On X (Twitter), Japan users are sharing stories of times they’ve come back to their hotel rooms to find the staff has sorted their plushies respectfully for them. 2nd pic: “Coming back to find this little one waiting for me like this is one of the highlights of my day.”
Okonomiyaki is a post-war staple of Japanese cuisine. But what sets the Hiroshima style apart from its brethren? A deep dive into Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki and how best to enjoy it.
How, exactly, did the convenience store (combini) become such a ubiquitous part of Japanese life? How the combini evolved, what you can do there (spoiler alert: more or less everything), and where they're headed as Japan's population ages and changes.
People who know nothing about Japan: Japan isn’t down with all this LGBTQ stuff!!
Actual Japan: on Feb 1st, Wakayama Prefecture will become the latest local government to pass a partnership system for same-sex couples. Such systems already cover 70.9% of Japan’s population.
Surveys show 95% of Japanese LGBTQ ppl don’t feel comfortable talking about their sexuality w authorities or welfare agencies. 81% hesitate to talk w doctors. The group Nijiiro Doctors is working w/ providers to make their services and facilities more welcoming to LGBTQ patients.
"Some have wanted to see in this show a conflict between 'European colonizers and Japanese people.' I’m sympathetic to and generally agree with these arguments. But here’s the thing: you can’t apply them to Japan in the 16th and 17th centuries."
ICYMI: We’ve written about interesting train stations in Japan – from ones out in the middle of nowhere to stations in Tokyo that hardly anyone uses. But there’s an even more interesting – and spooky – type of station. Learn about Japan’s “mole stations” and how you can check them out yourself (if you dare…).
For the first time, Japan’s Supreme Court has ruled that same-sex partners count as surviving family. It’s ordered Nagoya courts to revise their decision that denied the plaintiff financial benefits given to heterosexual couples after his partner of 20 years was killed in 2014.
300 host clubs in Shinjuku say that, as of April 2024, they'll end the urikakekin, or debt system, that's seen some female customers resort to prostitution to pay off their debts. It's an open question whether such reforms will be enough to stave off additional legislation of clubs. #japan#unseenjapan#news
Japan Airlines becomes the first major Japanese airline to have a female top executive. Tottori Mitsuko, 59, started at the company as a flight attendant in 1985. The promotion is a rarity in Japan, where women only hold around 12% of business leadership roles.
Tokyo conducted its first-ever report on groping assaults, a common yet underreported problem. It found over 40% of women and 10% of men saying they had been the victims of groping. The survey included over 8K people between 16 and 69. #japan#unseenjapan
ICYMI: Japanese combinis are known for offering delicious food and limited-time items that suit the season. However, a new limited time – and limited location – offering from 7-11 is kicking up a debate.
Dominos Pizza Japan continues to terrorize the country with kaiju-style pie mutations. The latest affront: the Cheese Volcano Pizza, which ups the cheese factor with a literal crater of cheddar cheese sauce in the middle. It’s available here until February 18th.
Japan has a reputation as one of the safest countries in the world with a low crime rate. Japan also boasts a conviction rate that extraordinarily surpasses 99%.
But does that necessarily guarantee safety and justice?