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.
Did you know that there is a 1:1 scale replica of the world-famous #Shibuya Scramble intersection that can be rented by TV and film productions located 80 km northwest of Tokyo in the city of #Ashikaga? The real intersection is so busy that nobody can close it down for controlled filming.
This set was notably used in the hit Japanese TV series Alice in Borderland.
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.
Two Shintō shrines on Awaji Island are associated with the creation myth of Japan (国生み神話) in the earliest chronicles Kojiki and Nihon Shoki. At Onokoro Island Shrine (自凝島神社), visitors are encouraged to perform rituals to sacred stones for good fortune. The sekirei stone (鶺鴒石) is for couples, with a white and red cord, and I was surprised that my wife grasped my hand and prayed as we held the cords.
We also went to Izanagi Shrine (伊弉諾神宮), dedicated to the two founding gods or pillars (二神、又は二柱) of the archipelago. Worshippers believe that the founding gods dwell in the 900-year-old husband-and-wife camphor tree (夫婦楠). We have seen a similar tree at Ōmiwa Jinja in Nara (大神神社) where two trees merged into one at the base. We also noticed a connection to the Onokoro Island Shrine at the Izanagi Shrine, a small sekirei monument to married couples (夫婦鶺鴒像), and both sites included a bird motif.
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).