An American tourist suspected of murdering and chopping the head off of his Japanese “Tinder date” last month has been revealed to be a “mama’s boy” who once served in the United States Air Force. Yevgeniy Vasilievich Bayraktar, 26, is accused of killing 27-year-old office worker Saki Kondo before putting her severed head in a bag and then scattering the rest of … [Read more...] about American Who Decapitated Tinder Date in Japan Was a ‘Spoiled Child’ Whose ‘Dream Was to Marry a Japanese Woman’
A Sea of 4.5 Million Baby Blue Eye Flowers in Japan’s Hitachi Seaside Park
Azure TB Hitachi Seaside Park is a sprawling 470 acre park located in Hitachinaka, Ibaraki, Japan, that features vast flower gardens including millions of daffodils, 170 varieties of tulips, and an estimated 4.5 million baby blue eyes (Nemophila). The sea on blue flowers blooms once annually around April in an event referred to as the “Nemophila Harmony.” If you plan on … [Read more...] about A Sea of 4.5 Million Baby Blue Eye Flowers in Japan’s Hitachi Seaside Park
Naomi Watanabe, the “Beyoncé of Japan,” Is Taking Down Sizeism in Tokyo—And Becoming a Fashion Icon
Photographed by Keiichi Nitta FacebookPinterest Naomi Watanabe is gazing out from the 46th floor of a slim glass tower in Tokyo, taking in the sunset. Marveling at the endless expanse of lights before her, it’s almost funny that the comedian should be so enthralled, considering that the city below is pulsing with people who know her name. As we ride the elevator down a few … [Read more...] about Naomi Watanabe, the “Beyoncé of Japan,” Is Taking Down Sizeism in Tokyo—And Becoming a Fashion Icon
Cameroonian Artist And Japanese Designer Collab For Stunning Kimono Line
Serge Mouangue is a Cameroonian artist whose own cultural heritage and interest in the particular refinement of Japanese design inspired Wafrica, a project which “encapsulates both West Africa and Japanese ancient sophisticated aesthetic to create a new territory, redefining our sense of origin.” A 2011 TED Fellow, Mouangue has worked with Japanese designers to create unique … [Read more...] about Cameroonian Artist And Japanese Designer Collab For Stunning Kimono Line
A Visit to Aoshima, a Japanese ‘Cat Island’
Aoshima Island is one of about a dozen "cat islands" around Japan, small places where there are significantly more feline residents than people. In Aoshima more than a hundred cats prowl the island, curling up in abandoned houses or strutting about in the quiet fishing village. Cats outnumber humans six to one on the island. Recently becoming popular online, tiny Aoshima has … [Read more...] about A Visit to Aoshima, a Japanese ‘Cat Island’
Being an Animator in Japan Is Brutal
Animator Henry Thurlow hails from New York. Now, he's in Tokyo, working as an animator for Studio Pierrot. Sounds like something you might want to do, no? Before you make the plunge for yourself, read this. After sending off his resume and getting rejection after rejection for several years, he finally got hired by a smaller studio, which he then parlayed into a … [Read more...] about Being an Animator in Japan Is Brutal
Mouthwatering foods everyone should try in Japan
There is so much more to Japanese cuisine than sushi and ramen. From Japanese-style barbecue to hibachi, Japanese cuisine has a huge diversity of regional and seasonal dishes. Plus, the Japanese diet — generally healthy and light — is sometimes credited with longevity. Here are the 42 best dishes to try in Japan. Tonkatsu is a thick, deep-fried pork … [Read more...] about Mouthwatering foods everyone should try in Japan
DIRECTORS CUTS: KUROSAWA’S 7 BEST SAMURAI MOVIES
Several months back, I did a Directors Cuts column listing my seven favorite films by Akira Kurosawa that don’t have to do with samurai and (with one exception) don’t take place in the Edo Period. Enough time now has gone by that I think we can now talk about the films for which Kurosawa is most widely know, because he took that genre and made it something far more … [Read more...] about DIRECTORS CUTS: KUROSAWA’S 7 BEST SAMURAI MOVIES
This Japanese Company Makes Samurai Armor for Cats and Dogs
A Japanese company called Samurai Age just created something the world desperately needed – samurai armor for cats and dogs. Pets are already like loyal samurais that go by our side and protect us (not sure about cats, tbh), so surely they deserve armor that would ignite their warrior spirits. Samurai Age offers standardized armor sized for cats and small dogs, but they also … [Read more...] about This Japanese Company Makes Samurai Armor for Cats and Dogs
Why Scientists Are Stabbing Pig Carcasses with Samurai Swords
By Charles Q. Choi, Live Science Contributor Pay no attention to the person wielding a samurai sword and hacking away at a pig carcass — he's doing it for science. The bloody exercise was done to analyze wounds from both machetes and Japanese samurai swords in order to better identify murder weapons from the cut marks they leave behind. Lest you think the … [Read more...] about Why Scientists Are Stabbing Pig Carcasses with Samurai Swords
‘Star Wars’ fan’s amazing art turns ‘The Force Awakens’ characters into samurai
Gavia Baker-Whitelaw— Feb 2, 2016 at 11:53PM | Last updated Feb 25, 2017 at 2:33AM Star Wars: The Force Awakens has inspired an incredible amount of fanart over the last few months, and Nikolas Draper-Ivey‘s samurai redesigns are among the highlights. Draper-Ivey’s Star Wars art reimagines the characters of The Force Awakens as feudal Japanese … [Read more...] about ‘Star Wars’ fan’s amazing art turns ‘The Force Awakens’ characters into samurai
25 Most Beautiful Places in Japan
Japan is one of our favourite destinations in Asia by far. In Japan you can find the perfect blend of history, cultural heritage and modern comfort. When you’re planning a visit to Japan, it’s quite hard to decide where to go, since there are so many places that are worth your time. There are a lot of popular places that definitely should be included in your itinerary. However, … [Read more...] about 25 Most Beautiful Places in Japan