January 5, 2017 • 28m
We meet a nakai, a waitress at a luxury Japanese restaurant. In a Japanophiles interview with Peter Barakan, Carine Lafitte from F...Read more
January 26, 2017 • 28m
Noh theater is said to be the world's oldest contemporary performing art. After emerging 650 years ago, it survived a time of nati...Read more
February 2, 2017 • 28m
In Japan, where real estate is at a premium, houses can be very cramped inside, especially in major cities. Maneuvering large item...Read more
February 9, 2017 • 28m
Karate is practiced by more than 60 million people around the world, and its roots are in Okinawa. Okinawan karate, the most tradi...Read more
February 16, 2017 • 28m
Japanese spend less time asleep each night than people in many other countries, a situation that may derive from a 24-hour, on-the...Read more
February 23, 2017 • 28m
Tokyo's highly efficient rail network is known for safe and punctual operation. Most trains run on schedule, almost to the second....Read more
March 2, 2017 • 28m
Jeans are among the world's most popular clothes, and Japanese denim has a great reputation. Harnessing craft traditions, manual d...Read more
March 9, 2017 • 28m
The "Soei" in Randy Channell Soei is a name this Canadian was given to mark his ascent to mastery of the Way of Tea. He is one of ...Read more
March 30, 2017 • 28m
Zoe Vincent from the United Kingdom works for an organization that promotes tourism in Fukushima. She travels around the prefectur...Read more
April 4, 2017 • 28m
A Buddhist altar, or butsudan, is a feature of many homes in Japan. Family members kneel before them seeking guidance from the rea...Read more
April 12, 2017 • 28m
In Japan, most people aiming to get a driver’s license go to a driving school. On closed courses complete with railway crossings a...Read more
April 19, 2017 • 28m
Curry is one of Japan's favorite foods. A thick Japanese-style curry sauce is very different from the kinds typically associated w...Read more
May 2, 2017 • 28m
Coffee first reached Japan in the 17th century, but it wasn't until the 19th century that it started to catch on. Drinking coffee ...Read more
May 23, 2017 • 28m
Yoram Ofer from Israel runs a bar in Kyoto that offers a chance to explore the world of nihonshu, or Japanese sake. He focuses on ...Read more
June 6, 2017 • 28m
The school lunch is a key part of a child's diet in Japan. Meals are nutritionally balanced and designed to nurture health. School...Read more
June 20, 2017 • 28m
Capsule toys, also known as gachapon, are small toys purchased from vending machines. Though the cost of these toys is extremely r...Read more
June 27, 2017 • 28m
In Japan, around 60,000 buses run along designated routes to designated stops, and operate on a timetable. For commuting, shopping...Read more
July 4, 2017 • 28m
Modern Japanese music is influenced both instrumentally and stylistically by Western music, but the country has its own indigenous...Read more
July 11, 2017 • 28m
For centuries the art of playing traditional music on Japanese instruments was passed down through apprenticeships. But traditiona...Read more
July 18, 2017 • 28m
Nsenda Lukumwena is an architect from the Democratic Republic of the Congo who has carved out a niche for himself in the highly co...Read more
August 1, 2017 • 28m
In 1872, when Japan’s first railway opened between Yokohama and Tokyo, the population of Tokyo was less than one million. Fast-for...Read more
August 15, 2017 • 28m
Along with the hum of cicadas, the twinkling of wind chimes and the cracking of baseball bats, nothing quite defines Japanese summ...Read more
August 22, 2017 • 28m
In any Japanese city, you'll see countless signs and posters featuring anthropomorphic characters. This preference seems closely e...Read more
August 29, 2017 • 28m
In countless everyday settings, individuals, companies, administrative bodies and others in Japan use anthropomorphized 2D charact...Read more
September 5, 2017 • 28m
Swimming, soccer, gymnastics and more: Japanese children these days are increasingly enthusiastic about sports. Sports-focused kin...Read more
September 12, 2017 • 28m
As in other countries around the world, the local amusement park is an essential part of childhood for many in Japan. But Japan’s ...Read more
September 26, 2017 • 28m
This edition of "Japanophiles," the series within Japanology Plus that profiles foreign residents leading exceptional lives in Jap...Read more
October 3, 2017 • 28m
Though the title of this edition of Japanology Plus might inspire a few double-takes, rest assured, you have not accidentally tune...Read more
October 17, 2017 • 28m
Walk through any neighborhood in Japan, and before too long you'll come across a shrine devoted to Shinto, the native religion of ...Read more
October 24, 2017 • 28m
Japan is prone to an array of natural disasters: earthquakes, typhoons, tsunamis, and more. It's also home to some of the world's ...Read more
October 31, 2017 • 28m
At Japan's busiest airports, a flight may arrive or depart every two minutes or so. In spite of this, Japanese airlines are freque...Read more
November 21, 2017 • 28m
Fernando Lopez, originally from Guatemala, runs an okonomiyaki restaurant in Hiroshima. Made on a hot griddle, okonomiyaki from we...Read more
November 28, 2017 • 28m
For as much as we talk about Japanese food, music, movies and other cultural exports, Japan's greatest contribution to the world—a...Read more
December 12, 2017 • 28m
Tea ceremony, tea gathering, the way of tea, cha-no-yu, chado, sado...no matter what you call it, this elegant, centuries-old prac...Read more
December 19, 2017 • 28m
In this special two-part edition of Japanology Plus, we look at how the tea ceremony is performed, its complex set of rules, and i...Read more