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July 24, 2026
 

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Yuko Tamura
Students take part in a tournament leading up to last year's Ogura Hyakunin Isshu Competitive Karuta All-Japan High School Championship.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Jul 10, 2026
Japan¡¯s top high school ¡®karuta¡¯ players head to their own Koshien
Classical poetry meets lightning-fast reflexes in one of Japan¡¯s most unique competitions for teenagers.
Before heading out to a public World Cup viewing, make sure you know the right words to support your team.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Jun 11, 2026
The fighting words fueling support for Japan¡¯s World Cup team
Learn how Japanese expresses support, perseverance and encouragement through World Cup vocabulary and everyday phrases.
Young Japanese soccer fans get ready to cheer on their team at a training center in Monterrey, Mexico, ahead of the FIFA World Cup.
LIFE / Language / Vocabulary Boost
Jun 11, 2026
Japanese sports terms you may hear on TV
Like in other countries, Japanese announcers are filled with colorful terms to describe what you¡¯re seeing on air.
Sun hats, hoodies with built-in UV protection and parasols are on the must-have lists of Japanese moms this summer.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
May 8, 2026
When it comes to their kids, Japanese mothers look beyond pink and blue
A look at how evolving vocabulary around fashion signals changing attitudes toward gender and function.
Under the new blue ticket system, cyclists will have one week in which to pay fines for minor traffic violations.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Apr 24, 2026
The language around Japan¡¯s new bike rules leaves no room for ¡®maybe¡¯
Blue tickets are now being issued for minor traffic offenses, but you have to watch you don¡¯t get scammed.
The Nikkei 225 Stock Average is displayed outside a securities firm in Tokyo on March 2.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Mar 28, 2026
It¡¯s not too late ¡ª at least not when it comes to investing in Japanese stocks
Volatility meets vocabulary as common expressions shape how people think about money and timing.
A mother and daughter take part in a buffet of sweets and desserts ¡ª a perfect way for many to spend Valentine¡¯s Day this year.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Feb 13, 2026
In Japan, Valentine¡¯s Day has become a personal luxury
Valentine¡¯s Day in Japan is shifting from obligation to indulgence, as people embrace life¡¯s small luxuries for themselves.
Whether it¡¯s working out or cheering on your favorite team, fitness and sports look like they¡¯ll play a large part in public life in 2026.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Jan 2, 2026
What ¡ª and who ¡ª helps us stick to our New Year¡¯s goals
How emphasis, intention and social support shape the words we use when we promise ourselves we¡¯ll stick to our resolutions.
A sign in the woods uses the kanji for "bear" to warn hikers of their presence in the area.
LIFE / Language / 2025 IN REVIEW
Dec 14, 2025
The ¡®bear¡¯ defined kanji in 2025. The internet defined almost everything else.
Japan¡¯s kanji and buzzwords of 2025 reveal a split: old-media traditions colliding with the chaotic, meme-driven language of new media.
People in Japan are increasingly opting for digital New Year greetings as postage prices rise.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Dec 5, 2025
Are new year postcards becoming a thing of the past in Japan?
Japan¡¯s new year postcard tradition is fading as more people opt for digital holiday greetings.
The language of ¥µ¥¤¥Ð©`¥»¥­¥å¥ê¥Æ¥£ (saib¨¡ sekyuriti, cybersecurity) involves a lot of katakana versions of English terminology.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Nov 14, 2025
Japanese words of caution in the online world of cyberattacks and phishing
From earthquakes to cyberattacks, Japan¡¯s cautious mindset even shows up in its grammar, such as in phrases meaning ¡°better safe than sorry.¡±
Parents in Japan consider everything from kanji meaning, sound and total strokes when choosing names for their newborns.
LIFE / Lifestyle
Nov 8, 2025
¡®Deep Blue,¡¯ ¡®Morning Sun,¡¯ ¡®Clear Sky¡¯: Japan¡¯s top baby names for 2025
Single-kanji names jumped in popularity this year, possibly in reaction to a new law aiming to crack down on overly creative ¡±kira kira¡± names.
Screens display stock market information while news breaks about Japan's new prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, at foreign exchange brokerage Gaitame.Com Co. in Tokyo on Oct. 21.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Oct 30, 2025
Trick or trade: Talking about the stock market¡¯s ¡®Halloween effect¡¯ in Japanese
Japanese investors say Halloween is the best time to buy stocks ¡ª a seasonal trend known as the ¡°Halloween effect.¡±
Local authorities want Japanese Halloween to refocus on the children, so expect plenty of community-organized events that are family friendly.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Oct 23, 2025
Have you heard? This year Shibuya wants us to have a ¡®good Halloween¡¯
As Shibuya moves from prohibition to permission, learn how to ask where and how to celebrate Japan¡¯s most haunted holiday.
What¡¯s worse, waking up to find a bear going through your trash or getting an earful from your neighbor on garbage separation?
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Oct 3, 2025
Don¡¯t poke the bear: Learn how to sort your garbage the right way
Bears are increasingly wandering into towns and cities looking for food. Make sure you don¡¯t tempt them with your leftovers.
Kansas City Chiefs' Travis Kelce kisses partner ¡ª?now finacee ¡ª?Taylor Swift as they celebrate after his team won Super Bowl LVIII in 2024.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Sep 10, 2025
Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce¡¯s announcement hits all the right notes in Japan
Japanese culture is in the depths of a nostalgia wave, and the engagement announcement for Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce fits in with it nicely.
Experts say staying off your phone and sticking to a sleep schedule can help those who have trouble dozing off.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Sep 2, 2025
Mark Japan¡¯s Sleep Day by making some lifestyle changes
The Japanese are not getting enough sleep. Luckily, everyone from scientists to Shohei Ohtani are offering solutions.
A boy looks at samples of Pokemon toys available with the McDonald's Happy Meal set in Tokyo earlier this month.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Aug 28, 2025
How to complain politely: Lessons from the McDonald¡¯s Pokemon debacle
In Japan, the right phrasing can mean the difference between a request and harassment.
A pop-up advertisement for the newly opened Chiikawa Park in Tokyo's Ikebukuro neighborhood demonstrates how the country is chockful of cute characters ¡ª to the detriment of trends like Labubu.
LIFE / Lifestyle
Aug 23, 2025
Character-crazed Japan has little appetite for Labubu
The monster dolls may be driving fans wild elsewhere, but Japan has long had plenty of its own domestically produced characters that know exactly what consumers want.
Despite topping physical health rankings, Japan¡¯s children face a worsening mental health crisis due to limited early education, inconsistent counseling support and poor awareness of their rights.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Aug 3, 2025
It¡¯s time to take children¡¯s mental health seriously
Given these disparities, it is clear the government needs to build a consistent school system with appropriate emotional support mechanisms
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'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'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'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' 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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