Does Japan’s Conservative Shinto Religion Support Gay Marriage?
In 1999, a Shinto priest unofficially married two men in a shrine in Kawasaki, an industrial city near Tokyo. Literally “the way of the gods,” Shinto is one of Japan’s major religions, but it does not influence modern Japanese life the way that Christianity dominates in the United States. Rather, it’s more a matter of a shared culture against which some people define themselves.
Etiquette and Rituals Rule in Japan’s Business Culture
At a dinner meeting in Tokyo recently, two Japanese professors, Ryo Sahashi and Satoru Mori, arrived and sat down at their booth. Even though it meant one of them would shortly have to get up to make room for one of their colleagues, who had yet to arrive, they left the middle seat between them empty.
How Japan Pushes Coal on the World
While the U.S. backs away from its dirtiest power source, its closest ally in Asia is building, selling and financing coal plants worldwide.
Rebel Without a Country
Rebel Pepper, China’s most notorious political cartoonist, fled his native land for Japan. But life in exile is tougher than he expected.
A Vote for Trump is a Vote for China
Isaac Stone Fish writes on how Donald Trump’s policies benefit China and the effect this has on the US-Japan relationship.
President Trump? Among U.S. Allies, Japan May be One of the Most Anxious About That Idea
By Julie Makinen
Is Japan gaga for Donald Trump? That was the impression created by a spellbinding YouTube video that went viral last week. Despite the video’s popularity, the reality is that perhaps no U.S. ally is as anxious and befuddled about the prospect of a President Trump as Japan.
What’s Hot in Japan Right Now? Los Angeles, Circa 1976
Julie Makinen highlights the social fascination with a 40 year-old Japanese magazine depicting West Coast life, and how reactions to it have changed or stayed the same among Japanese readers.
There Are More Adult Diapers Sold in Japan Than Baby Diapers
Japan is now arguably the oldest country in the world. It’s not like you couldn’t see it walking around Tokyo or the countryside. But one of the biggest indicators of this shift is that, with declining birthrates and over 25% of the population aged over 65, there are now more diapers produced for adults than for babies.
Dogfights in Japan Are a Family Outing
With a long cultural history and deep ties to the yakuza, dog fighting is a lucrative business in Japan. Laws surrounding the fights are vague and rarely enforced, with members of the Japanese Animal Welfare Society fearing retaliation if they protest the violent practice.
Toilet Power: Toyota Is Using Sewage Sludge to Power Its New Electric Car
Hydrogen fuel cell cars could help solve the global warming crisis, but nobody wants to buy them. But Toyota thinks it may have found a solution. For unlimited clean energy, it’s turning to one of the dirtiest places there is: the toilet.