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July 11, 2026
 

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TOURISM

Flowering cherry blossoms and buds from a sample Somei Yoshino cherry tree at Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo on Thursday.
JAPAN
Mar 19, 2026
Tokyo’s cherry blossom season officially begins
The cherry season for Tokyo starts when the official sample tree at Yasukuni Shrine opens at least five flowers.
Flight cancellations caused by the Iran war are prompting European travelers to cancel trips to Japan.
JAPAN
Mar 19, 2026
Conflict in Iran impacting inbound travel to Japan
Hotels in Japan have seen cancellations from those planning to visit from Europe via major airports in the Middle East.
Since the conflict in the Middle East began on Feb. 28, Emirates has cancelled more than 2,000 flights — 54% of scheduled services, according to data from Cirium.
BUSINESS
Mar 19, 2026
Phantom flight: Iran war creates 9,100-km round trips to nowhere
Surprise U-turns, dubbed “flights to nowhere” on social media, have become one of the most visible quirks of flying since the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran began on Feb. 28.
Visitors in the Dotonbori area of Osaka
JAPAN
Mar 18, 2026
Chinese tourists ditch Japan for third month running
Previously Chinese travelers were the biggest source of tourists to Japan, with South Korean visitors now taking their place.
Yamano Music's main store in the Ginza district of Tokyo’s Chuo Ward is the most expensive commercial land site in Japan, according to data released Tuesday.
BUSINESS
Mar 17, 2026
Japan’s average land price rises for fifth straight year
The average land price in Japan as of Jan. 1 rose 2.8% from a year earlier, up for the fifth straight year, the land ministry said Tuesday.
An Emirates Boeing 777 aircraft prepares for landing as a smoke plume rises from an ongoing fire near Dubai International Airport in Dubai on Monday.
WORLD
Mar 17, 2026
Emirates flying near-empty jets to Dubai as locals depart
While passenger demand is slim, the company is also loading cargo into its aircraft, providing another stream of revenue.
A "KPop Demon Hunters" sing-along event in New York on Aug. 23, 2025
BUSINESS
Mar 16, 2026
The ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ tourism wave is just getting started
A tourism spike to South Korea following the film’s release may well outlast its initial burst of popularity given that awards season is keeping it fresh in audiences’ minds.
A mother kisses her child after they returned from Dubai amid the U.S. and Israel's conflict with Iran in Mumbai, India, on March 3.
BUSINESS
Mar 16, 2026
‘Dream holidays’ in disarray as travelers count cost of Iran war
The conflict has already closed much of the Middle East’s airspace, leading to tens of thousands of flight cancellations, reroutings and schedule changes worldwide.
Las Vegas is one of the many U.S. destinations struggling with a severe drop in inbound tourism.
BUSINESS
Mar 7, 2026
U.S. hotels seek World Cup boost after tourism dip under Trump
The U.S. hospitality sector has been reeling from a tourism slump. The country became the only major destination to see a drop in foreign visitors last year.
Admission fees for the National Museum of Modern Art in Tokyo and 11 other state-run museums are set to increase for visitors from outside Japan.
JAPAN
Mar 5, 2026
Japan’s national museums to implement dual-pricing system
The planned change, a first for state-run museums, will hike admission fees for nonresidents by March 2031.
The Chinese embassy in Tokyo in November
JAPAN / Society
Mar 4, 2026
Chinese Embassy in Japan issues warning against ‘bumpers’ after viral video
The call for vigilance comes as Tokyo was pushing back against Beijing’s claims that Japan’s safety environment is deteriorating.
An Emirates plane with German tourists evacuated from the Middle East arrives from Dubai, in Frankfurt, Germany, on Tuesday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 4, 2026
Airline and travel industries scramble with fallout from Middle Eastern conflict
Gulf hubs such as Dubai, the world’s busiest international airport, remained closed or severely restricted for a fourth day, leaving tens of thousands stranded.
James Gaskin brushes his teeth in the Vogo Grand Hotel in Dubai on Monday.
WORLD
Mar 3, 2026
From hand-washed underwear to fake Adidas, stranded travelers wait out chaos
“It’s the unknown, and I’ve never been in a war zone.”
Boeing 777-300ER aircraft, operated by Qatar Airways, are parked outside Terminal 8 at John F. Kennedy (JFK) International Airport in New York on Monday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Mar 3, 2026
Flight prices soar on Asia-Europe routes after Gulf conflict closes major hubs
