Fluffy, furry mascots are everywhere in Japan but Kumamon has captured the nation’s imagination like no other. We explore his ‘very’ soft-power potential.
In Japan, communism is not a dirty word. A top-selling newspaper and donation at the municipal level herald a decisive moment for this leftist, pacifist party.
Elevating the urban environment needn’t call for grand blueprints from city planners, nor sweeping regeneration. Small projects and individual details can make a difference. Here are a few starters from our editors.
One of life’s smaller but more embarrassing problems – how to disguise the noise we make when we visit the bathroom for a tinkle – has finally been solved by a Japanese company. Now we can all feel relieved.
In our new feature we’re heading to one nation per month to look at the ideas, practices and customs that are worth exporting. First up, Japan – policymakers take note.
The fashion designer who oversees Uniqlo’s collaborations and makes outfits for Japan’s Empress Michiko, reveals how food – and a herbal remedy – has informed his work.
Kenji Hall reporting from Takamatsu: Japan’s penchant for knocking down old buildings is taking a back seat in one prefecture, where the modernist architecture could, with the right exposure, help boost tourism.
Osaka’s Hanshin Tigers are the best-supported team in Japanese baseball despite not having won the league since 1985. And we don’t use the term ‘best-supported’ lightly: the romance of the sleeping giant draws fans from…
Woolrich prides itself on its US heritage but the firm’s Japan division isn’t hiding in the shadows. The outdoor offshoot is using cutting-edge fabric and sharp design to reach new customers – whether they’re scaling a…
Miwako Date, who runs a major property developer, is one of the most powerful business players in Japan and the key mover in shaking up the luxury-hotel scene. So what’s she got planned for Tokyo?
Japan’s penchant for knocking down old buildings is taking a back seat in one prefecture, where the modernist architecture could, with the right exposure, help boost tourism.
The man who grew United Arrows into a Japanese fashion powerhouse has set his sights on reviving the country’s artisanal clothing culture. Osamu Shigematsu talks career choices, challenges to bricks and mortar, and recra…
The Tateyama mountain range may yield jaw-dropping views of verdant valleys and mist-cloaked peaks but the ramblers ambling up its ridges aren’t bad-looking either. With the line between fashionable finery and outdoor…
