Excessive homework may be exhausting students in Japan during their summer vacation
The school summer holidays are now in full swing but an increasing number of parents and their children are spending the break hunched over a desk with a stack of workbooks instead of enjoying ice cream in the park. The traditional rite of summer homework ...
Heated debate boils over on social media as mercury soars in Japan
Talking to others about the weather has always been a quick and easy conversation topic. The same goes for social media users and online news outlets in Japan, which love to discuss meteorological issues. The arrival of intense summer heat in recent weeks has ...
Understanding 'teru teru bōzu,' the ghost-like charms in 'Weathering With You'
While Makoto Shinkai’s latest film, “Weathering With You,” has already been released in Japan, it’s likely anime fans overseas won’t be able to see the movie until 2020. However, there are a few moments in the film that may leave international audiences scratching their ...
Anime director Makoto Shinkai's new film can't shake 'Your Name.' comparisons
Makoto Shinkai’s latest film, “Weathering With You” (“Tenki no Ko”), may have outperformed the director’s 2016 blockbuster, “Your Name.,” at the box office on its opening weekend, but it failed to create many waves on social media in its first week. “Weathering With You,” which ...
Popular YouTube group's attempt to engineer a viral campaign on social media backfires spectacularly
Social media is a minefield of negativity that often leaves users in a conundrum whenever they stumble across someone doing something online that clearly seems obnoxious. Should users call people out for such behavior? Are they acting in a righteous manner or are they ...
Candidates struggle to navigate difficult waters of social media ahead of election
A good summary of how the 2019 House of Councilors election has played out online comes via Kazuki Takahashi, the creator of the cartoon “Yu-Gi-Oh!” During his promotion of a new art book, he shared an illustration on his Instagram page that was meant ...
Convenience store operator struggles in wake of security fiasco
The operator of Seven-Eleven’s new smartphone payment service is under fire for appearing clueless at a news conference that was held after customers were allegedly defrauded through unauthorized access. On July 4, Seven & I Holdings Co. said some 900 convenience store customers using the ...
Feeling burned out by social media? You probably aren't alone
Some of the most popular users of social media platforms such as Twitter are expressing frustration with life online. Adult film star and media personality Makoto Toda joined Twitter in 2016 and quickly established a strong following that extended far beyond her profession. By the start ...
Social media backlash against bubble tea fails to dent enthusiasm
While the internet can play a crucial role in pushing trends in Japan, it can be just as effective in turning people against the crazes it helps to hype. What’s the latest fad to find itself caught in the crosshairs of social media? Bubble tea. ...
Embracing social media to protect others from danger in Japan
Japan has developed a reputation for being a safe country, an image bolstered by recent record lows in reported crime. The reality, though, is that life in Japan can be just as dangerous as it is overseas. A recent viral post on Twitter sparked ...
Examining the morbid fascination with violence on social media in Japan
Twenty-one-year-old Yuka Takaoka stabbed a man in an apartment in Tokyo’s Shinjuku district in late May, leaving him in a critical condition. During questioning, Takaoka reportedly told police that she stabbed the man because she loved him so much she just couldn’t help it. ...
Chemical firm hit for punishing worker who took paternity leave with transfer halfway across Japan
Chemical producer Kaneka Corp. faces allegations of harassment after an employee returned from paternity leave to find that he — and, one presumes, his family — was being transferred to a different branch in another part of the country. Condemnation on social media was swift, ...
