Traditionally, formality is everything in the Japanese underworld. However, the guard is changing as police crack down on yakuza families. That old formality is something the new generation of gangsters, the so-called “hangure,” are casting aside.
Parents in Japan often knock the country for not providing enough support for raising children. However, one aquarium in Hokkaido is finding that good intentions aren’t always rewarded with good behavior.
Bad tourist behavior has drawn a lot of media attention in Japan recently. Now, one shrine in Nagasaki Prefecture has banned any tourism – from inside or outside of Japan – in a bid to protect its grounds.
https://unseen-japan.com/watadzumi-shrine-bans-tourists-visitors/
With the resignation of Fuji Media Holding's Hieda Hisashi, the Nakai Masahiro scandal is now the most impactful media event in decades, writes Jake Adelstein: "This isn’t the West exporting protest. This is Japan evolving—painfully, publicly, and irrevocably."
One company looked at how cheap you can live in Tokyo while still being close to a train station so you can get around easily. Here are the stations where you can live nearby for as low as 65,000 yen ($350) a month.
https://unseen-japan.com/cheapest-train-station-neighborhood-rents-tokyo/
A new Japanese website purports to deliver just that in the form of a sex offender map. That’s sparked a debate over whether the service is legal under existing Japanese law. At least one expert says it may not be - and could get its owner in hot water.
Go to a Japanese restaurant these days, and odds are 50/50 you won’t see a paper menu. Instead, you’re given a QR code you can use to order from your own smartphone. While restaurants love it, some Japanese customers resent the impersonal trend.
https://unseen-japan.com/qr-code-restaurant-ordering-japan-backlash/
One important rule to obey when bicycling in Japan is the hook turn rule. To turn right at a signal, you need to go straight ahead through the crosswalk, turn to the right, and go straight when the light turns again. I.e., you do NOT use the right-turn lane that cars use.
After a second major contamination incident, Japanese beef bowl chain Sukiya says it'll close most stores nationwide for four days to ensure adequate hygiene. It's bad news for Sukiya fans - including one guy who's become famous by eating at the chain daily for years.
Japanese society has grown more attentive to women’s rights in recent years. However, institutions can be slow to catch up. In the latest positive development, Japan’s National Police Agency is taking a leap forward by updating its fashions for female police officers.
https://unseen-japan.com/japan-national-police-agency-skirts/
Japan is struggling to counteract a rapidly declining and aging population. A new survey shows that, if trends continue, the country won’t be able to depend on its youth to rescue it – at least, unless both economic and working conditions in Japan improve.
Want a taste of Japan you can eat during a natural disaster? You're in luck! Onisi Shokuhin makes "travel onigiri" that keep for five years and rehydrate with hot water in 15min (cold in 60). The question is: Do they taste any good? We put them to the test.
Japan is grappling w/ increasing complaints from parents about pornographic ads being shown online to kids - even on school-issued tablets. However, both Japan's Children & Families Agency and its Digital Agency say the issue isn't within their jurisdictions.
A snack bar owner was found dead in her business in Nishitokyo, her ex-husband injured and unconscious nearby. What happened is still murky. However, the story emerging shows a familiar pattern of escalating abuse unchecked by the police until it was too late.
Walking around Tokyo can sap your energy. Finding a place to rest can also be a challenge. Fortunately, Tokyo is home to many great cafes, kissa, and junkissa where you can kick up your feet, enjoy a beverage, and even sometimes grab a full meal.
Language is wonderful. As the constantly evolving product of the minds of millions or billions of people, there’s no way to predict when – and how – it’s going to change. Look no further than what the youth of Japan have done to the word egui (エグい).
Japanese TV show Monday Late Show (Getsuyou Kara Yofukashi), starring Matsuko Deluxe, apologized for a clip in which a Chinese woman appears to say there are few crows in China because everyone eats them. The show admits that staff deceptively edited the segment.
https://unseen-japan.com/matsuko-deluxe-show-apology-racism/
Once a year, Japan’s many gods hold an annual conference – the Kamihakari (神議り) – to discuss matters such as agriculture and marriage. Their gathering place? The awe-inspiring Izumo Grand Shrine in Shimane Prefecture. Here's why you should visit.
https://unseen-japan.com/izumo-taisha-shrine-shimane-prefecture/
Legend tells how warrior monk Benkei stood tall so his master could flee. It’s the epilogue to the greatest war story in Japanese history.
There’s only one problem: in all likelihood, it never happened.
The Nakai Masahiro scandal at Fuji TV has effectively crippled the station. After a string of high-profile resignations, new reports in Japanese media are wondering whether it’s also causing the station to lose some of its top female talent.