Key hubs including Dubai — the world’s busiest international airport that normally handles over 1,000 flights a day — remain closed, slashing capacity on popular routes.
A can containing air from Hiroshima Prefecture and sold under the name Hiroshima Air
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Hiroshima
Mar 2, 2026
Vending machine in Hiroshima offers cans of air from the prefecture
The company behind the cans says they’re going viral and hopes they will become the prefecture’s new specialty.
With Taiwan visible from its western shores, Yonaguni has always been more linked to events in Asia than other stretches of Japan.
LIFE / Travel
Feb 28, 2026
On westernmost Yonaguni, geopolitics can’t spoil the island’s aura
Residents are split on plans for development and militarization, but a visit to the island reveals an enduring atmosphere of peace above all else.
For Kagoshima, leveraging the Kyushu Shinkansen — which allows visitors to get from Fukuoka to Kagoshima in roughly 90 minutes — is seen as a way to tap into foreign visitors already arriving in Fukuoka and other gateway cities.
JAPAN
Feb 27, 2026
Critics decry Kagoshima’s free shinkansen plan for tourists as ‘unfair’
Prefectural officials have defended the plan to fully subsidize one-way fares for foreign tourists as a necessary bet on inbound demand.
The Austrian team at this year’s International Snow Sculpture Contest — (from left) Michelle Steinmetz, Karl Pont and Daniel Nachbaur — pose with their creation.
COMMUNITY / Voices / FOREIGN AGENDA
Feb 27, 2026
In Sapporo, snow becomes a shared language
Working in temperatures as low as minus 6 degrees Celsius, artists from around the world convened in Sapporo this February to continue a tradition 50 years running.
Tokyo Skytree, in the capital's Sumida Ward, reopened to visitors Thursday following an incident that saw people trapped in an elevator in the tower.
JAPAN
Feb 26, 2026
Damaged cable led to Tokyo Skytree elevator incident
Officials said the cable was damaged after being caught in the roller of a device that limits the shaking of the elevator car.
Haneda Airport in Tokyo. With the Japan Electronic System for Travel Authorization, the government is aiming to reduce congestion at airports while tightening immigration controls.
JAPAN
Feb 25, 2026
Japan considers obliging airlines to deny boarding without JESTA
Also in the outline, the government indicated a plan to raise fees for foreign nationals applying for residency by up to 30 times.
Japanese payment processor’s collapse hits banks and restaurants
Zentoshin served around 200,000 shops, many of which rely on early payments to maintain cash flow, raising concerns over their financial stability following the disruption.
Japan needs caregivers. Young Indians are answering the call.
Young people in India's northeast are increasingly studying Japanese in hopes of building new lives and careers in Japan.
Trump says ‘Japan’ instead of Iran at meeting in Ankara
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks at a news conference during a NATO leaders' summit in Ankara on Wednesday.
Wakatakakage injury casts pall over July meet, but potential new stars loom
Nicholas Tarasenko trains at Minato stable in August 2024.
Osaka trumps Tokyo as both ranked among world’s top 10 most livable cities
Osaka’s infrastructure earned higher marks than Tokyo’s in the Economist Intelligence Unit’s latest Global Liveability Index.
‘Princess Mononoke’ comes alive in Super Kabuki staging
The “Princess Mononoke” adaptation was created under Shochiku’s Super Kabuki initiative, a modern form of kabuki with more technology in staging and open to pop culture collaborations.
The beating heart inside ‘Human Vapor’
Different forms of love and connection form the emotional backbone of Netflix’s “Human Vapor,” says actor Shun Oguri, who plays troubled detective Kenji Okamoto.
Japan bets on character IP to drive global growth
Born on social media platforms in 2022, Opanchu Usagi has become a major hit, especially among Generation Z.
Filmmaker explores history of discrimination against foreign nationals in Japan
Takashi Nishihara, the director of "Now and Then," in Tokyo on Wednesday. The director has spent 10 years traversing politically charged terrain while exploring youth-driven grassroots political movements that scrutinize the status quo.
Okinawa’s prized seaweed under threat as oceans warm
Local harvesters gather <i>mozuku</i> during low tide at Hyakuna Beach in the city of Nanjo, Okinawa Prefecture. As the planet warms, rising ocean temperatures are placing increasing pressure on the seaweed industry.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

The Terasaka Rice Terraces are seen with Mount Buko in the background.
What Yokoze can teach Japan about rural revival
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