Building bridges with Islam at Tokyo Camii
With hoodies and scarves covering their heads, a group of Japanese high school students point and whisper in awe upon entering the main hall of Tokyo Camii as Muslim worshippers ...
Tackling writer's block at the Japan Writers Conference
Now in its 13th year, the Japan Writers Conference aims to provide a place for creative thinkers to meet their peers, learn a few tricks and get motivated to finally ...
The Tepco verdict is predictable but not insignificant
Three Tepco executives are acquitted of criminal negligence in the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant disaster. Did the court recognize the unfairness of holding only three people responsible for a ...
The Vietnam Temple offers spiritual and practical support to Japan's Vietnamese community
A yellow-colored Buddhist temple adorned with flags and golden dragons on its pointed roofs in a quiet town outside Tokyo presents a stark contrast to the typically somber-looking Buddhist places of worship usually found in rural Japan. But the steady stream of out-of-town weekend visitors ...
AFWJ celebrates 50 years of uniting women
Members of the Association of Foreign Wives of Japanese reflect on the group's achievements and progress.
There are around 600 steps that you can climb to get to the main deck of Tokyo Tower. Those who've signed up for the TELL Tokyo Tower Climb, however, have already taken the most important step. The Tokyo-based not-for-profit organization is holding its annual climb ...
Community and deals at the Oi Racecourse Flea Market
Oi Racecourse Flea Market is a mismatch of stalls and sellers that is a surprisingly exciting insight into a different side of Tokyo.
Meet the women reframing black femininity in Japanese spaces
Ebony Bowens and Tynelle Pozdnyakov dip into Japanese fashion subcultures in an effort to challenge stereotypes and have a little fun while doing it.
A Sophia University student group is building the bridges that refugees need
The Sophia Refugee Support Group offers an opportunity to meet the locals in cafes and classes, and for those in detention centers they provide a sympathetic ear.
The technical side of visiting asylum-seekers in a detention center
No food, lots of ID and a multitude of paperwork: There are lots of regulations when visiting people being held at the Tokyo Regional Immigration Bureau.
Tokyo's 'Little Yangon': Once a safe haven, now a home
Fearing persecution from a government crackdown, a group of refugees came to Japan to start anew. Now they have built a community that focuses the best their culture has to offer.
Seven lessons from a Japanese morality textbook
The textbooks students in Japan use to learn wrong from right are filled with stories of invoices, citizen committees, petitions and other cool stuff kids like.
