"The city is so hard. Just cement on top of dirt on top of rock. Even weeds have trouble growing here." Butsu Shoku kicks at the asphalt beneath her feet. The long vine of pothos trailing down her sleeve swings freely. Butsu is part of the growing movement of young...

When it comes to the idea of technology crossing the blurred line into the creative fields, I am a pragmatist.

While Kyoto chokes on tourists, countless other cities and regions of Japan that are equally charming, beautiful or historic remain virtually ignored. Here are 5 amazing cities in Japan other than Kyoto and Tokyo that are easily accessible even to first-time visitors to Japan.

You may find yourself at peace in natural surroundings whose love for you isn’t so unrequited… but the image of Kinsaku Baru will haunt you, in a wistful way not entirely unpleasant, and it will change you.

Ask many city-dwelling Japanese if they have ever visited Kochi Prefecture in the southern part of Japan's Shikoku Island, and the reaction might include a bit of teeth-sucking. 行くにのちょっと不便だねー Iku ni no chotto fuben da ne? "It's a little inconvenient to get there,...

Though the clients have changed, the masters behind the craft remain the same: madmen obsessed with the quality of their blades.

What the world’s worst tea ceremony student has learned through practicing tea in Japan, and it isn’t about tea at all.

The dancers are fools, everyone is a fool, so why not dance? A glimpse at Japan’s Awa Odori festival.