Lifestyle

With almost 50 percent of the global "Moomin market" in Japan, MoominValley Park has the ideal audience — nostalgic adults, kawaii fans and, of course, woodland-creature-loving kids.

Hiromu Inada is by no means your average 86-year-old. Inada is the oldest triathlete to complete what many consider to be the most difficult race in the world — the ironman triathlon — at the world championships. But with his steely resolve, the Japanese senior ...

While it may look out of sync with its surroundings, model and radio-controlled car giant Tamiya's Plamodel Factory (Plastic Model Factory) flagship store has a happy home amid the office buildings and dining establishments of Tokyo's Shinbashi district. "Being in Shinbashi seemed like quite a ...

It's 2:30 a.m. and dark outside. Tsuyoshi Hirasawa can see his breath in the February chill as he turns the key in the ignition of his white Honda minivan. The large hands gripping the steering wheel are rough and leathery from years of working ...

For anyone who loves planes, a 'factory tour' of of one of Japan's biggest airlines can offer an exciting journey into aviation education.

Jay Noyes, clad head to toe in the steel armor of a medieval knight, is steadily advancing toward me with a longsword, which he intends to hit me with. I raise my buckler — a small metal shield about the size of a hubcap — ...

Perhaps one of Japan's most child-friendly hotels, Risonare Yatsugatake is a mecca for young families. The guestrooms are spacious, staff are ever-patient and there are kids' menus in the restaurants.

Drop Inc., a startup cherry tomato farming business in Mito, Ibaraki Prefecture, finds hiring mothers on flexible hours benefits business.

To defeat the intertwined pandemics of obesity, hunger and climate change, governments must curb the political influence of major corporations, said a major report published on Jan. 27, calling for a "global treaty" similar to one for tobacco control. But this will not happen unless ...

To many Japan newbies, the thought of bathing with strangers at a hot spring public bath seems off-putting — especially with kids. Yet for millions of residents, it's an ideal way to warm up and spend time together on a winter afternoon. Here are ...

Nail technician Naoko Takano, who has spent half of her life tending to the nails of customers, including a roster of celebrity clients, talks about the nail art boom in Japan.