses two pieces of “nure s

Two classy fall flavors are on their way, but might require some travel to taste. We’re still in the middle of a very hot summer in Japan, but Krispy Kreme is already looking ahead to autumn, though not necessarily out of a desire for cooler weather. No, what they’re looking forward to is seasonal fall ingredients, with two fancy new donuts that you can only get at one Krispy Kreme branch in all of Japan. Once again it’s Krispy Kreme Premium Nagoya, located inside the JR Nagoya Takashimaya dep

Sumo and chanko nabe are just some of the highlights of this new Japanese culture experience. Despite its worldwide fame, not a lot of people actually get to watch sumo. Not only are tickets incredibly hard to get – the official site is so busy when sales start that it’s virtually impossible to access and everything sells out within minutes – but tournaments are only held during very limited periods at certain locations each year, which might not match up with the time and place of your visit.

Step back in time on Hiroshima’s “Peace Loop 653”, a special tour that links passengers to the city’s past and present. Visitors to Hiroshima tend to have an interest in learning about its past, as it was one of only two cities, alongside Nagasaki, to have experienced an atomic bombing. Now, the city is offering visitors a unique way to connect to that history, as Hiroshima Electric Railway is running a limited-time sightseeing tour aboard the historic 653 tram, one of the few vehicles to survi