All About Japan

A Day in Saijo: Walking Through Hiroshima’s Sake Capital

For anyone interested in sake, Saijo should be high on the list of places to visit in Japan. Less than an hour from Hiroshima Station, it is one of the country’s most compact sake destinations.

Shrines

Shimane

The Rope Makers of Iinan: Crafting Izumo Taisha's Giant Shimenawa

In Iinan, Shimane Prefecture, artisans hand-craft the giant sacred rope for Izumo Taisha Shrine’s main hall. It is one of Japan’s largest shimenawa, remade roughly every seven years by a community that has done this work for generations.

Anime

For Every Ultraman . . . There's an Ultra Woman

In the classic sixties TV show Ultraman, Hiroko Sakurai played Akiko Fuji, the female lead to the super-sized superhero. In an exclusive interview marking the show's 60th anniversary, she shares her memories of the launch, the creative team, and dealing with the fame of the ground-breaking program.

Museum

Aomori

Getting Comfortable with the Elephant in the Room: Noboru Tsubaki at Towada Art Center

The lumpy head of a bright pink balloon elephant fills a room, its trunk stretching out the door. Facing it is a spinning wheel with thousands of opening and closing eyeballs. These are the creations of Noboru Tsubaki, a Japanese contemporary artist known since the 1980s for his massive sculptures that look at today’s world through a surreal lens.

Pick Ups

Selected reads from our editors

Dance Above the Tokyo Skyline: An Apothecary Diaries Event at Roppongi Hills

Tokyo City View, the observation deck at the Roppongi Hills complex, has traded its usual skyline for a stage set.

Japan’s First Neon Pickleball Club Opens in Shibuya

NEON PICKLEBALL CLUB, Japan’s first neon-lit pickleball facility, opened in Shibuya, Tokyo this past August.

One Site, Five Islands: Booking Tokyo’s Izu Chain

Tokyo Islands Explorer, a multilingual booking platform for the Izu Islands, launched on July 9, 2026. The site combines accommodation, transportation, and island activities into a single booking.

Japan’s First Neon Pickleball Club Opens in Shibuya

NEON PICKLEBALL CLUB, Japan’s first neon-lit pickleball facility, opened in Shibuya, Tokyo this past August.

Travel

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Tokyo

One Site, Five Islands: Booking Tokyo’s Izu Chain

Tokyo Islands Explorer, a multilingual booking platform for the Izu Islands, launched on July 9, 2026. The site combines accommodation, transportation, and island activities into a single booking.

Shrines

Shimane

The Rope Makers of Iinan: Crafting Izumo Taisha's Giant Shimenawa

Airport

Ishikawa

The World’s First Pokémon Airport: Noto Satoyama Renamed for a Limited Time

Noto Satoyama Airport in Ishikawa Prefecture has become the world’s first airport to carry the Pokémon name, operating for a limited period as Noto Satoyama POKÉMON with YOU Airport.

Food & Drink

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Sake

A Day in Saijo: Walking Through Hiroshima’s Sake Capital

For anyone interested in sake, Saijo should be high on the list of places to visit in Japan. Less than an hour from Hiroshima Station, it is one of the country’s most compact sake destinations.

Food & Drink

Japan’s Countryside, Distilled: A New Bar Opens in Tokyo

SATOYAMA SPIRITS TOKYO, a bar that distills the botanical scents of Japan’s traditional countryside into cocktails,opened recently in Tokyo’s Ebisu district.

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!

Entertainment

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Roppongi

Dance Above the Tokyo Skyline: An Apothecary Diaries Event at Roppongi Hills

Tokyo City View, the observation deck at the Roppongi Hills complex, has traded its usual skyline for a stage set.

Sports

Shibuya

Japan’s First Neon Pickleball Club Opens in Shibuya

NEON PICKLEBALL CLUB, Japan’s first neon-lit pickleball facility, opened in Shibuya, Tokyo this past August.

Shizuoka

Fast & Furious Craze Comes to Fuji

FuelFest Japan, a car festival that began in Hollywood and ranks among the world's largest, returns to Fuji Speedway in Shizuoka Prefecture on Tuesday, August 11. The event carries on the legacy of the late Paul Walker, star of the Fast & Furious films, combining high-energy car culture with humanitarian fundraising and drawing some 30,000 fans from Japan and abroad each year. Highlights include live recreations of scenes from the film, heart-stopping drag races, and a massive gathering of 2,000 custom cars.

Innovation

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Art

A Souvenir You Finish Yourself: The Takasaki Daruma Craft Kit

Zen Craft Kit │ Takasaki Daruma Standard is a hands-on kit for painting and personalizing your own Takasaki daruma—a traditional good-luck figurine made in Takasaki, Gunma Prefecture.

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.

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