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Luxury outdoor living: A balcony designed and executed by Theodore Jennings of Vacation Veranda.

The Japanese balcony gets a rethink amid a pandemic

by Rebecca Saunders

With more people opting to stay home in recent months, balconies have been popping up all over the internet. Overseas, people have been applauding to cheer on essential workers, taking part in communal singalongs to lighten spirits and even playing full concerts, all from these narrow strips of s...

Podcast mania: Whether you’ve been on the bandwagon from the start, or have only recently begun to listen, podcasts are a great source of entertainment.

Japan on air: The best podcasts about the Land of the Rising Sun

by Claire Williamson

Whether you’ve been on the podcast bandwagon from the start, or have only recently begun to listen, new shows pop up constantly. They’re a great way to keep up-to-date with the news, get a new perspective on a personal interest or simply learn something interesting. There’s a podcast for every to...

Remnants: Shoes for a man, a woman and a child left in the Aokigahara Jukai forest on the flank of Mount Fuji in Yamanashi Prefecture. The name in part translates as "Sea of Trees," though with good reason it is often referred to as "Suicide Forest."

Inside Japan’s ‘Suicide Forest’

by Rob Gilhooly

I am walking through Aokigahara Jukai forest, the light rapidly fading on a mid-winter afternoon, when I am stopped dead in my tracks by a blood-curdling scream. The natural reaction would be to run, but the forest floor is a maze of roots and slippery rocks and, truth be told, I am lost in this ...

Since you're going out: When you want to do two things at once, "gatera" is the particle you're looking for.

Since you’re studying, why not study ‘gatera’ while you’re at it?

by Akemi Tanahashi

Pochi no sanpo-gatera, hagaki o dashi ni itte-kuru. (Since I'm taking Pochi for a walk, I'll go and post the postcard.) Situation 1: Mr. Okubo lets his wife know that he's taking the family dog, Pochi, for a walk. 夫：ポチの散歩がてら、はがきを出しに行ってくるよ。 妻：あ、じゃあ、つい...

Have faith: “We operate in the belief that we will keep going,” says Tonkatsu Tonki’s proprietor, Izuhi Yoshihara.

Tokyo’s restaurants stare down COVID-19: ‘We have to stay open’

by Dan Buyanovsky

It’s a Friday in early July at 3:45 p.m. and a line is forming in front of notable Meguro restaurant Tonkatsu Tonki. Within minutes, every seat in the open-format eatery will be taken by customers hungry for Tonki’s signature egg, flour and panko-coated tonkatsu (pork cutlet). It feels like a ret...