Japanese public bathhouses, also called sento. From the outside, some of them look like Shinto shrines or Buddhist te...

Ramen is one of Japan's favorite foods. Broth, noodles and toppings are the 3 elements, but within that basic framewo...

Mt. Fuji is Japan's tallest peak. Its beauty changes from season to season, from day to day. Frequently featured in u...

Maneuver your pieces to capture the opponent's king - that's the essence of shogi, Japan's most popular board game. D...

Springtime in Japan means cherry trees in bloom. Cherry blossoms flower gloriously, but briefly, then their petals fa...

Akihabara, with its mix of gadgets and geekdom, is a one-of-a-kind experience. Shops selling everything electronic fr...

Wagashi, Japan's traditional sweets. Each colorful, exquisite morsel contains a clear sense of the season - wagashi a...

Under cover of darkness, moving by stealth, ninja used superb physical skill and special equipment to infiltrate and ...

From sushi to sake, rice is an absolutely essential part of Japanese cuisine. Appliance makers offer state-of-the-art...

Japan's castles are masterworks of wood and stone. They bristled with defences and functioned as symbols of authority...

This time, we present an installment of our special talk-show series Japanophiles, which features lively interviews w...

This time, we present another of our special talk-show series Japanophiles, which features lively interviews with for...

This time, we present an installment of our special talk-show series Japanophiles, which features lively interviews w...

Microphone in hand, tens of millions of people in Japan belt out songs in private party rooms known as karaoke boxes....

Bento are portable boxes of food, typically composed of rice, protein-rich main dishes, and vegetables on the side. T...

Through the ages, bamboo has been profoundly important to Japan's industry, culture and everyday life. But why does b...

Japan's taiko drums—made in many shapes and sizes, played at various occasions—are an ancient heritage. Originally ta...

Tokyo's Tsukiji Market is the world's largest fish market - hundreds of kinds of seafood from around the world are so...

Festivals are held in every region of Japan throughout the year. The oldest date back well over a millennium, and typ...

This time on Japanology Plus, our theme is Japanese gardens, compact evocations of nature's majesty. Japan has many g...

Origami, the traditional Japanese art of creating objects by folding paper. It's a classic pastime that everyone in J...

Japanese Buddhist statues come in countless shapes and forms, and they are not just objects of prayer but also meticu...

Yokai: the collective name for all sorts of bizarre creatures and supernatural phenomena in Japanese folklore. They h...

The Shinkansen is Japan's bullet train system. Since it debuted 50 years ago as the world's fastest train service, it...

Whether it's learning about a traditional custom, or a newly popular sport, people in Japan love to take lessons and ...

Japan is a robotics superpower. There are approximately 300,000 industrial robots at work in Japan—that's more than a...

Sports days are all-day athletic meets held annually at schools in Japan—pretty much every Japanese person has taken ...

With just one plant in one pot, you can create your own personal vision of nature. This is bonsai. Although in Japan ...

Sushi is basically vinegared rice topped with something else—usually seafood. Simple ingredients, but proper preparat...

A private banquet in the company of geisha is considered the ultimate in elegant hospitality. A common misconception ...