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July 02, 2026
 

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TOURISM

The woman behind the Lost Filipina blog says typical social media fame interests her much less than the hikes she continues to map out.
LIFE / Travel
Feb 16, 2026
Off the beaten feed: Comprehensive site steers hikers in Japan past social media noise
English-language guides to hiking Japan’s many mountains can be scarce, but one Filipina resident has taken it upon herself to map out the country’s many trails.
Narita Airport in Chiba Prefecture is pictured crowded with inbound tourists in June 2025.
JAPAN
Feb 12, 2026
Japan to subsidize measures to ease airport congestion
The transport ministry is considering subsidizing costs for expanding passenger walkways at airports and increasing baggage conveyor belts
The Kongo family’s residence and workshop in the Taisho Era, photographed about a century ago.
BUSINESS / Companies / Longform
Feb 9, 2026
What keeps Japan’s 1,000-year-old companies alive?
Across religion, hospitality and the arts, the country’s oldest institutions show how craft and continuity can endure.
A craft beer brewery run by California native Brian Shevlin and his wife Mariko Furuta, Joynt Brewing Co. regularly hosts events that highlight different cultural communities.
COMMUNITY / Issues / The Foreign Element
Feb 9, 2026
Foreign residents breathe new life into bubble-era resort town
A spate of new businesses operated by non-Japanese residents is bringing new vitality to the seaside town of Ito with cultural events, art classes and more.
Fujiyoshida, Yamanashi Prefecture, with its view of Mount Fuji, cherry blossom trees and a five-story pagoda, may still see a spike in visitors in spring even with the cancellation of a cherry blossom festival in the city.
JAPAN
Feb 5, 2026
Mount Fuji cherry blossom festival canceled due to overtourism
The city of Fujiyoshida, Yamanashi Prefecture, said “the quiet lives of local residents are threatened.”
A ski resort in Niigata Prefecture on Saturday. A month of heavy snowfall has drawn renewed interest to Japan’s ski resorts from Americans and other overseas visitors in search of fresh powder.
JAPAN
Feb 4, 2026
Japan ski areas see bumper season as heavy snow draws visitors
Some ski resorts are experiencing their best snow depth in more than a decade.
Visitors to the Sapporo Snow Festival take pictures on Wednesday.
JAPAN
Feb 4, 2026
Sapporo Snow Festival opens with 210 sculptures
The 76th Sapporo Snow Festival, which runs until next Wednesday, is expected to attract over 2 million visitors, with free admission.
Japan Airlines' passenger revenue from its China routes in December was ¥1 billion ($6.4 million) lower than projected, and about ¥300 million short at affiliate Spring Japan.
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 4, 2026
JAL says passenger revenue in December was 20% short for China routes
The drop was attributed to Beijing advice to Chinese citizens to refrain from traveling to Japan.
A 22-year-old Australian woman has died after her backpack got caught on a ski lift, which left her suspended in midair after attempting to disembark at Tsugaike Mountain Resort in Hakuba Valley, a popular ski destination in Nagano Prefecture, police said Monday.
JAPAN
Feb 3, 2026
Australian woman dies after backpack buckle gets caught in Japan ski lift
A buckle from her backpack got caught in the lift chair, which led to her being suspended in midair after she attempted to disembark at a resort in Nagano Prefecture.
Tourists with their suitcases wait for a train in Osaka.
BUSINESS
Feb 2, 2026
Japan’s duty-free sales fall further as China tensions linger
Arrivals from China plunged 45% to 330,000 people in December, even as overall foreign visitor numbers for 2025 hit a record high — topping 40 million for the first time.
The historical townscape in Takayama, Gifu Prefecture, has been approved for tourism subsidies.
JAPAN
Feb 2, 2026
Japan to boost aid for town development using historical resources
The tourism ministry intends to provide subsidies to a wide range of municipal governments working on projects including renovating old buildings and preserving traditional events.
Ski fields in Hakuba, Nagano Prefecture, which rose to national prominence during Japan’s 1980s and early 1990s ski boom and hosted the 1998 Nagano Olympics, remain central to the village’s winter economy.
JAPAN / Society / Longform
Feb 2, 2026
In Hakuba, getting the tourism balance right
As tourism surges, a ski town in Nagano Prefecture weighs economic revival against rising costs, crowds and cultural clashes.
A Japanese police officer stands guard at the entrance of the Chinese embassy in Tokyo
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jan 31, 2026
Chinese advised not to visit Japan after robbery
The embassy issued the advisory on social media and said that it has asked Japanese police to resolve the robbery case as soon as possible.
Shohei Ohtani and his pet dog made an appearance at last year's Sapporo Snow Festival — not in person but as some of the snow sculptures that make the event an international draw.
