Though this may sound just like another of those "Wacky Japan" stories, there's something more tender and profound at work here. With its chronically aging population and declining birth rate, ...

Japan is humid. Really, really humid. Every July and August the citizens of Japan spend their days battling sweat -- a particular nightmare for anyone who has to work in a suit or ride the rush hour ...

On June 24th, Ashley Madison, the world-famous online dating service for dissatisfied married people -- or more bluntly, plain cheaters (wannabes included) -- launched a Japanese version of the ...

And the award for July's cutest use of augmented reality mobile interaction goes to Dentsu, for this Asoberu T-Shirt ("Playable T-Shirt"). It works with a dedicated phone app to allow you to ...

Why be boring in the kitchen? There's a wealth of fun stationery around -- from evolutionary ape erasers to topographical contour notepads -- so there's no reason that kitchen utensils should be ...

As clichéd as it might sound, in everyday life we really do take too many things for granted. The virtual world of the Internet makes it seem as though everything can be done instantly at no cost. ...

Thunderbirds, the classic Sixties puppets TV show created by the late Gerry Anderson, is still quite popular in Japan. We reported last year, for example, on the Thunderbirds-themed restaurant in ...

Showcased at the recent Baby and Kids Expo at Tokyo Big Sight, Pioneer has developed a micro hologram printer which can produce 3D hologram photos of unborn babies to be used as commemorative ...

It's not often that I roll out the R-word -- and when I do, it is generally due to the incredible short change that black people or other Asians get in Japanese popular culture. Usually the silliness ...

While people make charitable donations for (arguably) many different reasons, this year, the annual 24 Hour Television themed "Love Saves the Earth" -- which will be aired on August 24th and 25th -- ...

In 2013, Shingeki no Kyojin (Attack on Titan) became no longer just a popular comic book. It has evolved into a social phenomenon which will be remembered as one of the biggest hits of the decade. So ...

Since the rise of the hipster, the handlebar has come back with a vengeance. If you thought you had seen the last of the lip hair being in fashion way back in 1989, unfortunately a generation of guys ...

Having conquered the female market, Shiseido is next targetting younger consumers. It has created a beauty salon for kids since the children of today are the customers of the ftuture. The salon ...

If someone asked me to name Japan's greatest invention, I might say it's the Cup Noodle. Although some people consider it to be more of junk food rather than a meal, I'm sure we all love it not only ...

It's the most famous train line in Tokyo. The JR Yamanote Line defines the geography of the city, encircling the center, running a loop around the notorious "empty void" in the heart -- the Imperial ...