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July 24, 2026
 

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Alyssa I. Smith
Okayama-born singer-songwriter Kaze Fujii has carved out a distinctive place in Japanese pop since his major-label debut in 2019.
CULTURE / Music
Jul 23, 2026
A perfect storm: Kaze Fujii fans flock to Fuji Rock
Fuji Rock Festival has long been known for its international headliners, but Kaze Fujii is poised to make a big splash on the Green Stage.
Kaze Fujii received a second consecutive album of the year award for ¡°Prema,¡± his English-language debut, at the Music Awards Japan ceremony.
CULTURE / Music
Jun 17, 2026
Music Awards Japan levels up and looks ahead
Japan¡¯s largest music award ceremony moved to Tokyo for its second year, with a night of electric performances and artists honored in 78 categories.
J-pop group Arashi ended its long career with a final nationwide tour and the last concert took place in Tokyo on May 31.
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Jun 5, 2026
J-pop group Arashi takes its final bow at Tokyo Dome
For millions of fans, the final concert was more than the end of one of Japan¡¯s most beloved boy bands ¡ª it was the closing of a chapter that began in childhood.
Haruki Murakami returns this summer with his new novel, "The Tale of Kaho," which is centered on a 26-year-old picture book author.
CULTURE / Books
Apr 24, 2026
Haruki Murakami to release first novel in three years with ¡®The Tale of Kaho¡¯
The beloved author¡¯s new work, set to be released July 3, marks his first female-led novel ¡ª and a return to the uncanny.
<i>Y¨­kai</I> emerged in the cultural imagination when Japanese people gave ¡°names and forms to what they could not explain¡± and continue to be portrayed in the popular media of every era.
CULTURE / Art
Apr 18, 2026
Immersive exhibition brings Japanese folk monsters to life
A digital spectacle of supernatural creatures entertains and educates at the ¡°Yokai Immersive Experience Exhibition¡± in Shinagawa Ward.
Director Hirokazu Kore-eda&#039;s ¡°Sheep in the Box" is up for a Palme d¡¯Or at this year&#039;s Cannes Film Festival. Films by Ryusuke Hamaguchi and Koji Fukada are also in the running for the festival&#039;s top prize.
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Apr 14, 2026
Three Japanese directors vie for top prize at Cannes, a first since 2001
Hirokazu Kore-eda, Ryusuke Hamaguchi and Koji Fukada bring a strong Japanese presence to the Cannes Film Festival¡¯s competition section this year.
Awich performs with fellow rappers Ai, Nene and MaRi at last year&#039;s Music Awards Japan in Kyoto. This year&#039;s edition will take place in Tokyo.
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Mar 27, 2026
Music Awards Japan sets June return in Tokyo
A week of events will precede the June 13 ceremony, which has expanded entries and categories for year two.
Ryo Yoshizawa accepts the award for best actor at the Japan Academy Film Prize ceremony on Friday.
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Mar 14, 2026
¡®Kokuho¡¯ dominates Japan Academy Film Prize with 10 wins
Japan¡¯s answer to the Oscars crowns Lee Sang-il¡¯s kabuki drama after its historic box-office run.
Lee Sang-il's "Kokuho" won big at this year's Japan Academy Film Prize awards.
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Mar 14, 2026
The 49th Japan Academy Film Prize winners: Full list
Lee Sang-il¡¯s kabuki epic ¡°Kokuho¡± led this year¡¯s ceremony. See every award recipient from Japan¡¯s biggest movie night.
Actors Danielle Brooks and Lewis Pullman announce the nominees for the 98th Academy Awards on Thursday. Kabuki drama "Kokuho" scored a nod for best makeup and hairstyling.
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Jan 23, 2026
¡®Kokuho¡¯ leads Japan Academy Film Prize nominations but falls short at the Oscars
The hit kabuki drama had been on the shortlist for best international feature, but still received recognition for hair and makeup.
The Golden Bear nomination for "A New Dawn" marks the first time in three years that a Japanese film has been selected to compete for the Berlin International Film Festival¡¯s top prize.
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Jan 22, 2026
Japanese anime ¡®A New Dawn¡¯ nominated for Berlin film festival¡¯s top honor
Yoshitoshi Shinomiya¡¯s debut feature is competing for the Berlin International Film Festival¡¯s Golden Bear as Japan¡¯s first contender for the top prize in three years.
Taiga Nakano (left) plays Toyotomi Hidenaga, the younger brother and right-hand man of legendary warlord Toyotomi Hideyoshi (Sosuke Ikematsu) in NHK¡¯s new taiga drama, ¡°Brothers in Arms.¡±
CULTURE / TV & Streaming
Jan 2, 2026
NHK drama series returns to Sengoku Period spectacle
NHK¡¯s ¡°taiga¡± period drama leaves the pleasure quarters of Edo behind to shift focus on the right-hand man of one of Japan¡¯s great unifiers.
Beijing has turned to entertainment as leverage in the escalating tensions between Japan and China, resulting in canceled concerts and postponed film releases.
CULTURE / Music
Dec 5, 2025
Culture caught in crossfire as Japan and China rift escalates
Beijing¡¯s restrictions on Japanese entertainment have canceled concerts and postponed film releases, leaving artists and fans in limbo.
"Ryuichi Sakamoto: Last Days" traces the trailblazing musician¡¯s life after his terminal cancer diagnosis, showing how he confronted mortality while continuing to create.
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Nov 26, 2025
