'You're empathetic, but there's that distance': A German undertaker in Japan
As Japanese mourners file into the funeral parlor, shrouded in silence and laden with flowers, Felix Steinkemper, dressed in a dark suit, stands ready to assist. It's a scene the 30-year-old German undertaker has witnessed hundreds of times: the open casket, the quiet sobbing, the ...
Getting the word out on sexual consent to university students in Tokyo
After the many late nights spent in high school cramming to pass an entrance exam, university life can be an exciting turning point in the lives of youth in Japan. With club activities, drinking parties and many opportunities to start dating, this newfound freedom ...
The viral story of how a Japanese chemical company, Kaneka, reassigned an employee to the Western part of Japan immediately after he returned from paternity leave in Tokyo left netizens indignant last week. And the story has also caused many non-Japanese to scratch their ...
Japanese, Italian, Korean? I'm all of these
One question I have always found difficult is, "Where are you from?" While most people I meet are able to answer it with a single word — Japan, England, India — for me the answer is a lot more complicated. The question itself is innocent ...
From enlightened strolls to 10,000-step goals: How Japan learned to walk the walk
An Olympics crowdsourcing project may be the answer to making Japan a more accessible country
Coming to Japan to escape alcohol is risky, but help is available
When Casey "dropped dead" on his kitchen floor, he realized he hit rock bottom. Luckily, he got the support he needed to get his drinking problem under control.
I walked the line: Getting reacquainted with Tokyo on the Yamathon
Iwo Jima: Where Japan rules but the memory of war dead still reigns
Malala is only one part of what makes Pakistan great
Know your rights when checking in at an Airbnb
Know your rights as a language teacher
It's nearly summer and though June's not the usual time for thinking of Christmas, we have some for you. It comes in the shape of a golden retriever mix who's friendly, gentle, healthy and a perfect compact size at only 19 kilograms. And, he's ...
Getting those shots in: Information on vaccinations in Japan
An interesting query came to Lifelines from LS, a reader in the United States who was born in Tokyo and lived here until her teens. She writes: I received vaccination shots as a baby and child through the Japanese hospital. I no longer have my ...
Getting negative feedback from your boss isn't all bad
Stressing over finances? The community at RetireJapan is here to help
Retirement in Japan doesn't have to be scary
Nobody's perfect, but an apology really helps at a Japanese company
How to work with a micromanaging Japanese boss
In search of family and friends in Japan
