Culture & Daily Life in Japan Etiquette, festivals, places, and the pop culture you already love.

Season previews, studio spotlights, and ranked picks—from shounen epics to arthouse originals—highlights, sleepers, and cult hits.

Guides and picks across shounen, seinen, shōjo, josei, slice-of-life, fantasy—series reviews, starter runs, and gentle rankings.

Festival standouts, box-office hits, and cult favorites—director spotlights, seasonal watchlists, and spoiler-lite reviews.

JRPGs, action, retro, and visual novels plus review roundups, tiered picks, and long-play favorites.

J-pop, rock, rap, indie, city pop—artist spotlights, album notes, live scenes, and listener-loved playlists.

Signature streets, cafes, markets, museums—highlight reels, walking routes, and reader-favored stops.

Parks, mountains, coasts, islands, onsen towns—scenic routes and restorative escapes.

Ramen, tonkatsu, sushi, curry, kissaten—reviews, shortlists, hidden gems, and neighborhood staples to try.

Iconic precincts and quiet corners—architecture notes, peaceful loops, nearby stops, and timing suggestions.

Peak-bloom trackers, riverside walks, night views—popular parks and under-the-radar spots for relaxed hanami.

Year-end through first dawn—countdowns, hatsumōde visits, osechi picks, and moments many travelers seek out.

Everyday dos and don’ts in public, homes, and shops—quiet norms, queues, shoes, gifts, and small courtesies.

What to expect at meals—order flow, seating, chopsticks, sharing, payments, and differences from casual to formal.

Riding considerately—queues, priority seats, phone use, luggage, and rush-hour tips for trains and buses.

Traditional wear in context—kimono parts, occasions, seasonal styles, rentals, and how formality levels differ.

Japan through the eras—politics, religion, culture and more.

Local practices and festivals by area—what they are, when they happen, and how communities shape them.

How professional sumo works—basho schedules, ranks, rules, rituals, stables, and what to notice when attending.

Tea, theater, crafts, and classical music—what defines each art, performance structure, and ways to experience them.