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Bringing you the most unexpected, illuminating and inspiring stories from around Japan. This is everything you won’t get from a travel guide.

(Credit: Illustration by Maria Medem)
Culture

The book that changed Japan’s image

20200819 Tears Teacher 006
Reel

Japan's unique crying clubs

Conventional wind turbines can be highly efficient, but in storms they become vulnerable (Credit: Getty Images)
Future Planet

The wind turbines built for typhoons

By Lu-Hai Liang
Nintendo initially feared that the Pokémon characters were too cute for US audiences (Credit: Alamy)
Gaming

How Pokémon took over the world

By Matt Alt
(Credit: Alamy)
(Credit: Alamy)
(Credit: Shiho Fukada and Keith Bedford)
(Credit: Alamy)
(Credit: Getty Images)

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The arm’s-length flats of Tokyo

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The world’s oldest novel?

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Ikumen: the rise of Japan’s ‘hot dads’

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Dragon Eye lake in Japan (credit: BBC)
Reel

Japan's mysterious 'Dragon Eye' lake

Kintsugi
Reel

Japan's ancient philosophy that helps us accept our flaws

Naomi Kawase, film-maker
Japan 2020

Naomi Kawase's Olympic vision

By BBC World News
Sushi on plate (Credit: Getty Images)
Japan 2020

Should we eat like the Japanese?

By Veronique Greenwood
Mitsuo Hagiwara (credit: Keith Bedford and Shiho Fukada)
Worklife

The exercise that moves Japan

The Ainu were assimilated into Japanese society and their traditional tattoos and other customs banned (Credit: Michele and Tom Grimm/Alamy)
Travel

Japan’s forgotten people