NHK¡¯s ¡®Last Days¡¯ wins International Emmy for Ryuichi Sakamoto portrait
The documentary lands Japan¡¯s sole prize at the ceremony honoring television from around the world.
While older generations in Japan view dad jokes with disdain, Gen Z has embraced a new style of intentionally lame wordplay as a way to spice up text-based communication.
LIFE / Language
Nov 19, 2025
Old-man puns are getting a Gen Z glow-up as ¡®neo-dajare¡¯
Japan¡¯s youngest generation raised on texting is embracing wordplay ¡ª and pushing old dad jokes further than ever before.
The award winners from this year's Tokyo International Film Festival pose for a photo at the closing ceremony on Wednesday.
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Nov 7, 2025
¡®Palestine 36¡¯ wins top honor as TIFF wraps a 10-day celebration of cinema
The Tokyo International Film Festival closed its 38th edition with a screening of Chloe Zhao¡¯s ¡°Hamnet.¡±
Director Junji Sakamoto (left) walked the Tokyo International Film Festival red carpet with Sayuri Yoshinaga (center) and Non (right), who both play mountaineer Junko Tabei, the first woman to summit Mount Everest, in the biopic "Climbing for Life."
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Oct 28, 2025
Tokyo Film Festival opens with global stars and a spotlight on Asian storytelling
From Juliette Binoche¡¯s directorial debut to Paul Schrader¡¯s Mishima biopic, this year¡¯s festival celebrates cross-cultural creativity.
The Osaka Expo will release a wave a new products in October, including a limited edition Labubu Myaku-Myaku figurine.
LIFE / Style & Design
Sep 27, 2025
Myaku-Myaku gets the Labubu treatment at the Osaka Expo
With just weeks left before its final day, Osaka Expo is dialing up the ugly cuteness of its beloved blobby mascot and tapping into the global Labubu craze.
Filmmakers Chloe Zhao and Lee Sang-il will receive the Kurosawa Akira Award, given to filmmakers who have ¡°left their marks in cinema and will be entrusted with the film industry's future,¡± at this year's edition of the Tokyo International Film Festival.
CULTURE / Film
Sep 24, 2025
Tokyo film festival to open with Everest and close with some Shakespeare
Japan¡¯s main movie event kicks off Oct. 27 with the true story of the first woman to summit Mount Everest. It closes Nov. 5 with Chloe Zhao¡¯s ¡°Hamnet.¡±
The ¡°Oh! Ed! Collaboration Campaign,¡± launched on Tokyo's Keio Line to celebrate the Friday release of Ed Sheeran¡¯s latest album, ¡°Play,¡± includes a eight-car train dedicated to the pop star's music and trivia related to his career
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / Society
Sep 8, 2025
Ed Sheeran teams up with Tokyo¡¯s Oedo Line
The campaign title, ¡°Oh! Ed!,¡± plays on the train line¡¯s name and the katakana pronunciation of the global pop star¡¯s first name.
Japan scientists identify clusters of protein believed to trigger Alzheimer¡¯s disease
A team of researchers said they found a ¡°seed¡± that accelerates the amyloid beta accumulation process in the brain, naming it ¡°Peak 1 amyloid beta,¡± as seen in a mouse&#039;s brain.
Indian brothers make manga debut in Japan
Two Indian brothers made their manga debut in Japan with "Kung Fu Kung Fool" ¡ª an action-comedy series that follows the adventures of a notorious thief and a young boy.
Japan weighs regulating Pokemon cards amid trading mania
A Pokemon event is held in Jakarta on July 11
Low-income families in Japan cut food and air conditioning during summer break
Yumiko Watanabe, the chairperson of nonprofit Kidsdoor, explains the results of a survey in Tokyo&#039;s Chiyoda Ward on July 1.
Iran strikes on CIA facilities prompt questions about possible Russian role
Iranian drones are displayed in an undisclosed location in Iran, in this handout image obtained on Jan. 13, 2025.U.S. officials have acknowledged that Russia has ?provided targeting ?and other support for Iran in its drone strikes on U.S. targets in the Persian Gulf region.
Can Japanese comedy get laughs in English? Yoshimoto Kogyo lets the jokes rip
Wes-P has millions of followers and his viral clips made him recognizable out of Japan.
The 180-day locals: Life on Japan¡¯s digital nomad visa
Christopher Flinn works remotely from Tokyo earlier this month. Japan issued 646 digital nomad visas in 2025, but tourism officials are hoping to increase that figure in the coming years, with Japan&#039;s relatively cheap cost of living and the weak yen seen as potential draws for young professionals.
Japan reveals hint of new defense spending target in fiscal blueprint
The Self-Defense Forces&#039; Type 16 mobile combat vehicle fires during a joint live-fire drill with U.S. Marines as part of the annual Resolute Dragon exercises in Yufu, Oita Prefecture, on June 28.
Summer has arrived in Japan and so have hot sleepless nights
Amid the heat and humidity in Japan, a good night¡¯s sleep is growing increasingly elusive without the heavy use of air conditioning.
Maya Ongaku¡¯s DIY dream is getting bigger
The members of Maya Ongaku ¡ª (from left) Tsutomu Sonoda, Shoei Ikeda and Ryota Takano ¡ª grew up on the Shonan Coast south of Tokyo and have been friends since their school days.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo¡¯s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo¡¯s ¡®stadium of desire¡¯

Longform

For many people, utility poles and power lines have become such a familiar part of Japan¡¯s landscape that they often go unnoticed.
Why Japan¡¯s utility poles won¡¯t be disappearing anytime soon
By Alex K.T. Martin

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