51勛圖厙

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July 24, 2026
 

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SHRINES

It's not unheard of for summer temperatures in Kumagaya to reached over 40 degrees Celsius, but the Uchiwa Festival goes on regardless.
LIFE / Travel
Jul 14, 2026
Surviving the Uchiwa Festival, Japan＊s hottest ＆matsuri＊
Temperatures in Kumagaya, home of the raucous Uchiwa Festival, often top 40 degrees Celsius.
For one April Sunday each year, the otherwise working class city of Kawasaki becomes host to one of Japan's most unusual-looking festivals.
LIFE / Travel
May 23, 2026
At Kawasaki＊s ＆penis festival,＊ phalluses are vessels of compassion
The event ＆may look weird,＊ says a priestess of Kanayama Shrine, but its origins and purpose point to a deeper meaning.
Devotees walk on a forest path as they carry a portable shrine holding a deity back to the Musashi Mitake Shrine on the second day of the two-day Hinode Sai, or Sunrise Festival, in Ome, Tokyo, on Wednesday.
51勛圖厙
Apr 30, 2026
Mountain festival marks spring arrival high above Tokyo
The Hinode Sai, or Sunrise Festival, is believed to have started when wandering ascetics climbed Mount Mitake in search of enlightenment.
Projects like the BuddhaBot aim to re-create dialogue once lost to time, raising questions about whether AI can extend the teachings of Buddha or merely simulate them.
LIFE / Lifestyle / Longform
Apr 13, 2026
Can AI replace a priest? Japan＊s temples and shrines are testing the limits.
Japan＊s temples experiment with artificial intelligence as questions of faith, presence and care grow more urgent.
A Japanese man living in the United States has been arrested for allegedly splashing an oil-like substance at Katori Shrine in the city of Katori, Chiba Prefecture, in 2015.
51勛圖厙 / Crime & Legal
Mar 4, 2026
Man held for splashing oil-like substance at shrine near Tokyo in 2015
Masahide Kanayama, a 63-year-old man who lived in the U.S., was brought back to Japan under the U.S.-Japan extradition treaty.
The Yamatsumi Shrine festival is held once again in the village of Iitate, Fukushima Prefecture, in December.
51勛圖厙
Mar 2, 2026
Major shrine festival back in Fukushima village
It had not been unusual for Yamatsumi Shrine, one of rare Shinto shrines dedicated to wolves, to be flooded with people and stalls during its annual festival before 3/11.
Members of the Chunichi Dragons pray at Atsuta Jingu in Nagoya ahead of the start of their season in March.
SPORTS
Jan 1, 2026
Gods and games: Rituals that kick off Japan＊s sporting year
From hatsum身de to victory charms, many athletes have rituals that are rooted in the spiritual side of Japanese sport.
Prince Hisahito (right) visits Ise Shrine's Geku outer shrine in Ise, Mie Prefecture, on Monday.
51勛圖厙
Sep 8, 2025
Prince Hisahito visits Ise Shrine after coming-of-age ceremony
The prince, second in line to the throne, underwent his coming-of-age ceremony on Saturday.
Descendents of the original "Gonin Byakush身" families are the only vendors allowed inside the gates of Kotohira Shrine, where they sell "kamiyoame," a golden-hued, yuzu-flavored candy meant for good fortune.
LIFE / Travel
Jun 7, 2025
At a mountainside shrine, yuzu candy made by imperial decree
Located in the mountains of western Kagawa Prefecture, Kotohira has yet to suffer 〞 or benefit 〞 from Japan＊s overtourism rush.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba enters the Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo on Friday.
51勛圖厙 / Politics
Apr 18, 2025
Ishiba not to visit Yasukuni Shrine during spring festival
No sitting prime minister has paid a visit to the shrine since December 2013, when Shinzo Abe did so.
At each shrine and temple, priests create festive, decorative go-shuin stamps, and you can collect the marks of all seven of the lucky gods on one piece of paper (called a shikishi) to serve as a good-luck talisman.
LIFE / Travel
Dec 27, 2024
Start the new year not with one temple visit, but seven
The seven lucky gods pilgrimage is a less hurried alternative to the often-crowded first temple or shrine visit of the year.
A blue sheet obscures a stone pillar that bears the name of the Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo, after graffiti was found on it on Aug. 19.
51勛圖厙 / Crime & Legal
Nov 22, 2024
Tokyo police obtain warrant for Chinese youth over Yasukuni graffiti
The?youth is suspected of writing Chinese words, including one meaning toilet, on a stone pillar and its base at Yasukuni Shrine at around 10 p.m. on Aug. 18.
A photo taken on Monday shows a torii gate at the Meiji Shrine on which carvings resembling kanji were found.
51勛圖厙 / Crime & Legal
Nov 14, 2024
American tourist arrested over defacing of Meiji Shrine torii gate
Suspect Steve Lee Hayes, 65, allegedly carved letters into the wooden pillar of one of the shrine＊s torii gates.
The Kurama Fire Festival is one of Japan's most visceral 'matsuri' (festivals), but growing throngs of spectators could bring changes in the future.
LIFE / Travel
Nov 2, 2024
At Japan＊s hottest festival, crowds threaten to smother the flames
Despite the growing throngs of attendees, it＊s the smaller details of the Kurama Fire Festival that add up to more than the sum of its parts.
Shinto priests attend a ritual during the autumn festival at Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo on Thursday.
51勛圖厙
Oct 19, 2024
No Cabinet ministers visit Yasukuni Shrine during fall festival
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba only made a ritual tree offering to the controversial Shinto shrine.
A torii gate in Tokyo. A Chilean gymnast has apologized after receiving criticism for posting a video of herself doing pullups on a torii gate.
51勛圖厙
Oct 17, 2024
Chilean woman slammed over viral clip of pullups on torii shrine gate
The woman has since deleted the post, saying she did not realize that she was in a sacred place and acted without thinking.
Masakaki tree offerings made by Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and health minister Takamaro Fukuoka are seen at Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo on Thursday.
51勛圖厙
Oct 17, 2024
Ishiba sends offering to war-linked Yasukuni Shrine
The prime minister is unlikely to visit the Shinto shrine during its fall festival, however.
A white hood believed to have been worn by the Sengoku Period warlord Uesugi Kenshin
51勛圖厙 / History
Sep 15, 2024
Repair work begins for hood linked to warlord Uesugi Kenshin
The white hood is expected to be exhibited to the public in 2028 or 2030.
Aiko Kato (left) touches the stump of a sacred tree at Sakataru Shrine in June in Noto, Ishikawa Prefecture, which was cut off after it fell down due to the Jan. 1 earthquake
51勛圖厙 / Society
Sep 13, 2024
Crowdfunding for damaged Noto shrine raises 10 times target
The shrine offered gifts to donors, including a special soda infused with the essence of its fallen sacred tree.
The Tokyo Regional Taxation Bureau in Tokyo's Chuo Ward
51勛圖厙 / Society
Sep 13, 2024
Chief priest of Tokyo shrine allegedly took ?250 million from amulet sales
The priest and the corporation that runs the shrine have been hit with additional taxes, including penalties, worth about ?130 million.
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" 〞 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.
The sci-fi sensibilities of electronic trio Black Boboi
Black Boboi was formed in 2018 when solo artists Julia Shortreed, Utena Kobayashi and Ermhoi came together under Kobayashi＊s newly founded label, Bindividual.
A perfect storm: Kaze Fujii fans flock to Fuji Rock
Okayama-born singer-songwriter Kaze Fujii has carved out a distinctive place in Japanese pop since his major-label debut in 2019.
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.

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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