Adored by large sections of the Japanese public, reviled in equal measure by the foreign community and courted tirelessly by the domestic media: There are few more divisive figures in Japan today than Tokyo Gov. Shintaro Ishihara. The septuagenerian populist can rarely open his ...

And why did the cops take 1,772 calls before deciding that someone was pulling their chain? We don’t know. And we don’t know why, or even if, the following people did these strange things, but heaven forbid we’d let the truth stand in the ...

Jonny Wilkinson The England fly-half is often described as the best-pound-for pound player in the world — and who in their right mind could argue? He kicks better than Neil Jenkins, he tackles harder than Butch James and he reads the game as well ...

On the face of it, the languorous suburb of Nippori must have a tough time vying for attention with its more brazen rivals on the Yamanote Line. “This area is famous for its tombs,” declared Hiro Mochinaga, one of two hosts who showed me ...

The irresistible force of spring has swept through the Kitanomaru National Garden in Kudanshita. Bathed in iridescent sunlight, swaying daffodils dominate lush embankments while plum blossoms punctuate the woodland with tantrums of Burgundy. Alarmed (justifiably) that this pastoral scene might reactivate my dormant Alan ...

If ever an amphibious mammal was catapulted to the forefront of a nation’s consciousness, Tama-chan, the bearded seal who has taken up residence in Yokohama’s Katabira River, is that animal. Following the cosmopolitan rumpus that greeted plans to grant Tama-chan local residency status (he ...

A recent visit to the suburb of Koenji reminded me of my JET program orientation in Kansai; I visited a temple, learned some outlandish local customs, ate sushi, and was shown around a vintage toy store with cosmic price tags. Except on this occasion, ...

An unintentionally caustic remark on one of the information boards that adorn Rainbow Bridge exposes the Gordian knot resting at the center of the vast Odaiba reclamation project in Tokyo Bay. “In the distance are Mount Fuji and the Keihin/Keiyou oil refineries,” it reads. ...

As Notes From the Smoke afternoons go, the one I spent in Monzennaka-cho got off to an unpromising start. The area around exit three of the station was dominated by a spiteful wind and a towering, mucus-colored amusement arcade that could have stored oil ...