All About Japan

Noge: A Yokohama Pub Crawl through Time

Yokohama's scruffy, beloved Noge district has been luring night owls for decades. Join this pub crawl through its jazz cafés, yakitori bars and craft beer taps.

Sake

Traditional Japan

Shodoshima: Fermentation, Art, and an Island Shaped by Time

Floating in the calm waters of the Seto Inland Sea, Shodoshima is a place shaped by climate, by centuries of small-scale industries, and most of all by the people who live here. It is often associated with olives or soy sauce, but offers much more: unique sake, a revival of almost lost traditions, and a quiet but growing reputation for contemporary art.

Tokyo

Tokyo Tokyo Delicious Museum: Sample the Best of Culinary Tokyo at One Food Festival

Reservation difficulties and long lines make it hard to experience the best of Tokyo’s legendary dining scene. This free, open-air food festival running May 15-17, solves that problem—bringing together more than 40 top restaurants, regional cuisines and international vendors in one waterfront location. Come hungry!

Pottery

Saga

The Porcelain Legacy of Arita’s Kilns

Japan's porcelain industry was kickstarted by events that shook the country 400 years ago. Andrew Lee visited Saga Prefecture and discovered the history of the region's ceramics.

Pick Ups

Selected reads from our editors

Japan’s Top Summer Festivals for 2026: Tohoku’s Big Four Lead the Way

Lanterns, taiko drums, whirling dancers, and bonfires on mountain slopes. Summer festival season is almost here, and this year’s ranking tells you exactly where to be.

Two New Resorts Open on the Naruto Coast This Summer

Glamping under the stars and a lifestyle hotel by the sea–Tokushima’s most dramatic shoreline finally has places to stay that match the location.

Lucie Rie Retrospective Opens in Tokyo

The first retrospective of the twentieth-century master to be held in Japan in roughly a decade, it brings together precious works from collections across the country.

Giant Samurai Appear on a Dam in Ashikaga

A monumental piece of “reverse graffiti” art has transformed Matsudagawa Dam into a massive canvas, summoning four ancient warriors out of years of accumulated grime.

Two New Resorts Open on the Naruto Coast This Summer

Glamping under the stars and a lifestyle hotel by the sea–Tokushima’s most dramatic shoreline finally has places to stay that match the location.

Tochigi

Giant Samurai Appear on a Dam in Ashikaga

A monumental piece of “reverse graffiti” art has transformed Matsudagawa Dam into a massive canvas, summoning four ancient warriors out of years of accumulated grime.

Museum

Tokyo

Dive Into Tokyo’s Evolution at the Refurbished Edo-Tokyo Museum

After a four-year closure for renovations, the Edo-Tokyo Museum has reopened to tell the story of the capital's remarkable evolution and transformation.

Food & Drink

See all Food & Drink

Tokyo

Tokyo Tokyo Delicious Museum: Sample the Best of Culinary Tokyo at One Food Festival

Cafés

Yokohama

Noge: A Yokohama Pub Crawl through Time

Yokohama's scruffy, beloved Noge district has been luring night owls for decades. Join this pub crawl through its jazz cafés, yakitori bars and craft beer taps.

Nara

Eating and Drinking the Back Streets of Nara

Most people do Nara as a day trip, but actually staying there and spending a few days--and nights--lets you explore the rich cuisine of its backstreets.

Entertainment

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Events

Summer Festivals

Japan’s Top Summer Festivals for 2026: Tohoku’s Big Four Lead the Way

Lanterns, taiko drums, whirling dancers, and bonfires on mountain slopes. Summer festival season is almost here, and this year’s ranking tells you exactly where to be.

Art

Lucie Rie Retrospective Opens in Tokyo

The first retrospective of the twentieth-century master to be held in Japan in roughly a decade, it brings together precious works from collections across the country.

Museum

Nara

Nara Prison Museum Opens Its Doors

A landmark new cultural attraction opens in Nara this spring, as Hoshino Resorts launched its first-ever museum on April 27, 2026. Founded in 1914 and widely regarded as Japan's most innovative luxury hospitality group, Hoshino Resorts has built its reputation on reimagining overlooked or underutilized spaces—from historic hot spring towns to remote natural landscapes—and transforming them into distinctive, design-led destinations. The Nara Prison Museum brings new life to the former Nara Prison—a designated Important Cultural Property — transforming one of Japan's most architecturally striking Meiji-era (1868—1912) buildings into a thought-provoking destination for visitors from around the world.

Innovation

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Fukui

Fukui: New Trends Crafted from Traditional Skills

This August, LUMINE Singapore, the concept store featuring Japanese fashion and lifestyle brands, will feature the best of Fukui Prefecture’s craft products in a pop-up store commemorating the opening of its new flagship store at Raffles City.

Weaving

Okinawa

Tsumugi Silk: Poor Man's Fabric Turned Luxury Folkcraft

Tsumugi silk is the result of a labor-intensive artistic weaving style that is prized for its supple softness and unique designs.

Design

Architecture

Small Spaces, Part IV: Japanese Ideas for Small and Tiny Homes

The fourth of a series on innovative, space-saving methods from traditional and modern Japanese architecture that can be used in any home, regardless of size.

Life in Japan

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Architecture

The Wisdom of Wood: Why Japan’s Old Farmhouses Matter More Than Ever

A look at the traditional farmhouses now commonly called kominka—“old folk dwellings”—a name that underscores their age. They were built for living, working, and passing knowledge from one generation to the next.

Craft Beer

Shikoku