The Japan you don't learn about in anime. News and social issues from Japan. Visiting Japan soon? Check out our tours service!
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In the Edo period, sushi was cheap street food sold from yatai stalls. A piece cost about 8 mon (roughly $0.63 today). Ironically, fatty tuna, which is prized today, was dismissed as low-grade fish because it spoiled too fast.
Want to eat sushi like they ate it during the time of the shogun? A shop in Shinjuku Station is offering this experience for cheap.
unseen-japan.com
Unseen Japan
The most popular scam in Japan in early 2025 had criminals impersonating police officers, demanding money to "prove innocence." Those cases alone made up over 65% of fraud losses, averaging more than ¥8 million (about $50,000) per victim.
Unseen Japan
The 7-Eleven sign using the 7 as a substitute for the katakana フ is truly inspired, the marketing agency earned its keep that day
Japan ranked 118th out of 148 countries in the 2025 Gender Gap Index, the lowest among G7 nations. In that context, the "pink tax" on everyday goods and services is just one more insult added to injury.
Morioka's mayor joined the Iwate Rainbow March with a small rainbow flag in hand, speaking of his dream for a city where anyone can live easily regardless of who they are. The parade drew participants from across Tohoku and even Hokkaido.
Unseen Japan
In Japan, having an affair with a married person can cost you. Civil law holds a lover liable for damages if a couple divorces in the wake of the tryst, sometimes up to 3 million yen ($18,750).
Unseen Japan
ICYMI: While foreign tourists battle the August heat on the Golden Route, Japanese travelers head to hisho-chi, highland retreats that have been popular since 1886. Here's why spots like Karuizawa draw repeat domestic visitors.
Jay Allen
Unseen Japan
Unseen Japan
ICYMI: A Tokyo suburb's plan to close four of its six libraries triggered a citizen revolt that ended with voters electing a Communist-backed mayor, flipping 6,000 votes from people who'd never supported the JCP before.
A plan to shutter four of Kiyose City's six libraries angered citizens so much that it gave the Japanese Communist Party a path to victory.
NEW: Prosecutors in Hokkaido stopped short of requesting life imprisonment or the death penalty for Uchida Riko in the senseless murder of a 17-year-old. Here's why Japanese social media users are livid over the "lenient" request - and why prosecutors aren't asking for more.
The term "pink tax" hasn't trended much in Japan. That changed recently as women went online to compare notes on the subtle upcharges they face by just existing.
The uchikake, the lavish outer robe now associated with Japanese weddings, wasn't bridalwear at all. In the Edo period it was a status symbol worn by samurai wives and women from wealthy merchant families to show off a household's wealth.
