H.C. Andersen Park: Once upon a time, in a land not so far away
Take the kids on a fairy-tale trip to H.C. Andersen Park in Chiba Prefecture, where Denmark's most celebrated writer lives on in playgrounds, workshops and recreations of Danish village life.
Japanese city struggles as its World Heritage sheen fades
Drastic drops in the number of visitors to the Tomioka Silk Mill, a designated World Heritage Site in Gunma Prefecture, leaves citizens looking to find new ways to boost tourism.
There’s no doubt about it — a colorful yukata (light cotton kimono) accessorized with a flat uchiwa fan says “summer.”
The art of dressing up as characters from anime, manga, video games or TV shows has evolved into a global phenomenon.
The first of a four-part series that focuses on traditional ways to mitigate the heat of a Japanese summer.
What is the role of small towns in Japan?
Kiryu in Gunma Prefecture looks into potential ways art could help revitalize the small town.
Japan's washi paper — the world's thinnest — finds new lease on life
Once an indispensable part of daily life in Japan, washi paper was used for everything from writing and painting to lampshades, umbrellas and sliding doors, but demand has plunged as lifestyles have become more Westernized. Despite its 1,300-year history and UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage status, ...
Blazing a trail in Japan's mountains
It wasn't so long ago that trail running was considered to be something only nature geeks did in their spare time. I mean, who in their right mind would want to run up a mountain? Cue the sound of crickets chirping ... Things have changed ...
Mashiko: Pots of fun for kids and parents
Young children and ceramics are not an obvious mix — the former having an alarming tendency to break the latter the second they come into contact with one another. But there is one situation when combining the two works like magic: children's pottery classes.
Departure melodies: Celebrating the jingles' contribution to the rail experience in Japan
Like the ubiquitous neon signs and abundant convenience stores scattered throughout Tokyo, departure melodies at train stations are probably something many residents don't give much thought to as they travel around the city each day. And yet so much thought has been put into the ...
Stranger things: Weird ways to get festive in Japan
Men in straw capes wearing ferocious horned masks with gleaming eyes and long, pointed fangs stare down at a group of reporters. Others donning masks of a devil, monkey and a long-nosed tengu birdman squat as they pose for photographs during a news conference ...
The prison inside: Japan's hikikomori lack relationships, not physical spaces
Fifty-three-year-old Kenji Yamase doesn't fit the traditional image of a hikikomori, but then perceptions of Japan's social recluses are changing. "People think of hikikomori as being lazy young people with personality problems who stay in their rooms all the time playing video games," says Yamase, ...