LIFE
Jan 31, 2026
How to enjoy the Sapporo Snow Festival like a local
Snow, cold and crowds make Sapporo’s marquee winter event, running this year from Feb. 4 to 11, a must-see for travelers everywhere.
A Vietnamese worker picks tomatoes at a farm in Asahi, Chiba Prefecture, in 2018. Vietnamese comprised the largest percentage of foreign workers in Japan in 2025.
JAPAN
Jan 30, 2026
Foreign workers in Japan reach a record 2.57 million in 2025
The total was up 11.7% from a year earlier and comes amid an acute labor shortage in the rapidly aging country.
While standard rooms at the Royal Park Hotel Iconic Naha may run you around ¥25,000 to ¥35,000 per night, more luxury suites like this one are available for travelers with yen to burn.
LIFE / Travel
Jan 30, 2026
Naha’s newest hotel is made from Okinawan culture — literally
Open from Jan. 30, the Royal Park Hotel Iconic Naha incorporates numerous elements of the island’s heritage, including remnants of the incinerated Shuri Castle.
The number of foreign passengers on international flights at Narita International Airport rose 3% from a year earlier to 2,108,313 in December, marking a record high for the month, the airport operator said Thursday.
JAPAN
Jan 29, 2026
Narita Airport sees record number of foreign passengers in December
The number of flights between the airport and China fell 18% to 2,122, however, following the Chinese government’s request for its citizens to refrain from traveling to Japan.
The Finance Ministry on Thursday upgraded its economic assessment for tourism in Okinawa, with one hotel industry official there saying there was no significant impact from group cancellations following Chinese government notices advising against visits to Japan.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jan 29, 2026
Finance Ministry raises economic view on Hokuriku and Okinawa
The ministry said in a quarterly report that Japan’s economy is “recovering at a moderate pace,” adopting the same assessment for the 10th straight quarter.
Travelers at Narita Airport. A new policy package from Japan's government put a spotlight on foreign patients not paying medical fees as a major topic to address, but it may not only be a matter of them dodging the bill.
JAPAN / Society / FOCUS
Jan 29, 2026
Are foreign nationals actually dodging their medical bills in Japan?
When it comes to foreign patients not paying their medical fees, the answer might not be that straightforward.
A private lodging operator in Tokyo has been referred to prosecutors for allegedly violating the law on private lodging business.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jan 27, 2026
Tokyo private lodging firm referred to prosecutors for illegal operations
The company and individuals allegedly breached the law on private lodging.
More facilities in Japan placing sanitary bins in men’s restrooms
A sanitary bin with an awareness sticker placed in a men's restroom in the Nagasaki Municipal Government building
Inside Japan’s rigid adoption system, a British family finds a way
James Benstead, his wife, Jesse, and their three children. Their adopted son is in the rear stroller.
Life inside Japan’s largest prison for women
Western-style rooms spanning the size of four tatami mats with hardwood floors, a toilet and soft mattresses on bed frames are designated for foreign nationals and those with health conditions at Tochigi Prison.
India’s gig workers pay the price for exposure to New Delhi’s hazardous air
Rohit Kushwaha waits for a customer as he delivers his last parcel of the day, in New Delhi in January. His work as a delivery driver has helped pay the family’s bills, but has had a significant impact on his health.
Reform panel calls for easing data center building standards
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi emphasized that the government will promote reforms of regulations and systems that fit the artificial intelligence era.
Japan’s fertility system offers few safe paths for same-sex couples
A Tokyo Pride parade participant holds a sign that says "we want to be a married couple, not a couple."
Life inside Japan’s largest prison for women
Western-style rooms spanning the size of four tatami mats with hardwood floors, a toilet and soft mattresses on bed frames are designated for foreign nationals and those with health conditions at Tochigi Prison.
Inside Japan’s rigid adoption system, a British family finds a way
James Benstead, his wife, Jesse, and their three children. Their adopted son is in the rear stroller.
A French ship with close ties to Japan combines arts and sciences on the high seas
Romain Troublé, the executive director of Tara Ocean Foundation, speaks to visitors aboard the Tara during a rare port call in Tokyo in April.
In Kyushu’s far south, Senti.U sparks a culinary destination
Chef Yasuhiko Uchida was born in Saga Prefecture but has made his home in Kanoya, Kagoshima Prefecture, since 2012.

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
By Alex K.T. Martin

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