Self-driving taxis and buses are being tested on public roads throughout Japan, with an eye toward putting the technology to practical use from as early as 2020, when the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics are due to be held. Read more
Earlier this year, an outbreak of rubella began to sweep Japan. Read more
The “Setouchi Triennale 2019” modern art festival is setting up a summer presentation on islands throughout the Seto Inland Sea. It features exhibitions and performances from Japanese and foreign artists. Read more
At 12,388 feet high, it’s Japan’s tallest mountain, vast and beautiful. Well connected by public transport to Tokyo, it is also one of the world’s most popular climbs — in 2018 alone, almost 300,000 people attempted to climb Mount Fuji in the summer season. Read more
A distinctive feature of professional sumo is the kenshokin, or prize money offered as an incentive for wrestlers who win matches in the uppermost makuuchi division. Read more
Muslim doctrine calls for burial of the dead, but there aren’t enough cemeteries designated for burial in Japan. Read more
If all goes according to plan, Gundam robots will be sending messages of support to athletes competing in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics — from space. Read more
Japanese firms are taking stronger action against tobacco use, going so far as to avoid hiring smokers in some cases. Read more
Netflix is ramping up its production of original Japanese content, including anime and live-action dramas, to please both its domestic and overseas subscribers. Read more
Doubts are rising over whether the Japanese economy can continue on its path of moderate recovery, as the country’s Cabinet Office lowered its assessment of the economy to “worsening” for the first time in six years. Read more
The Shibamata neighborhood is well known as the setting for the long-running “Otoko wa Tsurai yo” (“It’s Tough Being a Man”) movie series featuring the kind-hearted vagabond Tora-san. Read more
Refugees expected to be admitted into Japan next year, doubling the current number of 30. Read more
An exhibition featuring heavy machinery used at construction sites is being held at Miraikan (National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation) in the Odaiba area of Koto Ward, Tokyo. Read more
In Takahashi, Okayama Prefecture, a feline “lord” of Bitchu Matsuyama Castle is drawing visitors. That’s a welcome relief, following a heavy hit from natural disasters last summer. Read more
A Saga University research team is aiming for a summer start on a clinical study involving the transplant of blood vessels made with a 3-D bioprinter into patients receiving hemodialysis. Read more
A documentary film featuring a large, dairy-farming family of five sons and two daughters recently screened in Tokyo. Read more
This year’s 10-day Golden Week holiday presented an opportunity for workers to try their hand at side jobs. Read more
A staffer at the Takashimaya department store in Nihonbashi, Tokyo, holds up a set of pure gold coins that commemorated the change of era on May 1. Read more
Rolling mists fill the valley as we descend from Mount Aso to Kurokawa Onsen, a riverside town in the depths of Kumamoto Prefecture. Read more
If anyone can stir Japanese national pride at this moment, it is Naomi Osaka. Read more
The Japanese government announced last month a redesign for the 10,000, 5,000 and 1,000 yen bank notes, adding new technology to prevent counterfeits. Read more
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