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Caroline Gardin
Hitomi is seen working at the At-Home Cafe in the Akihabara district of Tokyo.
LIFE / Travel
May 28, 2026
‘Geek’ hangout to tourist draw: Japan’s maid cafes
Once niche “otaku” spaces, Japan’s maid cafes now attract tourists, couples and families seeking playful escapist entertainment.
The entrance to discount retailer Don Quijote's store in Tokyo's Shibuya district, known as Don Don Donki outside the country
BUSINESS / Companies
May 11, 2025
‘Treasure hunt’: Tourists boost sales at Japan’s Don Quijote stores
Revenues at Don Quijote in Japan are “around 1.7 times higher than before the pandemic,” said Motoki Hara, a manager at the retailer.
People walk down a street in the red-light entertainment area of Kabukicho in the Shinjuku district of Tokyo on March 31.
JAPAN / Society
Apr 20, 2025
Social media helps fuel growing ‘sex tourism’ in Japan
Only certain sexual services are prohibited in Japan, and it is the sex workers — not their clients — who face fines or prison, if caught.
Beniko, a former sex worker-turned professional photographer, browses though her new photo book in Sumida Ward, Tokyo, on Feb. 10. The 52-year-old has set out to visually document Japan's pleasure districts.
JAPAN / Society
Mar 30, 2025
Former sex worker records Tokyo’s red-light history
“I can’t make up for lost time, but I want to document the sex industry as part of history,” says Beniko.
The top lid of a tank at the "J9" area is removed at Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings' Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant in Okuma, Fukushima Prefecture, on Friday.
JAPAN / FOCUS
Feb 15, 2025
Tepco takes on challenge of making space for Fukushima nuclear debris
Workers at the crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant have started dismantling water storage tanks to free up space for tons of nuclear debris.
Burgundy snails at the Mie Escargots Development Laboratory farm in Matsusaka, Mie Prefecture, on May 16
LIFE / Food & Drink
Jun 30, 2024
Japan’s escargot entrepreneur achieves the ‘impossible’
Toshihide Takase has invested a small fortune and taught himself everything about Burgundy snails.
A worker installs a mesh barrier to block the view of Mount Fuji emerging from behind a convenience store in Fujikawaguchiko, Yamanashi Prefecture, on Tuesday. The measure follows complaints of bad behaviors by tourists seeking the perfect photo at the location.
JAPAN / Society
May 21, 2024
Weary of overtourism, Japan town blocks one popular view of Mount Fuji
The large mesh barrier was put up at the popular photo-taking spot in Fujikawaguchiko, Yamanashi Prefecture, in response to misbehaving tourists.

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The Terasaka Rice Terraces are seen with Mount Buko in the background.
What Yokoze can teach Japan about rural revival