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Unseen Japan

@unseenjapan.bsky.social

The Japan you don't learn about in anime. Newsletter: https://unseen-japan.com/newsletter
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Japan, Land of the Cheap: Asahi reports that foreign tourists - mainly from other Asian countries - are taking advantage of the weak yen to scoop up high end bargains. One woman from Korea said the expensive wallet she bought would cost twice what she paid back home. www.asahi.com/articles/ASS...
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It's said that "seeing it brings happiness." But no more: Japan's "Doctor Yellow" diagnostic Shinkansen train is entering retirement. Learn why the famous train is being sent to greener high-speed pastures - and what's replacing it. buff.ly/3yXdN4K
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Japanese band Mrs. GREEN APPLE has pulled their latest video, “Columbus”, which generated outrage for depicting themselves as explorers/conquerors and the native people they meet along the way as…monkeys. The band’s official site also issued an apology.
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A woman in her 80s died in Tokyo yesterday after an escalator accident. Japanese news, as you’d expect, dragged out a computer-generated model to illustrate exactly how this could happen. Such accidents are spiking as Japan’s population grows older.
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A horrific story unfolding in Rumoi, Hokkaido, as 21yo Uchida Riko and a 19yo woman stand accused of murdering a 17yo high school girl by throwing her off a bridge. The girl’s crime? Posting a pic of Uchida on social media. news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/ba7... #japan #unseenjapan #crime #news
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Welcome to Tokyo…want some bees? A horde of around 2,000 bees have apparently taken up residence in a tree near Shinjuku Station’s west exit. If you see them, station officials suggest that you “don’t provoke them” (sound advice). newsdig.tbs.co.jp/articles/-/1... #japan #unseenjapan #news
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Students reportedly cried, and parents objected, after a middle school in Koji in Tokyo’s Chiyoda Ward forbid a dance club of 30 students from performing an annual hip hop dance @ the school festival. The reason was to ostensibly focus on competitive creative dance. digital.asahi.com/sp/articles/...
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Students reportedly cried, and parents objected, after a middle school in Koji in Tokyo’s Chiyoda Ward forbid a dance club of 30 students from performing an annual hip hop dance @ the school festival. The reason was to ostensibly focus on competitive creative dance. digital.asahi.com/sp/articles/...
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Susukino in Hokkaido's Sapporo is to Sapporo what Kabukicho is to Tokyo. On July 2nd, 2023, police were called to a hotel in the red light district. There, they found a body. They did not find any identification on the victim. They also did not find a head. unseen-japan.com/susukino-beh...
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Setagaya becomes the latest city in Tokyo to consider allowing same-sex couples registered under Tokyo's partnership system to list themselves as common-law married partners on their residence certificates. This follows Suginami, which is considering a similar measure. #japan #unseenjapan #lgbtq
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It's easy to breach etiquette when traveling. But even 1 in 10 Japanese people say they've made this error at revolving (kaiten) sushi restaurants. Learn how not to be that guy/girl below. buff.ly/45iasJv #japan #unseenjapan #ujwebsite #travel #food #restaurants
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Japanese spouses can't legally have separate last names. The head of the Keidanren, Japan's most powerful business group, says that's impeding the success of women in Japanese business - and he's calling on the government to fix it. Learn more about why below. buff.ly/4cjWBED
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For the first time in Japan, a local government recognized same-sex spouses on a residence certificate as a common-law marriage. Now, it looks like other governments may follow suit in a move that could pressure Japan's central government to act on marriage equality. buff.ly/3V819ao
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IC transportation cards are an easy way to get around Japan. But five companies in Kumamoto say they can no longer afford to accept them. What does this mean for the ubiquitous IC card's future? buff.ly/3ReoMwT #japan #unseenjapan #ujwebsite #travel #tourism #transit
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Godzilla and others take center stage in a projection mapping exhibit in Tokyo that some say isn't worth its hefty price tag of USD $11.5 million. Learn about the controversy - and what it might mean for incumbent governor Koike Yuriko - in our latest. buff.ly/4bJw4Rm
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A survey released earlier this year reveals what Japanese citizens think about increased immigration - and shows a substantial split by age. Here's what Japan thinks about the increase in foreign residents - and what they think the government can do to help reduce discrimination. buff.ly/3x4tuq2
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Authors and fans alike are criticizing reports from TV station NTV and publisher Shogakukan on the death of manga author Ashihara Hinako. Here's what each report claims to have found - and the blistering social media reaction that followed. buff.ly/45cbarK
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Former Idol Onodela Popko made waves when she quit her group after just one week over bullying. What's she up to now? Racking up wins, it would seem. Here's why she went viral - and what she's been up to since. unseen-japan.com/onodela-popk... #japan #unseenjapan #ujwebsite #idol #idols
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Onodera Popko gained fame in 2019 when she quit idol group asterisk* east live on stage, accusing them of bullying before flipping them off. How’d she doing now? Really well: she’s graduated from Waseda *and* UC Berkeley’s Haas Business School, according to her X account. jisin.jp/entertainmen...
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A popular left-leaning Japanese politician with Taiwanese roots made waves when she announced her bid for the governor's office of Tokyo. The response from her opponents was predictable as it was tired. A look at Renho and what her candidacy means. unseen-japan.com/renho-tokyo-...
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The weak yen means many Japanese people can't easily travel abroad. That's left those who bought timeshares in Hawaii losing money, as they now hold expensive contracts they can neither use nor sell. More below in our latest. unseen-japan.com/japan-hawaii... #japan #unseenjapan #ujwebsite #travel
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Japanese police are after a notorious Chinese social media influencer who defaced Yasukuni Shrine to boost his own reputation. Here's what we know about the attack on the controversial shrine that houses Class A war criminals. buff.ly/456DM5v #japan #china #unseenjapan #ujwebsite #socialmedia
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Ramen Jiro, a popular ramen chain with diehard fans, caught fire in Kabukicho and these hard-core mfers kept eating through it. OP: "I know there are ppl who'd eat til they puked, but eating with your life on the line...Jiro, your last meal on Earth." #japan #unseenjapan
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For the first time, authorities in Japan have shut down a host club for using a debtor's system that's forced many women into prostitution. Learn more about the case - and the continued crackdown on host clubs - below. buff.ly/3X14N8y #japan #unseenjapan #ujwebsite #entertainment
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One town in Japan put up a giant curtain to deter overtourism at a famous Mt. Fuji tourist spot. But where there's a will, there's a way: some people are now literally poking holes in the drape as a workaround. Learn more - and how police are responding to it - below. buff.ly/3VjFM7i
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OP was taken aback when they saw a horse coming out of the Keio Inokashira subway line at Shibuya Station. Took them a minute to realize it was just a poster for horse racing 🐴🚊 #japan #unseenjapan
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“Found on Street View, this is probably how Atarashi Gakko! got their start” #japan #unseenjapan
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Got data in Japan? Here's why an eSIM for Japan travel is a hassle-free way to stay connected while seeing the sights - and a look at other options for staying connected while in Japan (more below). unseen-japan.com/esim-japan-t... #japan #unseenjapan #ujwebsite #travel #internet
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Media reports blaming foreign tourists for bad behavior in Japan abound. But some say they're just imitating what the Japanese locals do. Who's really to blame for Foreigners Behaving Badly? unseen-japan.com/japan-overto... #japan #unseenjapan #ujwebsite #travel #tourism
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This TV time listing in Yomiuri Shimbun for a game between two baseball teams is read left to right, but when the initial letters are read top to bottom on the left in red, they read, "Earth has no need for nukes."