The archive

Recent articles — page 424

Browse recent articles in the Akihabara archive.

Ibusuki Beach: Sand bathing in southern Japan

For more than 300 years, Japanese have traveled to Ibusuki's shoreline in search of a sandy cure for rheumatism, back pain, post-stroke paralysis, hemorrhoids, asthma, diabetes, menstrual d…

Japanese city plans to boost int'l immigrants

A western Japanese city has unveiled a new plan to urge more foreigners to move there to halt the decline in its population. Akitakata City is located in a mountainous area in Hiroshima Prefectu…

Anti-Decluttering House in Miyamotocho

Marie Kondo (or Konmari, if you prefer) and her decluttering empire has taken the West by storm. And it’s given Japan an image of ultra-minimalism where people live a simple lifestyle, free of a…

Tokyo's 'cassette heaven' catches eye of luxury brand

Tucked away in a residential area of Tokyo’s Nakameguro district, the Waltz cassette tape shop attracts music lovers from both home and abroad. This “cassette heaven” boasts an inventory of more than…

This Disaster-Preparedness App Could Save Your Life

I don’t like earthquakes. In fact, every time I feel one I begin to write my will. After I was recently rudely awoken by my house shaking, I took it upon myself to learn how best to prepare for an ea…

The best way to eat ramen: it should kind of hurt

The next time you make a date to catch up with a friend you haven’t seen in a while, don’t go to a ramen shop. From its humble beginnings as fast food, the Japanese noodle-soup dish has bec…