June has arrived, and along with it an unusually early rainy season comes knocking at the door. Source: Sankei Shinbun/Japan Forward/p> Muggy days, alternating between…

Ayako Kurosawa for JAPAN Forward Japanese bamboo art has become a hot sensation overseas, although in Japan such works are viewed more commonly as crafts…

Arielle Busetto, JAPAN Forward Are you curious about the Japanese traditional dress known as kimono? After the recent media storm surrounding Kim Kardashian’s short-lived underwear…

An exhibition showcasing ceramic works for use in the Japanese tea ceremony, “Mino Tea Wares: Kiseto, Setoguro, Shino, and Oribe,” is underway at the Suntory…

(By Paul Martin) In recent times, there have been many cases of war loot being repatriated to the original owners, their descendants, or country of…

Kazuhisa Hori (President, Enoshima Marine Corporation), for JAPAN Forward My company, which was founded close to 67 years ago, is in the business of planning…

The 50 Years of Go Nagai exhibit celebrating half a century’s work by Japanese manga artist Go Nagai, 73, will open on September 14 at…

by Şenol Hasan, JAPAN Forward When you think of Japan, what comes to mind? Thousands of people scrambling across Shibuya Crossing in Tokyo? The beautiful…

The picturesque Magome guesthouse (Nakatsugawa City, Gifu Prefecture) with its quintessential Edo era post town vestiges behind us, we threaded our way up a stone-paved…

Daniel Robson for JAPAN Forward Performing for their third time at the Fuji Rock Festival, Glim Spanky is the quintessential band for a festival set…

The Seaside Liner that figured in an accident by running in the wrong direction on June 1, 2019. Service resumed July 4, using manual, driver-operated…

Kirsty Bouwers for JAPAN Forward Tohoku has slowly been trying to get back on its feet since the triple disasters of March 11, 2011. With…

Arielle Busetto, JAPAN Forward It was the end of a blissfully-long Golden Week holiday in May, but one young man was already thinking of back-to-school…

Sanrio, the world-famous cuteness-producing company, announced on June 4 the result of 2019 Sanrio Character Prize, its annual popularity contest for the various characters now…

Senol Hasan, for JAPAN Forward Three hundred kilometers west of Tokyo, in the heart of Japan’s Niigata Prefecture, lies Shirone. It is a modest city…