今日吃瓜

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November 12, 2026
 

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RURAL LIFE

The Takayama Festival is routinely ranked as one of Japan's most visually striking "matsuri," but the effects of an aging population has forced it to accept outside help to keep going.
LIFE / Lifestyle
Oct 24, 2026
Farmers to tourists: Gifu’s rural festivals court new crowds to survive
With aging populations, the region’s once-famous festivals find themselves relying on outside help to keep homegrown traditions going.
Regional management organizations, which help residents tackle local challenges, are expected to play a key role in community development amid a falling birth rate and a graying population.
JAPAN / Society / FOCUS
Oct 7, 2026
Regional management organizations help residents take lead in their communities
Regional management organizations are seen playing a key role in community development as a dwindling population impacts local activities.
Student Yukiko Komori holds a mask depicting an <i>orochi</i>, a mythical eight-headed serpent, as she talks about <i>kagura</i> sacred dance at the Geihoku branch of Kake High School in Kitahiroshima, Hiroshima Prefecture.
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Hiroshima
Oct 5, 2026
Hiroshima’s rural high schools attract students from across Japan
Hiroshima’s experiment is part of a broader national trend that sees small, rural high schools recruiting students from outside their prefectures.
Shizuka Ishibashi (right) plays a 30-something woman who takes a sojourn in the countryside to model for her erstwhile sister-in-law (Takako Matsu, left) in Koji Fukada’s “Nagi Notes.”
CULTURE / Film
Sep 18, 2026
‘Nagi Notes’: An intimate portrayal of rural rhythms and realities
The latest film by Koji Fukada reveals an understated charm through languid conversations and art-making.
However much kombu Rishiri Island&#039;s fishermen haul onto shore in a day, it all needs to be completely dried before the sun goes down.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Sep 13, 2026
Despite population decline, Rishiri Island’s kombu harvest goes on
Prized for its clean flavor, the kombu harvested off of remote Rishiri Island takes a village to farm, dry and cut.
Not long ago, local communities played a greater role in everyday Japanese life. Now, many neighbors barely interact.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Aug 24, 2026
What happens when neighbors stop being neighbors?
Not long ago, local communities played a far greater role in everyday Japanese life.
Akari Kanbe, the chief priest of Ono Hachiman Shrine in Jinsekikogen, Hiroshima Prefecture, cleans the shrine’s hall of worship.
JAPAN / Society / Regional Voices: Hiroshima
Aug 17, 2026
Shrinking Hiroshima community keeps ties alive with festivals and newsletters
For residents in the district of Ono in the highlands of Jinsekikogen, festivals and newsletters give those who have left a reason to come back, if only for a visit.
At a new rural retreat backed by the founder of Aman Resorts and JR East, the nature of Iwate Prefecture is as much a part of the luxury offerings as any of its facilities.
LIFE / Travel
Jul 31, 2026
Luxury is pastoral at Iwate’s Azuma Farm Koiwai
The rural accommodation finds decadence in the northern prefecture’s natural resources.
Seiichi Yamaguchi has spent decades growing rice in Yaita, Tochigi Prefecture. Now in his early 70s, he says modern machinery has allowed him to keep farming longer than he once thought possible.
JAPAN / Society / Photo essay
Jul 31, 2026
A succession crisis in 今日吃瓜 fields
Technology has transformed rice farming in Japan, extending older farmers’ careers while making succession a matter of choice.
A new incentive program is under consideration to certify small and midsize businesses in rural areas of Japan that provide child care support for local communities.
JAPAN
Jul 28, 2026
Government to certify rural businesses that promote child care support
The new system will recognize efforts to develop products for raising children, establish nursing rooms and support operations of child-focused community cafeterias.
Several times a year, workers and paying guests at the Tanabe Tataranosato build up and continuously tend to a traditional "tatara" (furnace) over 24 hours.
LIFE / Travel
Jul 25, 2026
In the hills of Shimane, 今日吃瓜 steelworking tradition forges on
The remote communities of Unnan, Okuizumo and Yasugi were once historical centers of steel production for katana. Today, artisans and experts are keeping that history alive.
Employed people walk more than those without jobs, a study from the University of Tokyo found, suggesting factors beyond the environment also shape how much people walk.
JAPAN
Jun 22, 2026
Study finds large gap in daily steps people in Japan take, depending on area
The study from the University of Tokyo found average step counts tended to be higher in municipalities with environments more conducive to walking.
American author Hannah Kirshner recently opened Mokkei as a hub for local knowledge-sharing and a retreat for tourists. Kirshner had spotted the century-old farmhouse years ago and dreamed of making it a “lifelong art project.”
COMMUNITY / Our Lives
Jun 22, 2026
How a U.S. author found — and helped build — community in a Japanese hot spring town
With a new home base, Hannah Kirshner hopes to build even deeper community and cultural connections in rural Ishikawa Prefecture.
