Lifestyle
Survey shows how Japanese couples feel about spending so much time together sheltering in place
As Japan’s voluntary policy of jishuku, or self-restraint, continues, more and more people are working from home, and families are spending more time together than ever before. Since many people often had to work long hours and weren’t able to leave the office until late at night before the outbreak, this new arrangement could be either… Read
Drive-in cinemas, raves and dining behind plastic - the new going out
With lockdown measures more relaxed, social lives are slowly becoming possible. Restaurants, bars, gigs and museums beckon. But as we take our first cautious steps back into the wider world, we are finding it transformed. Gone are restaurants so busy that you have to wait for service or the check.… Read
Japanese buff men delivery service will send beefcake, and also things to eat, to your door
Though restaurants in Japan aren’t officially barred from offering eat-in service during the coronavirus pandemic, a lot of people are choosing to eat as many meals as they can at home. In response, food delivery services have been stepping up to provide tasty chow to people who don’t want to risk eating… Read
Fed-up residents seeking tidy toilets demand municipalities clean up their act
It’s happened so many times. I have a busy day and a jam-packed schedule with obligations that take me from one side of the city to the other. I rush down the street and into a client’s office. As soon I get there, it's already time to go--the next train… Read
Charles and Anne Lindbergh fly 7,000 miles to Japan in 1931
The first time that famed aviator Charles Lindbergh (1902-1974) ever sat inside an airplane was April 1922. Five years later—after countless hours in the cockpit as a stunt pilot, daredevil and airman for the United States Postal Service—Lindbergh made history, becoming the first man to complete a transatlantic flight between… Read
Letters from Japan: Should I stay or should I go?
Savvy Tokyo's resident "Love in Japan" columnist, Hilary Keyes, answers anonymous questions from readers on everything from dating in Japan to women’s health issues. Hi Hilary, I’ve lived in Japan for almost four years, and have been dating my Japanese boyfriend for almost three years. We don’t live together, but… Read
Escape lockdown with a VR tour of the National Museum of Nature and Science
With almost the whole world under lockdown, people have been coming up with new and innovative new ways to keep themselves occupied and entertained whilst shut in at home. Online drinking parties, TikTok videos, and VR tours of some of our favorite locations are just a handful of things that… Read
Shizuoka town determined to put empty houses to good use
Thanks in part to its aging population and the general preference for new houses, Japan has literally millions of empty, old properties. Ten million of the 60.6 million homes in Japan are considered to be vacant or abandoned and the problem is only getting worse. It’s estimated that by 2033,… Read
Japan looks set to follow other nations with a coronavirus-induced rise in divorces
Even before Prime Minister Abe declared the initial Covid-19 state of emergency in early April, #コロナ離婚 (#coronarikon), meaning “corona divorce,” was appearing in social media here as people used it to express their frustration toward spouses they were having to spend more time with as the use of teleworking increased. Now, as Tokyoites pass… Read
'Don’t let fear get the better of you,' Japanese Red Cross video urges
The coronavirus and state of emergency have turned the world upside down. In this state of exception, everyone is wondering if we’ll ever be able to return to normal. How will our collective experience of the virus shape the future? Will future generations speak of "BC" (before coronavirus) and "AC"… Read
