Former Idol Onodela Popko made waves when she quit her group after just one week over bullying. What's she up to now? Racking up wins, it would seem. Here's why she went viral - and what she's been up to since.
It was one of the most infamous cases of karoshi (working to death) Japan has seen. Learn how the tragic loss of Takahashi Matsuri shook the country, and what changed - and what hasn't - since then.
ICYMI: Local legends urge couples to avoid these spots in Japan like the plague. Some are said to be bad luck. Others aren’t haunted or hexed – they’re just places you shouldn’t go until you and your partner have truly tested your relationship.
Archive: People in South Korea love Japanese food so much that they’re reliving the dining experience in Japan on the streets of Seoul. That recreation goes so far as to have Japanese-only signs and menus, which is technically illegal.
ICYMI: We’re seeing increasing reports of Tourists Behaving Badly. Now, local media is reporting on a special subclass of the annoying tourist problem: visitors who insist on speaking their mother tongue even when Japanese staff clearly don’t understand them.
Need a better way to get around Japan? There'll be an app for that soon. Learn more about the Welcome Suica app and how it can help you navigate your first time in the country below.
East Japan Railways Company has been fiercely cutting those counters as a cost-saving measure. However, a fierce public backlash has put that plan on hold – and may cancel it for good.
It used to be common wisdom in Japan's restaurant industry that you couldn't sell ramen for over 1000 yen a bowl. That's changing quickly. Learn why more shops are emphasizing quality over quantity in our latest.
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.
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?
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).
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.