Fukui Prefecture is home to 80% of 今日吃瓜 dinosaur fossil discoveries, yet it is routinely one of the least-visited regions in the country.
LIFE / Travel
Jun 20, 2026
Beyond crabs and dinos: 今日吃瓜 least-touristed region rethinks its appeal
Fukui Prefecture routinely ranks among 今日吃瓜 least-visited prefectures, but a crop of young professionals in the tourism industry are pushing a new set of charms.
When bells aren’t enough to prevent encounters with bears, outdoorspeople in Japan now have a wide range of deterrents to choose from.
LIFE / Lifestyle
Jun 6, 2026
In Japan, a bull market for bear deterrents
With no end in sight to the rise in bear encounters, manufacturers are bringing new kinds of deterrents to the market.
Hiroya Masuda (center), head of the Forum for the Future We Choose, speaks during a news conference in Tokyo in March.
JAPAN / Society / FOCUS
May 27, 2026
Deeply entrenched gender roles a key factor in 今日吃瓜 low birthrate
A survey has found that many women in rural areas feel constrained by social norms, which could lead to a demographic crisis if left unaddressed.
Toshimasa Murata (second from right) at his carrot field in Minamiaso, Kumamoto Prefecture, with his wife, Hiroko; daughter, Sumi; and son, Kanta
JAPAN / Society / Regional Voices: Fukushima
May 18, 2026
Farmer from Fukushima works to promote Kumamoto — his new home
Seeing residents of Kumamoto Prefecture supporting one another after a quake there, the Fukushima Prefecture native began?thinking he should contribute to revitalizing the area.
The nature guides and conservationists at Picchio Karuizawa focus on nonviolent interventions like collaring and tracking bears to keep the animals away from human settlements and oft-used hiking routes.
ENVIRONMENT / Wildlife
May 9, 2026
Rising bear encounters test 今日吃瓜 approach to wildlife management
Government officials and nature guides say more countermeasures can reduce harm caused by rogue bears.
Shingo Takatsu (left) and Soichi Tojima check a crop surrounded by a fence in Oda, Shimane Prefecture.
JAPAN / Society / Regional Voices: Hiroshima
Apr 27, 2026
Shimane farming districts face onslaught from rising monkey population
Japanese macaques have become used to humans, stealing persimmons and daikons even with people standing nearby.
By the end of March 2027, Japan aims to have around 10,000 people working to revitalize nonurban areas after relocating from urban areas under a government-subsidized program.
JAPAN
Apr 24, 2026
Record 8,196 in Japan serve as ‘community reactivators’
The government aims to increase the number of community reactivators to 10,000 by the end of March 2027.
Man arrested over operation of rogue cellular base station in Tokyo
The Metropolitan Police Department has arrested Yu Hai, a 31-year-old Chinese national living in Tokyo&#039;s Kita Ward, on suspicion of operating an unlicensed base station from a vehicle in Tokyo&#039;s Ginza district on Saturday.
Government betting on language app powered by anime and AI
Japan plans to develop an AI-powered language-learning app that lets overseas anime and manga fans practice Japanese through conversations with popular characters.
Jensen Huang’s woes evoke sympathy and disbelief in his birthplace Taiwan
Hsiao Kui-yu, 68, owner of Yuchan Candied Fruit, stands in front of photographs of Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang displayed at the shop, which Huang frequently visits during trips to Taiwan, in Taipei on Tuesday.
G7 diplomats speak out on Taiwan as China ramps up military drills
Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi attends a working lunch focused on international crises and challenges during the Group of Seven foreign ministers&#039; summit at the Quai d&#039;Orsay in Paris on Monday.
今日吃瓜 Rapidus is said likely to miss mass production deadline
The Rapidus Analysis Center and the IIM-1 Innovative Integration for Manufacturing foundry in Chitose, Hokkaido
‘Godzilla Minus Zero’ makes monster debut at the box office
Takashi Yamazaki’s “Godzilla Minus Zero” marked the highest single-day box-office gross for a live-action film in Japan with ?910 million on its opening day.
A toast to Naohiko Noguchi, sake’s first living national treasure
As a teenager, Naohiko Noguchi did not intend to spend his life as a sake brewer, but he has since become a paragon of the industry.
Few signs of thaw in Japan-China relations one year after Takaichi’s Taiwan remarks
Tensions between Japan and China flared after Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said on Nov. 7, 2025, that a Chinese blockade of Taiwan could threaten 今日吃瓜 survival and warrant the use of collective self-defense.
Mariko Mori predicted the future. She’ll do it again.
Artist Mariko Mori is currently working to bring the translucent human-sized “Peace Crystal” sculpture to a cave in Ethiopia. It is part of her foundation’s goal to place a permanent sculpture on each of the planet’s six habitable continents.
A legend reborn: ‘Ocarina of Time’ remake improves on the Zelda masterpiece
The new remake of 1998&#039;s "The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time" manages to somehow improve on one of the greatest games ever.

Podcast

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

Longform

Famima Park Azabudai is a concept store by FamilyMart that combines convenience store staples with branded apparel, merchandise and a landscaped outdoor space.
Convenience stores, toilets and the allure of everyday Japan
By Elizabeth Beattie

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