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Whatever the season or the region there is always a traditional festival to go to. Here is a short guided tour. You can’t imagine visiting […]

The reinterpretation of tradition is fundamentally important to the work of Atushi and Mayumi Kawamoto. Atsushi and Mayumi Kawamoto – the husband-and-wife partners who founded […]

Maeda Keisuke champions the ideal of architecture working in harmony with the surrounding landscape. UID (an acronym for Universal Innovative Design) was founded by architect […]

Manuel Tardits has lived in the archipelago for many years, and shares his fulfilling experiences as an architect there with us. “Does the imagination grow […]

Japanese houses are not just works of art to be stared at in confusion on the pages of coffee-table books. What kind of images come […]

Immensely famous film director in Japan, but little known abroad, here is Yamada Yoji. When I was young I thought that Ozu’s movies were boring,” […]

Four years after the tsunami that destroyed everything, including the railway, getting the service going again has been greeted with great enthusiasm locally. It took […]

Many wounds inflicted by the disaster remain unhealed. They need to be treated before people can move on. It was raining in the city of […]

Four years have passed since the earthquake on the 11th of March 2011, and the city is starting to get back into shape once again. […]

Relations between Japan and North Korea are complex, and the situation weighs increasingly heavily on Japanese society. On the 13th of January, TV news programmes […]

The head of the Tokyo Rinkai Disaster Prevention Park reminds us of a few common sense rules. According to the Japanese government, the chances of […]

Vulnerable to the whims of nature, Japanese people learn to prepare for the worst through fun and games. Living in Japan is like sitting on […]

Despite the danger they sometimes present, these mountains of fire still have a powerful attraction for the Japanese. On the 27th of September, a few […]

A kappa, as imagined by Katsumata Susumu, an extract from issue 67 of Garo, October 1969. collection Claude Leblanc Yomota Inuhiko was a long standing contributor […]

When you next travel to the Japanese capital, don’t forget to visit these magical places. here are some we recommend. Tokyo is the depachika capital […]

Set off on an adventure to discover one of Japan’s best-kept secrets: the basements of large department stores. According to some foreign visitors, Japan’s so […]

The idea of special excursion trains was first developed on Kyushu Island. They are now multiplying across the rest of the country. Travelling by train […]

In Kitakata, the Yamatogawa brewery produces a 100% guaranteed alcohol while supporting the region’s producers. Situated at the extreme northwest of Fukushima, on the border […]

Not only is it architecturally remarkable, Tsutaya Daikanyama also owes its success to its original business model. This place made the Flavorwire website’s list of […]

Created by a group of mothers, the Kodomo no honya bookshop’s reputation now stretches beyond the capital. Sometimes the best places in Tokyo are tucked […]

The manager of Post has chosen to promote one publisher at a time to enable their work to become better known. If you are tired […]

To give one the time to stop and think; this is the aim of the founders of Cow Books.   Naka-Meguro is considered a hip […]

In 2013 there were 1,675 bookshops in the capital of Japan, compared to only 802 in London. Just as in other parts of the world, […]

Even someone not often inclined to go shopping cannot resist the appeal of Tokyu Hands. Being someone who doesn’t like shopping and whose idea of […]

Located in the young district of Shibuya, this department store is a unique place frequented by a wide range of curious customers. To visit Tokyo […]

Machida Shinobu has made a study of sento for the past 30 years. He knows all the secrets of public baths. Taking a bath may […]

The Matsuyanagi family have been managing this establishment in Yotsuya for the past 45 years. It is growing in popularity again. The first time I […]

There is a list of words the sento user needs to know in order to take full advantage of the place. Entotsu – the chimney […]

Washing and relaxing in very hot water is a ritual deeply embedded in Japanese life. It’s time to scrub each other’s backs. Whether CEO, beggar, […]

There exist approximately 3,000 varieties of ekiben across Japan. Zoom Japan is going to let you in on which ones are the best. Jérémie Souteyrat […]

We investigated how the relationship the Japanese have with ekiben has changed over the last few decades. For many people in Japan, ekiben conjure up […]

Since the end of the 19th century, the Japanese have known how to combine the pleasure of travelling with eating well, with the station lunch […]

Little known to foreign visitors, and even to the Japanese themselves, the Tokyo Olympic Memorial Gallery is an original and interesting place where many souvenirs […]

The famous columnist Kawamoto Saburo remembers this very important period for post-war Japan. For 45 years writer Kawamoto Saburo has chronicled Tokyo’s past and present. […]

On September the 7th, the International Olympic Committee meets to decide which city will host the 2020 Games and Tokyo is in with a chance […]

As you move away from the louder streets in the neighbourhood, you may have a few surprising encounters. Around the back of the trendiest streets […]

Watari Koichi, director of the Watarium, was born and raised in Harajuku. He will guide us through this area so dear to him. Harajuku is […]

Artist Chocomoo has become very popular with many brands. Here she tells us more about her favourite places.  This year’s rainy season has been quite […]

In the space of five decades, this ancient and once tranquil district has become one of the foremost centres for international fashion.  It can’t be […]

House sharing is currently developing as a significant societal trend, especially since the disasters of March 11th 2011.  Household models and lifestyles in Japan have […]

Even though she doesn’t have any children, Kusano Mie has understood that a healthy future needs to be ensured for birth rates to rise. At […]

The tragic events of the 11th of March 2011 affected this couple’s dream of having many children.    Saitama is a suburb in the northeast […]

If the Japanese are not having enough children, it’s their own fault. At least, that’s the opinion of one mother.  Watanabe Junko has been married […]

For the past few years, a new generation of fathers has been participating more in their children’s education. Kuromoto Kana chose to call her daughter […]

To start a family and have children isn’t an obvious choice in Japan anymore. Zoom Japan investigated. What does being a parent in Japan mean […]

The country’s modernisation at the end of the 19th century coincided with the introduction of the first vending machines. Since then, they have become a […]

They are everywhere. From the north to the south, on top of Mount Fuji or under the sea and they are in service around the […]

A late-comer to bamboo weaving, he learned everything from his father. Bamboo craftwork has a long history in Japan; excavations have revealed finely woven and […]

After re-appearing at the beginning of the last century, folk handicrafts are making a comeback, but with a different emphasis. In its November 2012 issue […]

Many foreigners have settled in Japan over the past few decades and many of them have also worked there.   And the Japanese, who wish […]

The opening of the Tokyo Sky Tree on the eastern side of the Japanese capital marks the start of a new era. Without doubt, Tokyo […]

A tower within a tower Tokyo Tower was built during the years of strong economic growth in Japan. Now that the country is in crisis, […]

Whether for the future of their economy, or in everyday life, Japanese rely on robots.    The car industry was the motor of our economy […]

In aeronautics, the Japanese are betting on international cooperation to establish their technology.  In the field of aeronautics, the Japanese have acquired a solid reputation […]

After a challenging year on all sides, the Japanese population is set to slowly regain trust in it’s own products.   According to its end […]