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

Anime & Manga

Reviews, recommendations, and ranked roundups—fan favorites, hidden gems, and genre standouts across anime and manga.

  • 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.

Pop Culture & Media

Japanese film, TV, games, and music—editor-curated reviews, thoughtful rankings, and scenes worth your time.

  • 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.

Places & Travel

City guides and day trips—neighborhood notes, can’t-miss sights, mapped strolls, and finds locals love.

  • 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.

Festivals & Seasons

Season-by-season calendars, smart timing, and crowd-savvy suggestions for events worth planning around.

  • 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.

Manners & Customs

Practical guides to everyday norms and social cues across Japan—from dining and transit to homes and events.

  • 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.

History & Traditions

Backgrounders on customs, events, and material culture—clear context, timelines, and how they appear today.

  • 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.