Lifestyle
Answering the tricky 'Where are you from?' question in Japan
Living abroad is an exciting and at times delicate beast to behold. One of the first prolific things I noticed when trapezing in and outside of state and country lines was the near-constant reminder of being asked to know who I was, where I came from, and to be able to… Read
teamLab’s digital art wonderland getting cherry blossom makeover for spring
Japanese digital art collective teamLab’s interactive exhibitions have become a favorite of Instagrammers. Their work combines digital art technology and physical spaces to create beautiful and immersive worlds which blur the line between the art and the viewer. After creating a suitable buzz around their work, teamLab went on to… Read
Japanese student creates traditional bicycle, brings new life to centuries-old craft
Japan is often viewed as a glorious amalgamation of the old and the new, where hoodies are designed to look like traditional kimono and ukiyo-e prints feature "Star Wars" characters. This restyling of old traditions is something that recently inspired one talented Japanese student to realize his own take on “Modern Japan” by building… Read
Over 50% of single Japanese women in their 20s struggle to make ends meet, survey says
Life in Japan can be tough in many ways – long hours at the office and overcrowded trains being two of the biggest difficulties – but with the country being so clean and the crime rates so low, you would think that poverty isn’t really an issue in the country. Unfortunately, it is… Read
Prosperity rite draws thousands in loincloths despite winter cold
About 10,000 Japanese men clad only in loincloths braved freezing temperatures at the weekend to pack into a temple and scramble in the dark for lucky wooden talismans tossed into the crowd, in a ritual that dates back five centuries. The highlight of the raucous day-long Hadaka Matsuri festival came… Read
Discover the creativity and variety of Japanese masks at 8th Tokyo Mask Festival
From noh masks, traditional fox masks and devil masks to contemporary mask creations like realistic animal masks and kigurumi masks, not to mention masked idols, we've reported on many kinds of Japanese masks at grape Japan. But truth be told, we've only begun to scratch the surface of Japan's rich mask culture. If you're looking for more, there's one… Read
No handshakes: Viral outbreak spooks Asian places of worship
In a popular Catholic church in the Philippines, nearly half of the pews were empty for Sunday mass. The few hundred worshippers who showed up were asked to refrain from shaking others' hands or holding them during prayers to prevent the spread of the virus that started in China. In… Read
Will Facebook Dating swipe online lovebirds out of digital nest?
All's fair in electronic love and dating - or is it? The battle for hearts and minds of couples seeking their perfect match online has taken a new turn. If you're a flirty mobile warrior Tindering on the brink or Bumbling from one swipe to the next be aware there's… Read
Young and elderly alike can satisfy their feline frenzy with this cat robot companion
As robots get a lot of flak for stealing jobs and the debate of automation’s role in human society continues well into the 2020 decade, robot companions still play a role in Japanese society, which is burdened with a declining birthrate and an increasing population of long-living elders. While Japan’s health care industry… Read
Japan’s 'workstyle reforms' are actually making managers’ jobs a lot harder
One of the biggest buzzwords in Japanese business these days is hatarakikata kaikaku, or “work style reforms.” After generations of grinding down rank-and-file workers, Japanese companies and legislators are finally starting to rethink the way the country does business. In a recent survey by Japanese medical equipment manufacturer Cell Power, 65.2 percent of the… Read
