January 8, 2015 • 28m
This time, we present an installment of our special talk-show series Japanophiles, which features lively interviews with foreigner...Read more
January 15, 2015 • 28m
This time, another installment of our special talk-show series Japanophiles, featuring lively interviews with foreigners living in...Read more
January 22, 2015 • 28m
This time, another installment of our special talk-show series Japanophiles, which features lively interviews with foreigners livi...Read more
February 5, 2015 • 28m
The Seikan Tunnel, the world's longest undersea tunnel, connects the Japanese islands of Honshu and Hokkaido. Making it took 24 ye...Read more
February 12, 2015 • 28m
The "snow country" that covers nearly half of Japan gets huge amounts of snow every year. Local people have devised various practi...Read more
February 19, 2015 • 28m
Japanese comedy has always been different from Western comedy, with its own approach to getting laughs. Japan has a stunning diver...Read more
April 2, 2015 • 28m
The Tokyo Metropolitan Expressway is the capital city's most important road system. Begun 50 years ago, with a 4.5-kilometer stret...Read more
April 16, 2015 • 28m
Cherry blossom season in Japan is also a season of change. In late March, graduations take place all across the country. Early in ...Read more
April 23, 2015 • 28m
To many foreign visitors, Japan's streets seem amazingly free of litter. Making the most of what's available is traditionally wove...Read more
April 30, 2015 • 28m
Plays, movies and TV dramas that depict Japan as it was in the eras up to the samurai times are called "jidaigeki", literally "per...Read more
May 7, 2015 • 28m
Japan has the lowest obesity rate in the industrialized world, and yet, from schoolgirls to businessmen, it is a country where alm...Read more
May 14, 2015 • 28m
Giant man-made structures dominating steep canyons, dams are a common feature of Japan's mountainous landscape. Dams provide water...Read more
May 28, 2015 • 28m
Japan's cherished homegrown pubs, izakaya, offer refreshing drinks, comfort food made with care and a lively, fun atmosphere. Most...Read more
June 4, 2015 • 28m
For decades, the big breweries dominated Japan's beer market. But in the last few years, so-called "craft beers" from small produc...Read more
June 11, 2015 • 28m
Fermented foods are a staple of the Japanese diet, and they come in countless forms: soy sauce, miso, vinegar, pickles, natto and ...Read more
June 18, 2015 • 28m
Japan leads the world in sales of umbrellas, with 140 million purchased each year. In rainy Japan, umbrellas are a must, and on su...Read more
June 25, 2015 • 28m
In the business districts of Japan, a major battle plays out each year: the job hunt. Students spend their last year of university...Read more
July 9, 2015 • 28m
This time, we present an installment of our special talk-show series Japanophiles, which features lively interviews with foreigner...Read more
July 16, 2015 • 28m
Despite years spent studying the language at school, many Japanese feel inept at English. Perhaps that's why Japan's English conve...Read more
July 23, 2015 • 28m
Students in Japan receive years of instruction in English, usually starting in elementary school, but how best to teach the langua...Read more
August 6, 2015 • 28m
Japan boasts many shrines and temples built using sophisticated techniques that have been passed down through the centuries. This ...Read more
August 12, 2015 • 28m
Bunraku is a traditional Japanese performing art dating back more than 4 centuries. It combines a stylized narration and music wit...Read more
September 3, 2015 • 28m
Every year children in Japan eagerly look forward to their summer vacation, which generally runs from late July to late August. Ho...Read more
September 10, 2015 • 28m
From young children to seniors, Japanese people love to swim. In samurai times, swimming gave warriors an edge in battle, and thei...Read more
September 17, 2015 • 28m
It's Japan's timeless summer thrill...haunted houses! There are dozens of haunted-house attractions around Japan, many of them at ...Read more
October 1, 2015 • 28m
Japan has a lot of active volcanoes, which means it also has a lot of hot springs. Known in Japan as onsen, these natural baths ha...Read more
October 8, 2015 • 28m
This time, we present an installment of our special Japanophiles series, which features lively interviews with foreigners living i...Read more
October 15, 2015 • 28m
From compact point-and-shoot digital cameras to high-end SLRs, and those built into smartphones, cameras are a part of everyday li...Read more
October 22, 2015 • 28m
From the nifty wrapping of convenience store rice balls to intricate cardboard packing, the Japanese have a knack for cleverly pac...Read more
November 12, 2015 • 28m
From detached homes to tower blocks, from micro-houses on tiny lots to large dormitories, a vast variety of housing is jammed into...Read more
November 19, 2015 • 28m
This time, we present an installment of our special Japanophiles series, which features lively interviews with foreigners living i...Read more
November 26, 2015 • 28m
Scientists think there are around 20,000 species of seaweed. They include many varieties of kombu, a type of edible kelp. Kombu ha...Read more
December 3, 2015 • 28m
One important part of any trip is choosing a place to stay. And if you come to Japan, you have a wide variety of options, from tra...Read more
December 10, 2015 • 28m
Since ancient times in Japan, cleanliness has been seen as a moral virtue. It's part of living life well. And now the world is emb...Read more
December 17, 2015 • 28m
Mt. Takao, a peak that's visited by around 2.7 million people per year, is less than an hour by train from central Tokyo. This lus...Read more