Most of Japan supports having a female emperor and revising the country's laws. In a recent Mainichi Shinbun national opinion poll, 81% supported a woman on the throne. So what’s holding up the Diet, which oversees revisions to the Imperial Household Law, from making it so?
The “gaijin hunter” in Japan has become a general mythology. Stereotypical gaijin hunters seek out foreigners in their romantic life, sometimes just for a casual fling, other times for marriage.
Is Lake Mashuu in Hokkaido dangerous for couples? Urban legend says that if the lake is foggy when you get there and stays that way, then your relationship is destined to last. However, if the fog clears while you’re on the boat, then it’s time to say “thank you, next.”
Urikakekin - the "buy now, pay later" scheme used by host clubs - involves a host offering to shoulder customers’ sizable fees for drinks and services sold on credit. The tab adds up, often forcing some customers into prostitution to pay up their debts.
“When I go to a tourist spot in Kyoto or a shopping center in Tokyo to check it out, the ones getting drunk and tossing garbage are mostly Japanese people. Foreigners see that and gladly drink or smoke on the street."
Are foreign tourists the only ones to blame for bad behavior in Japan's tourist hotspots? Some in Japan beg to differ:
ICYMI: Thanks to a rush of tourists, Mt. Fuji is now another destination tourists cannot go without planning ahead. A new online reservation system opened this week for climbers on the popular Yoshida trail between July and September.
One town in Japan put up a giant curtain to deter overtourism at a famous Mt. Fuji tourist spot. But where there's a will, there's a way: some people are now literally poking holes in the drape as a workaround. Learn more - and how police are responding to it - below.
For the first time, authorities in Japan have shut down a host club for using a debtor's system that's forced many women into prostitution. Learn more about the case - and the continued crackdown on host clubs - below.
ICYMI: The government of Japan wants more people to have kids to stave off the country’s rapidly aging and declining population. Now comes word that the government of Prime Minister Kishida Fumio is considering a new financial incentive: eliminate the cost of giving birth.
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Do you like it raw? They do in Japan - raw eggs, that is. Learn more about raw egg cuisine in Japan, why it's popular, and how the country keeps its egg supply safe and salmonella-free.
"“You can’t fully rely on translation apps,” said a 20yo Japanese woman who serves tourists at a dining bar. “It’s been more than a few times where I haven’t been able to serve customers [in English] and they wave their hands and shoe me away as if to say, ‘You’re useless.'”
Inokashira Pond is said to be the dwelling place of Benzaiten, one of Japan's seven gods of good fortune. However, Benzaiten is also a jealous goddess and it's said she'll break up any couples who ride the swan boats at Inokashira Park.
Got data in Japan? Here's why an eSIM for Japan travel is a hassle-free way to stay connected while seeing the sights - and a look at other options for staying connected while in Japan (more below).
Media reports blaming foreign tourists for bad behavior in Japan abound. But some say they're just imitating what the Japanese locals do. Who's really to blame for Foreigners Behaving Badly?
The legal and social situation for LGBTQ couples in Japan led one lesbian couple to take the dramatic step of fleeing to Canada and applying for refugee status. Canada granted their request, issuing a damning verdict on the state of LGBTQ rights in Japan.
Have you ever had a coworker who smelled so bad you felt nauseous being near them and couldn’t focus on your work? There’s now a term for that in Japan: smell harassment (スメルハラスメント), often shortened to sume-hara (スメハラ). Learn more below.
Going to Japan as a couple? Then you might want to avoid the following locations that urban legends say spell doom for your union. Here are the top tourist attractions in Japan you DON'T wanna visit (or maybe you do - hey, your relationship is your business).
Some Japanese service staff say they're struggling to cope with visitors who don't make any effort to find linguistic common ground. More below on tourists who insist on speaking their mother tongue (and how not to be That Guy).
Japan is experiencing a huge influx of tourists. As a result, some stores and restaurants are struggling with how to handle customers who don’t speak Japanese. Learn why one restaurant owner took out his frustration on social media – and had to close his store shortly after.
ICYMI: Japan's top travel destinations are receiving international attention. One travel site says the numbers don’t lie: Tokyo is now the world’s top trending destination. Find out why people are coming here - and how to avoid the crowds.
Japan's Immigration Services Agency recently released inconclusive data showing 10% of permanent residents had not paid their taxes or social insurance premiums. However, The agency’s survey only examined 1,825 of the country's approximately 890,000 permanent residents.
How do you solve the problem of a rapidly aging population? Japan's government has a novel answer: change what "elderly" means. PM Kishida's government is reportedly considering a proposal to raise the definition of old age from 65 to 70. Read more below.
Many of us grew up in countries where we were specifically warned against eating raw or undercooked eggs. So you might be surprised when you arrive in Japan and find that they’re something of a delicacy. But are they safe to eat?
JR East cut over half of its ticket service counters for train and shinkansen tickets as a cost-cutting strategy. All it achieved was angering its customers with its shoddy online services. Now, company reps say they're putting the brakes on future closures.