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July 01, 2026
 

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CULTURE

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Strange bedfellows: Manga and lesbian sex work agencies team up for storytelling
CULTURE / Books
Strange bedfellows: Manga and lesbian sex work agencies team up for storytelling
Agencies and sex workers seek to present more nuanced depictions of their work and to challenge mainstream narratives that often emphasize scandal, eroticism or exploitation.
CULTURE / Books
How a private collection of queer books became a cultural hot spot
Since establishing a permanent location in Nakano Ward in 2024, Tokyo’s queer-focused bookstore Loneliness Books has become a hub of events and activities for the LGBTQ+ community and its allies.
CULTURE / Books
Tidying guru Marie Kondo and ‘Exit 8’ director team up for a cozy fiction book
An unlikely collaboration between tidying guru Marie Kondo and filmmaker and author Genki Kawamura plays with the tropes of the popular cozy fiction genre.
Using calligraphy brushes, ink pens and pencils, Chuya drafted his poems in a variety of styles. Pictured here is his draft of “Chomon Gorge in Winter.”
CULTURE / Books
Jun 16, 2026
Prewar poet Chuya Nakahara’s complete works get a new life in English
By Aleksandra Priimak
A new translation, and the first publication of Chuya’s complete works in English, aims to introduce the poet to readers abroad.
Cafe Phosphorescence, owned by Osamu Dazai fan Miyuki Daba, is located about 15 minutes away from where the novelist used to live.
CULTURE / Books
Jun 15, 2026
In Tokyo’s Mitaka, a search for traces of Osamu Dazai
By Eric Margolis
The novelist’s hometown honors his memory, but with many buildings demolished, a pilgrimage is an exercise in imagination.
Vladislava Simonova in her Poltava apartment in April
CULTURE / Books
Jun 3, 2026
Ukrainian haiku poet finds small miracles in war
Celebrated in Japan, Vladislava Simonova is almost unknown in her own country.
A staff member taking a printed newspaper out of the machine at the Kyoto Shimbun factory in Kumiyama, Kyoto Prefecture.
CULTURE / Books
Jun 1, 2026
‘AI simply can’t replicate it’: Japan embraces zine trend
By Natsuko Fukue and Atish Patel
Independent artist and writers have been turning ever more to self-published or handmade small print publications, reflecting a love of paper in the digital era.
Shueisha is one of the major Japanese manga publishers and its Weekly Shonen Jump has been awarded the Guinness World record for bestselling manga magazine in 2022.
CULTURE / Books
May 26, 2026
Shueisha turns 100 with an eye on the future of manga
By Erik Augustin Palm
Japan’s record-breaking manga publisher Shueisha marks 100 years in the business with a slew of projects that make its titles more accessible to readers.
Though mothers in Japan aren't expected to bear the entirety of the family's child-rearing burden as in decades past, author Lisa Katayama says the strain still falls largely on their shoulders.
CULTURE / Books
May 9, 2026
In Japan, ‘moms pull weight in ways that are superhuman’
By Mishu Callan
In a new book, a mom raised in Tokyo but living abroad reflects on how Japan’s conception of motherhood helps her raise her young daughters.
Haruki Murakami returns this summer with his new novel, "The Tale of Kaho," which is centered on a 26-year-old picture book author.
CULTURE / Books
Apr 24, 2026
Haruki Murakami to release first novel in three years with ‘The Tale of Kaho’
By Alyssa I. Smith
The beloved author’s new work, set to be released July 3, marks his first female-led novel — and a return to the uncanny.

Uruguay federation reportedly cancels charter flight after World Cup exit
Uruguay's Jose Maria Gimenez reacts after the team's loss against Spain at the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Friday.
Inside Japan’s rigid adoption system, a British family finds a way
James Benstead, his wife, Jesse, and their three children. Their adopted son is in the rear stroller.
India’s gig workers pay the price for exposure to New Delhi’s hazardous air
Rohit Kushwaha waits for a customer as he delivers his last parcel of the day, in New Delhi in January. His work as a delivery driver has helped pay the family’s bills, but has had a significant impact on his health.
Life inside Japan’s largest prison for women
Western-style rooms spanning the size of four tatami mats with hardwood floors, a toilet and soft mattresses on bed frames are designated for foreign nationals and those with health conditions at Tochigi Prison.
Yen hits 40-year low against the dollar, breaking ¥162 level
Japan's currency broke ¥162 to the dollar on Tuesday in Tokyo.
Japan’s fertility system offers few safe paths for same-sex couples
A Tokyo Pride parade participant holds a sign that says "we want to be a married couple, not a couple."
Life inside Japan’s largest prison for women
Western-style rooms spanning the size of four tatami mats with hardwood floors, a toilet and soft mattresses on bed frames are designated for foreign nationals and those with health conditions at Tochigi Prison.
Inside Japan’s rigid adoption system, a British family finds a way
James Benstead, his wife, Jesse, and their three children. Their adopted son is in the rear stroller.
A French ship with close ties to Japan combines arts and sciences on the high seas
Romain Troublé, the executive director of Tara Ocean Foundation, speaks to visitors aboard the Tara during a rare port call in Tokyo in April.
In Kyushu’s far south, Senti.U sparks a culinary destination
Chef Yasuhiko Uchida was born in Saga Prefecture but has made his home in Kanoya, Kagoshima Prefecture, since 2012.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

The Terasaka Rice Terraces are seen with Mount Buko in the background.
What Yokoze can teach Japan about rural revival
By Alex K.T. Martin

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