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July 24, 2026
 

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TREES

Scientists have warned that many of Europe¡¯s forests are bearing the scars of years of rising temperatures and intense drought.
ENVIRONMENT / Sustainability
May 30, 2026
Trees taking drastic measures to survive climate-driven heat
Countless trees across Europe¡¯s forests are adopting drastic ¡ª and often fatal ¡ª strategies to survive worsening heat and drought linked to climate change.
Collingwood Ingram is seen under cherry trees at his home in Benenden, England, aged 99.
COMMENTARY / Japan
May 1, 2026
¡®Sakura diplomacy¡¯: One tree, two men, three wars
Using cherry blossoms to salve war wounds is as important today as in 1926.
While climate-change skeptics downplay the issue, earlier blooming cherry trees in Washington and Kyoto serve as visible indicators of the climate crisis, driven by global warming.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 28, 2026
Cherry blossoms are proof of a planet going awry
It was the seventh consecutive year in which the trees flowered earlier than their 20-year average.
People admire the Kajimoto Family wisteria trellis during the Shindachijuku Wisteria Festival in Sennan, Osaka.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Apr 16, 2026
After Japan¡¯s cherry blossoms fade, spring keeps blooming
The fleeting beauty of cherry blossoms gives way to a rolling season of color, vocabulary and new ways to describe change.
A drawing of Fujiwara no Teika, known as a courtier, <i>waka</i> poet and scholar of the late Heian and early Kamakura periods
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / Science & Health
Apr 10, 2026
Japanese researchers look at 800-year-old books and trees for signs of extreme solar events
Japan has a wealth of old literature that provides scientists with clues on past climate events.
Nearly half of Japan¡¯s population suffers from hay fever, fueled by pollen from vast cedar and cypress plantations.
ENVIRONMENT / Earth science / Longform
Mar 23, 2026
The human-made roots of Japan¡¯s hay fever crisis
Efforts to thin forests and breed low-pollen cedar advance, even as labor gaps and neglected land complicate the work.
An aerial view of a cleared patch of the Shakarparian forest in Islamabad. Trees across Islamabad are being felled for infrastructure and even military monuments, prompting local anger and lawsuits.
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Feb 8, 2026
Pakistan¡¯s capital picks concrete over trees, angering residents
Trees are being felled across Islamabad for infrastructure and military monuments.
Cedar pollen is expected to start dispersing in northern Kyushu, Shizuoka and southern Kanto in early February, spreading across much of western and eastern Japan by mid-month, Weathernews said Wednesday.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / Science & Health
Jan 15, 2026
Cedar pollen season to start in early February; above-average levels expected
Nationwide pollen volumes are forecast to be 18% higher than last year¡¯s levels and 28% higher than the long-term average.
The team at Ryokukou Garden consists primarily of a single family, including Toshiki Tanisaki (second from right), who led the company's efforts at the Osaka Expo, Chikako Tanisaki (fifth from right), who performs daily maintanence at the expo, and Takeshi Tanisaki (fourth from right), who added a nursery to the family farm more than 50 years ago.
LIFE / Lifestyle
Oct 4, 2025
How a family-run landscaper turned the Osaka Expo green
Run by three generations of the same family, Ryokukou Garden is behind the greenery for five major pavilions at the Osaka event.
From left to right: Green Legacy Hiroshima volunteer staff Mariko Kikuchi, Tomoko Watanabe, Nassrine Azimi and Sophie Qano stand before one of the trees that survived the 1945 atomic bombing of Hiroshima.
COMMUNITY / Issues
Aug 9, 2025
A campaign to preserve Hiroshima¡¯s historic trees for another 1,000 years
A total of 170 trees survived the atomic bombing of Hiroshima in 1945. Since 2011, a nonprofit organization has been dedicated to sharing their seeds and saplings with the world.
Once a way to transport lumber from the mountains to the coast, log rafting is now Kitayama's biggest attraction.
LIFE / Travel
Jul 7, 2025
A tiny mountain hamlet keeps traditional log rafting afloat
Log rafting was once a means of transporting timber, but now it¡¯s the tourist draw of a tiny Wakayama village.
Science suggests that three days of ¡°shinrin-yoku¡± (forest bathing) is enough to boost immunity for an entire month.
LIFE / Lifestyle
Jun 21, 2025
The science of shinrin-yoku: Why forest bathing feels good
Science suggests that three days of ¡°shinrin-yoku¡± forest bathing is enough to boost immunity for an entire month.
Construction equipment sits idle in a park near Shiba Toshogu shrine in Tokyo's Minato Ward. While Japan has a history of treating its trees with reverence, green coverage is said to be lacking in most of the major cities.
ENVIRONMENT / Earth science / Longform
May 26, 2025
Do Japan¡¯s trees no longer occupy the sacred space they used to?
Trees have long occupied a sacred place in Japanese culture. In the fast pace of the 21st century, however, they¡¯re increasingly losing out to progress.
Emperor Naruhito plants seedling at the 75th National Tree-Planting Festival at Chichibu Muse Park in Saitama Prefecture on Sunday.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø
May 25, 2025
Emperor attends tree-planting festival and calls for nurturing healthy forests
The emperor arrived in Saitama on Saturday for a two-day visit, where he inspected a research institute on tea, a local specialty, and a special-needs school.
Izumi Nakamitsu, U.N. undersecretary-general and high representative for disarmament affairs, planted saplings from a persimmon tree that survived the 1945 U.S. atomic bombing of Hiroshima at the U.N. headquarters in New York on Monday.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø
May 6, 2025
Saplings from a tree that survived atomic bombing planted at U.N. headquarters
The planting comes as this year marks the 80th anniversary of the U.S. atomic bombings of the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
A person walks with a dog through the "micro-forest" park created by the Athens City Council near Alepotrypa Park in downtown Athens, Greece, on March 31.
ENVIRONMENT / Sustainability
Apr 22, 2025
Tentative tree planting ¡®decades overdue¡¯ in sweltering Athens
Planting vegetation is crucial to help cities beat the heat, scientists say, as climate change stokes hotter and more intense heatwaves.
More than half of Japan's population may suffer from pollen allergies, with hay fever dubbed the nation¡¯s "national disease" and blamed for being a drag on the economy.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 21, 2025
Did I fall victim to Japan¡¯s stealth productivity killer?
Hay fever has been dubbed Japan¡¯s ¡°national disease¡± and blamed as a major drag on productivity.
Cherry blossoms in full bloom at Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo on March 30
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / Science & Health
Apr 10, 2025
AI app helps monitor cherry tree health and keep hanami tradition blooming
As Japan celebrates cherry blossom season, aging trees pose safety risks ¡ª and a new AI app is helping track their condition.
Masatoshi Asari is one of Japan¡¯s foremost living authorities on cherry trees and their blossoms.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø
Apr 9, 2025
The man who sent Japan¡¯s cherry blossoms out to the world
Masatoshi Asari¡¯s trees ¡ª symbols of peace and reconciliation ¡ª blossom in the U.K., U.S., Poland and China.
Ancient trees and animals play crucial roles in ecosystems, carbon storage and even human health, yet their populations are dwindling due to deforestation, fishing and climate change.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 23, 2025
Who will speak for the trees?
A slew of scientific discoveries shows why we should protect not just 1,000-year-old trees but also 200-year-old whales, 400-year-old fish and 10,000-year-old sea sponges.
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.
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&#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.

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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