Tanuki Marugoto BOOK hit #1 in twelve Amazon Japan categories on pre-orders alone before its May 1 release, and topped Rakuten Books' daily ranking. Shigaraki pottery and its eight lucky aspects, Studio Ghibli's Pom Poko, Tom Nook in Animal Crossing, and a single social post about a defeated-looking tanuki with 96.5 million views. Why this animal is loved across so many cultural layers in Japan, explained for readers who keep mistaking it for a raccoon.
Japanese book designer Shin Sobue died at 66 on March 15. We explore soutei, the Japanese discipline of designing every element of a book, paper, type, binding, even intentional misprints, and the legacy of works like Densha-Otoko, Soseki's Kokoro, and the Dorohedoro art book.
Model kits that once got confiscated at school are now official teaching materials in Japan. Bandai's free Gunpla Academia program has reached 940,000 students since 2021. A father from the 'confiscation generation' shares his amazement as his daughter brings home a Gundam kit from class.
The University of Tokyo's Graduate School of Engineering launches a new Blockchain Applied Practice Program in 2026, featuring cross-disciplinary study groups in finance, cryptography, contemporary art, and mobility. Eight major blockchain platforms including Ethereum Foundation and Avalanche participate in a chain-neutral design.
A survey of 2,469 Japanese elementary and middle school students reveals that 75% believe certain jobs will vanish within a decade. Translator tops the list of endangered professions, followed by train/bus drivers. Explore how Japan's youngest generation views careers in the age of AI.
Aircraft carrier flight decks come in two main types: ski-jump ramps and catapult systems. Japan's JS Kaga uses neither. Here is the engineering behind CATOBAR and STOVL carriers, why Kaga was converted the way it was for the F-35B, and what each nation's deck shape reveals about its defense strategy.
Learners of Japanese abroad have grown 31.5-fold, from 127,167 when the Japan Foundation's survey began in fiscal 1974 to 4,000,750 today across 143 countries and territories. Manga and anime drive much of it: Demon Slayer's Infinity Castle chapter closed at 117.9 billion yen worldwide, the top gross for any Japanese film. Meanwhile about half of Japan's Japanese teachers are volunteers.
Mejiro University in Tokyo plans to launch Japan's only dedicated Korean Studies department in April 2027. Built on 20 years of Korean language education, the program features mandatory study abroad and dual-degree options, reflecting the massive K-culture boom transforming Japan's youth.
Italian engineer Alberto Donini's "Relative Erosion Method" suggests the Great Pyramid of Giza may have been built around 25,000 years ago — far older than the accepted 4,600-year timeline. Was Pharaoh Khufu merely a renovator? We explore the controversial findings, mainstream archaeological pushback, and what this means for ancient history.
Konan Women's University launches a new Faculty of Sociology in April 2026 that takes "oshi-katsu" (supporting your favorite idol/character) seriously as academic research. With Japan's fan economy now worth $23 billion, discover how this university is bridging the gap between pop culture passion and rigorous social science.
Kansai University has launched the "Flagship Research Program," offering over $650,000 in funding over 10 years per project, an unprecedented move for a private Japanese university. Learn how this three-phase support model tackles Japan's chronic research funding gaps and aims to build world-class research hubs.
