Approach to Shinmoedake restricted
Volcanic eruptions have continued on mount Shin-moedake in southwestern Japan since early Wednesday. The mountain in Kyushu straddles Kagoshima and Miyazaki prefectures. The Meteorolog…
The archive
Recent articles — page 449
Browse recent articles in the Akihabara archive.
Born With It (生まれつき）: Short film captures the angst of being a black child in Japan
Japan is coming to a crossroads with accepting mixed race Japanese and immigrants into their mostly homogenous society. Japan is a welcoming country to foreigners, especially if you are a temporary v…
Fujitsu trials blockchain money transfers with Japan’s three biggest banks
Fujitsu is teaming up with Japan’s three largest banking groups – Mizuho Financial Group, Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group, and Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (MUFG) – to conduct a joint field trial o…
Traditional rocket festival in Chichibu
People in Chichibu, a city north of Tokyo, launched hand-made rockets on Sunday to express their gratitude for the season's harvest. The annual festival, held in a mountainous region o…
Japan successfully launches Michibiki satellite
Japan's space agency has successfully launched a fourth and last satellite for its own version of a global positioning system. An H2A rocket carrying Michibiki No. 4 lifted off from the Tan…
Amazon is opening a Tokyo pop-up bar to promote booze sales
Amazon loves dealing with booze in Japan. In 2016, it launched a free Sommelier service for those who just can't choose which wine to buy. Now, it's opening a pop-up bar in Ginza, Toky…
Japan’s Tourism ‘Fails’ Make it a Perfect Travel Destination
It’s a mantra repeated by every traveler — no matter the destination: “I want to avoid the touristy spots.” If that’s the case, then Japan is your dreamland. And yes, even Tokyo has plenty of s…
Kazuo Ishiguro's Nobel Prize in Literature
Ishiguro is not a Japanese writer but I wanted to share this news here as he was born in Japan and certainly was influenced by Japanese culture at least through his parents.
Japanese Vending Machines at Night Juxtaposed with a Wintry Hokkaido Landscape
“In Hokkaido where I live, winters are harsh and snows are deep,” says photographer Eiji Ohashi. “Every day can become rather inconvenient” due to the constant snowfall. But heavy snows also bring wi…
City hands manhole covers to lottery-picked buyers
The sale of old manhole covers by a city north of Tokyo has attracted many buyers amid the growing popularity in the metal lids featuring designs inspired by local landmarks and specialties. Mae…