Moving west, we come to Ehime Prefecture, which is also a part of the Shikoku region. Aoshima might be the most sparsely populated of Japan’s Cat Islands, with just 15 permanent residents compared to ...

Competitive auto racing has existed in Japan since the 1920s, but it wasn't until the Tamagawa Speedway was opened in 1936 that the sport had a permanent, dedicated track. Soichiro Honda, who would ...

The Edo Period (also called the Tokugawa Era) spans from 1603 to 1868 and saw the emergence of popular figures that all lovers of Japanese culture know well: samurai, geisha, kabuki actors, etc. One ...

As I walked toward the center of the cascading waterfalls, severe coldness gripped my feet, and the rhythmic chants of a Shinto priest disappeared under the sounds of torrents pounding the rocky ...

During the Meiji Period (1868–1912), soon after the advent of rail travel in Japan, the first ekiben (train station bento) were sold and subsequently popularized as the industrial rail boom spread ...

You'll probably be given an oshibori (wet towel) upon sitting down, which you should use to clean your hands. A nice oshibori will be refreshingly cool in the summer and satisfyingly warm in the ...

While there are hundreds to choose from, we’ve selected 10 anime that use fascinating and unique real-life settings worthy of visiting! We’ve also ensured a balance of locations across Japan, so you ...

Just a three-minute walk from the bustling Meiji-jingumae subway station, Ra.a.g.f (pronounced “ruff,” an acronym for “rabbit and grow fat”) is a cozy little joint that’s home to more than 20-some ...

The history of origami is challenging to unfold, as any ancient pieces have long since disintegrated. Buddhist monks brought paper to both Korea and Japan from China around the sixth century. While it ...

The Tachibana Clan (橘氏・Tachibana-shi) is the smallest of the four powerful clans of the Heian Period, though it's the second oldest after the Fujiwara. It was founded by Agata Inukai no Michiyo ...

Started in early 2020, "Miwa’s Japanese Cooking" already has close to 90,000 subscribers, proving that YouTube audiences can’t get enough of everyday Japanese food. Kamakura-born Miwa has lived in the ...

A suguki is the pickled version of a Japanese turnip called sugukina. While quite rare in the West, suguki is a typical tsukemono (pickled vegetable) of Kyoto, and it has a distinctive, plain, salty ...