From meeting Pikachu in Fukushima to a laughter ritual in Osaka, here are dozens of ways to make sure you make the most of the festive season.

The Power of the Weave, by Tanaka Yuko, Translated by Geraldine Harcourt.International House of Japan, Nonfiction. Most of us give little thought about the materials in, or construction of, our daily ensembles, let alone the possibility of them holding historical ...

Discovering Jaakko Eino Kalevi's music feels like finding a hidden gem, and with music so freely available on the Internet these days this isn't a far-fetched notion. The Helsinki-based artist hasn't been hiding, though, he has been releasing his self-described brand of experimental, pseudo-pop since ...

In simple terms, "Phantasm Japan" is a fantasy anthology on the theme of "light and dark, from and about Japan." Phantasm Japan, by Multiple authors.Haikasoru, Fiction. To outsiders, the overriding image of Japan is of ...

The author known as Takasue's Daughter, or Lady Sarashina, kept a diary to mark her bold 11th-century journey from the east of Japan to the capital. So enthralled did she become with writing that she continued for 40 more years, producing an account that ...

This year, many people in Japan celebrated Halloween early. Last weekend saw parades, parties and trick-or-treating at special events across the country, but for those who grew up in places that historically celebrate the holiday, Oct. 25 may have been a bit too soon ...

Tokyo resident Dr. Bob Tobin chose the title for "What Do You Want to Create Today?" to make his message entirely clear: It's all about you. What Do You Want to Create Today?, by Dr. Bob Tobin.BenBella Books, Nonfiction. ...

It's a wonder "The Crimson Thread of Abandon" was never translated into English before. Shuji Terayama (1935-83) was a provocative artist and outlaw author, and his 20 stories fall nothing short of this reputation. Each borrows and mocks the conventions of a classic fairy ...

The British Museum's Noriko Tsuchiya compiles an intricate selection of netsuke, a prized Edo Period (1603-1867) art form of miniature sculptures. Her book contains 100 photographs, paired with color illustrations to contrast composition and artistic expression. Netsuke, by Noriko ...