In Japan, many hot springs, public pools, sports clubs and hotels will not allow guests with permanent ink. A new website helps those with tattoos find welcoming establishments.

For decades now, Japanese vending machines have served up an array of interesting, mundane, and useful things. Things like manga. Or bread in a can. Or illicit substances. Or video game piracy cartridges.

Japan has brought the world some truly delicious treats, but one of the best of all has to be meron pan (melon bread). We know it tastes good, but how was it invented? And why is it called that?

Artist Ray Tatsumi has done an exhaustive in-depth study of Japanese maid outfits, tracing their origins from the UK and the USA.

First time visitors notice them right away: Sickness masks. People in Japan wear them for numerous reasons, including to prevent illness. Some even don them because they think the masks make them more attractive.

During Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s recent trip to Israel, he and his wife Akie dined with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife Sara. Desert was chocolate served in what appeared to be shoes.

Did you just arrive in Japan? Oh dear. Bad timing. I’m sure you’ll have fun, but there are better times to visit. Why, you might ask. Because this is Golden Week when the entire country goes on vacation.

Grade schoolers across Japan carry leather backpacks called “randoseru” (ランドセル). Traditionally, kids have carried one of two colors: black for boys, and red for girls. In recent years, however, that’s changed.

A Japanese morning show recently did a report on how some kids are doing their homework while playing clips of YouTubers studying.

Earlier this month, Tokyo-based YouTuber TkyoSam put a GoPro on the conveyer belt at a Sushiro rotating sushi restaurant. The chain has issued an apology and is now banning photography in their restaurants.

In the latest Yarisugi!!! Itazura-Kun, a serialized gag manga for kids, an image of Genghis Khan is shown with a dick doodled on his forehead, along with the word “penis” in Japanese. An international incident ensued, involving protests, an angry sumo wrestler and an apology to the Mongolian Embassy.

I’ve been driving in Japan for over 15 years now. One of the things that always resonates is how polite people are on the road, especially the way drivers say thanks with their hazard lights.

The above image shows two characters, one done in the “anime style” and the other in an American comic book style. What follows is an explanation as to why Chie Satonaka “looks Japanese.”

On Valentine’s Day in Japan, women traditionally give men chocolate. Each year, a group of protesters gathers to march, carrying signs that read “Pulverize Valentine’s Day” and “Making out in public is terrorism.”

A junior high in Kashiwa, Chiba Prefecture is allowing students to mix and match uniforms how they please in an effort to be more aware of LGBTQ students’ feelings.

While the stereotype might be that Japan is hi-tech, some of its biggest news broadcasters use low-tech dioramas and models to explain current events.

Traffic cones are roadside eyesores. But in Japan, there are spiritual ones, depicting the guardian of travelers and children.

If you’ve ever been to a Buddhist temple in Japan or looked at a Japanese map, you’ve probably seen swastikas, called “manji” in Japanese, all over. In Japan, the character has become popular youth slang.

On New Year’s Eve, one member of Japan’s most famous comedy duo donned blackface for nationwide television.

Every year across Japan, people line up at Kentucky Fried Chicken joints to place their orders for Christmas dinner.