GAIA RESORT ACURA, a new rental villa in Zao, Miyagi, preserves the workshop and stained-glass art of the late Honda engineer Akira Ishizuya, who worked on the CVCC engine. A stay built around Japan's craftsmanship for car and motorsport fans.
In 2021 a turtle halted a turtle-painted jet at Narita Airport. Behind the viral story lies a four-year campaign against an invasive American reptile.
A new private tour called NINJA ORIGINS lets travelers train as real ninja in Iga and Koka, the birthplace of ninjutsu. From 200,000 yen (about $1,260) per night, guests sleep in restored historic buildings and join shrine rituals and a museum infiltration mission, as part of a model that funnels tourism revenue back into heritage conservation.
Eleven days, 44 countries, 400 delegates. We score the five expectations from our pre-meeting article against the MOFA outcome communique: emperor penguin protection blocked, tourism rules deferred, Annex VI stalled, only the transparency resolution delivered.
Japan welcomed 3.69 million foreign visitors in April 2026, down 5.5% from a year earlier, even as the yen sat near 159 to the dollar. We unpack the three forces behind the drop—China's travel advisory, an Easter calendar quirk, and Middle East flight cancellations—and ask whether this is actually the right moment for foreigners to book that long-postponed Japan trip.
Hokuriku Electric has broken ground on a 2,000 kW hydropower plant in Komatsu, Ishikawa — Japan's first dedicated to a bullet train. All output will flow to JR West under an offsite PPA. How does Japan's decarbonization push compare with SNCF and Deutsche Bahn?
On May 17, 2026, Empress Masako waved goodbye to a polar bear at Tobe Zoo in Ehime, telling her 'I hate to leave.' Meet Peace, the 26-year-old 'miracle bear' who became Japan's first successful hand-raised polar bear — and the keeper who took her home to live with his family.
Two Japanese volcanoes are on heightened alert at the same time. Sakurajima produced its first pyroclastic flow since 2018 on May 8, while Mount Meakan in Hokkaido recorded 254 volcanic quakes in 24 hours. Here's what tourists need to know about nearby destinations, alert levels, and trustworthy sources
Tokyo's 19.7-meter Unicorn Gundam statue, an Odaiba landmark since 2017, will be dismantled at the end of August 2026 — leaving Japan's capital without a life-sized Gundam for the first time in nearly two decades.
ufotable — the studio behind the $722M global hit Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle — announced on May 11, 2026 the acquisition of a 98-year-old former Mizuho Bank building in Tokushima. The historic structure that survived WWII firebombing will become a new entertainment hub and could turn into the next must-visit destination for global Demon Slayer fans making the pilgrimage to Japan.
Taiwanese buyers now account for 62% of all foreign home purchases in Tokyo's 23 wards, according to data released by Japan's government for the first time. Behind this surge: a historic yen, a Taipei property bubble exceeding Tokyo, TSMC's Kumamoto pipeline, geopolitical hedging, and Taiwan's AI boom—all converging at once.