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April 02, 2026
 

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The Nikkei 225 Stock Average is displayed outside a securities firm in Tokyo on March 2.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
It’s not too late — at least not when it comes to investing in Japanese stocks
Volatility meets vocabulary as common expressions shape how people think about money and timing.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Loyalty and the language of whistleblowing in Japan
How Japanese grammar and vocabulary reveal the cultural tensions surrounding hierarchy and whistleblowing.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Inside a Japanese bookshop: Words you need to browse in Jimbocho
Decode shelving systems, publisher groupings and reader slang before making the most of Tokyo’s famed literary district.
A mother and daughter take part in a buffet of sweets and desserts — a perfect way for many to spend Valentine’s Day this year.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Feb 13, 2026
In Japan, Valentine’s Day has become a personal luxury
By Yuko Tamura
Valentine’s Day in Japan is shifting from obligation to indulgence, as people embrace life’s small luxuries for themselves.
Japanese trains are usually full of advertisements that all fight for your attention.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Feb 2, 2026
How Japanese advertising breaks grammar to get your attention
By Eric Margolis
Japanese advertising may look chaotic, but the strange grammar, puns and omissions are carefully engineered to grab your attention.
The English “I” has gendered equivalents in Japanese that give the listener hints as to how the speaker identifies.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Jan 23, 2026
Just between you and me: Gender and Japanese pronouns
By Peter Backhaus
Japanese pronouns reveal gender in unexpected ways, complicating how speakers express identity compared with current English.
True improvement comes from a long-term strategy to change unhealthy habits. Don’t worry if you slip from time to time, just keep up your initial efforts.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Jan 15, 2026
Just because you broke your resolution doesn’t mean you failed
By Mishu Callan
Breaking a New Year’s resolution doesn’t equal failure. Japanese grammar offers a gentler way to rethink goals and progress.
While the 23 Japanese words that the Oxford English Dictionary added to the English lexicon in 2024 were predominantly gastronomic in nature, the latest list of 11 terms is somewhat unexpected.
LIFE / Language
Jan 9, 2026
From ‘senpai’ to ‘love hotel’: 11 new Japanese words enter the Oxford dictionary
By Mike Fu
Japanese culture keeps reshaping the English language — sometimes in unexpected ways.
Whether it’s working out or cheering on your favorite team, fitness and sports look like they’ll play a large part in public life in 2026.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Jan 2, 2026
What — and who — helps us stick to our New Year’s goals
By Yuko Tamura
How emphasis, intention and social support shape the words we use when we promise ourselves we’ll stick to our resolutions.
While making it to 100 is cause for a celebration, there are a few other ages that get you an extra piece of cake in Japan.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Dec 28, 2025
Japan’s milestone birthdays: Why 60, 77, 80, 88 and 99 matter so much
By Yaeko Kabe
A look at Japan’s milestone birthdays, the traditions behind them and how the grammar pattern “ni totte” expresses their personal meaning.

Former mayor of Ito indicted after allegedly falsifying academic record
Maki Takubo, former mayor of Ito in Shizuoka Prefecture, was indicted without arrest on Monday by public prosecutors on suspicion of violations including contravening the local autonomy law through alleged academic fraud.
ADHD medication in short supply in Japan as demand soars
Concerta, an ADHD drug marketed by Janssen Pharmaceutical, is in short supply in Japan as demand has climbed recently.
JMA warns of potential tremors throughout the week after magnitude 5.0 quake
A magnitude 5.0 earthquake struck Tochigi and Ibaraki prefectures on Wednesday morning.
Japan’s 'counterstrike capability' takes shape with missile deployments
Kumamoto Gov. Takashi Kimura (left) and city of Kumamoto Mayor Kazufumi Onishi (second from left) speak to reporters after viewing upgraded Type-12 surface-to-ship missile systems (seen in the background), which have a range of about 1,000 kilometers, at the Ground Self-Defense Force’s Camp Kengun in the city of Kumamoto on March 17.
Yemen's Houthis enter Iran war with attacks on Israel, as U.S. Marines arrive in region
Young Houthi supporters hold weapons during a rally in solidarity with Tehran and Beirut, amid the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran, in the Yemeni capital of Sanaa on Friday.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

Amy Yee poses for a photo in Lalibela, Ethiopia. An award-winning journalist and former foreign correspondent for the Financial Times, Yee shifted her focus to the issue of Tibetans in exile for her book, “Far From the Rooftop of the World: Travels Among Tibetan Refugees on Four Continents.”
The voices of Tibet, far from home
By Michael Judge

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Imperial Hotel, Kyoto: Where hospitality traditions meet
Imperial Hotel, Kyoto: Where hospitality traditions meet

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