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July 24, 2026
 

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COMMUNITY

Our Lives
How-tos
Issues
Voices
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.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives
The 180-day locals: Life on Japan¡¯s digital nomad visa
By Mai Yoshikawa
Japan¡¯s small but growing ranks of digital nomads have embraced the opportunity to embed themselves in a Japanese life ¡ª and take advantage of a weak yen.
Young people in India's northeast are increasingly studying Japanese in hopes of building new lives and careers in Japan.
COMMUNITY / Issues / The Foreign Element
Japan needs caregivers. Young Indians are answering the call.
By Megha Wadhwa
From classrooms in India¡¯s northeast to nursing homes in Japan, an emerging labor corridor hopes to improve lives in both countries.
Takashi Nishihara, the director of "Now and Then," in Tokyo on Wednesday. The director has spent 10 years traversing politically charged terrain while exploring youth-driven grassroots political movements that scrutinize the status quo.
COMMUNITY / Issues
Filmmaker explores history of discrimination against foreign nationals in Japan
By Elizabeth Beattie
Takashi Nishihara¡¯s latest work, ¡°Now and Then,¡± bridges a historical atrocity with the present-day treatment of asylum-seekers.

Voices

The Austrian team at this year¡¯s International Snow Sculpture Contest ¡ª (from left) Michelle Steinmetz, Karl Pont and Daniel Nachbaur ¡ª pose with their creation.
Voices / FOREIGN AGENDA
In Sapporo, snow becomes a shared language
By Karl Pont
Working in temperatures as low as minus 6 degrees Celsius, artists from around the world convened in Sapporo this February to continue a tradition 50 years running.
Voices / FOREIGN AGENDA
¡®Returnees¡¯ reckon with a Japan that sets them apart
By Eri Yabe
Voices / FOREIGN AGENDA
Shinkansen vs. Amtrak and the lost art of small talk
By Daniel Traylor
Voices / FOREIGN AGENDA
Making a home in Japan with holiday meals and memories
By Karen Hill Anton
Voices / FOREIGN AGENDA
Young Indonesians in Japan find their political voice
By Nadila
Voices / FOREIGN AGENDA
Wielding a weapon of yore at a community dojo
By Monique Bae
Voices / FOREIGN AGENDA
Beauty in slowness: Life lessons from Japanese embroidery
By Cassie Xu

Issues

Young people in India's northeast are increasingly studying Japanese in hopes of building new lives and careers in Japan.
Issues / The Foreign Element
Japan needs caregivers. Young Indians are answering the call.
By Megha Wadhwa
From classrooms in India¡¯s northeast to nursing homes in Japan, an emerging labor corridor hopes to improve lives in both countries.
Issues
As immigration rises, Kawasaki¡¯s foreign council shows path toward inclusion
By Moe Shimizu
Issues / The Foreign Element
Anglophone bookworms unite across Japan
By Mike Fu
Issues / The Foreign Element
Fujisawa flashpoint: A mosque project stokes nativist fears
By Simon Scott and Ben Stubbings
Issues / The Foreign Element
Women in Law Japan marks 10 years amid persistent gender gap in the profession
By Louise George Kittaka
Issues / The Foreign Element
In Onomichi, urbanists redesign public life via vacant homes
By Sneha Nagesh
Issues / The Foreign Element
Kyoto bids farewell to a storied poets¡¯ cafe
By Felicity Tillack

How-tos

Navigating cancer treatment as a foreign resident of Japan can be an added layer of stress, but nonprofit organizations and community resources are available to support those with a diagnosis.
How-tos
Counseling and community for foreign cancer patients in Japan
By Jason Bartashius
Navigating cancer treatment as a foreign resident can be daunting, but mental health clinics, nonprofit organizations and other platforms can support the journey.
How-tos
Please your palate with Tokyo¡¯s international grocery stores
By Mike Fu
How-tos
Tax-advantaged investments no lost cause for U.S. residents of Japan
By Gendel Gento
How-tos
A furever friend: Tips for responsible dog ownership in Japan
By Kat Joplin
How-tos / Age Wise
Planning for the future in a time of inflation
By Gendel Gento
How-tos
How to navigate Japan¡¯s e-commerce platforms and online flea markets
By Jessica Speed
How-tos
How to make it as an English-language author in Japan
By Kat Joplin

Our Lives

James Benstead, his wife, Jesse, and their three children. Their adopted son is in the rear stroller.
Our Lives
Inside Japan¡¯s rigid adoption system, a British family finds a way
By Mai Yoshikawa
Beyond the paperwork and the language barrier, James Benstead says the hardest part about adopting in Japan was the waiting.
Our Lives
How a U.S. author found ¡ª and helped build ¡ª community in a Japanese hot spring town
By Michele Laudig
Our Lives
Fear and uncertainty for foreign business owners after Japan revises rules
By Elizabeth Beattie
Our Lives / ADOPT ME!
Sturdy Tanpopo is a ¡®dandy lioness¡¯
Our Lives / ADOPT ME!
Exuberant eater Minori will bless your home
Our Lives / ADOPT ME!
¡®Goofy fluffball¡¯ Gammo has a heart filled with joy
Our Lives
Italian creatives find their niche in Japan
By Agnese Dionisio
Read more COMMUNITY stories
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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