Japan travel guide, information on Japan and Japanese culture.

The time in Japan is 14:41, Tuesday, January 12th
The next national holiday is Feb 11, Kenkokukinen no Hi (National Foundation Day).

Sayonara, David Bowie

David Bowie in Japan

David Bowie meets with fashion designer Yamamoto Kansai (1973); Bowie touts "Jun" shochu; wearing a ryokan yukata; at a train station in Kyoto (1980).

The Latest Entertainment News from Japan

Nadeshiko Japan Star Sawa Announces Retirement

Sawa Homare lifts the 2011 World CupIt's very difficult to imagine anyone ever matching the record of Nadeshiko Japan legend Sawa Homare. The football veteran and Japan captain (37), who plays for INAC Kobe Leonessa, held a press conference in Tokyo on December 17 to announce that this will be her last season wearing the uniform. The event was attended by about 300 journalists and filmed by more than...

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Japanese Comedian Wins Top BBC Award

yuriko-kotani-comedy-award Congratulations to Japanese comedian (or should that be comedienne?) Kotani Yuriko, who has won this year's BBC Radio New Comedy Award. The final was held last Friday live on BBC Radio 2, and broadcast live from the Comedy Store in London on the show of veteran DJ Steve Wright. Kotani beat five other finalists, chosen from...

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Japan Zone Content Selections

Hanten JacketSTORE

If you want to stay warm and cosy this winter, there's no better way than with a padded cotton hanten jacket.

Warmer even than a down or fleece jacket, hanten have been worn in the cold north of Japan for more than a century. Go...

Abe Shinzo POLITICS

Japan changes prime ministers the way most of us change our shirt. And not many of them get a second bite at the apple.

So the second term of Abe Shinzo was always going to be noteworthy. Even more so now that it has seen a shift back to conservatism, controversy and possible conflict with Japan's East Asian neighbors. Go...

xxx SPORT

So how much do you know about Japan's traditional sport of sumo? Its centuries-old history and deeply ingrained rituals make it a hard sell for young Japanese, whose places in the top ranks have increasingly been taken over by foreign stars. Go...

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SIGHTSEEING GUIDES

Browse our extensive sightseeing guide to the whole country, with information on all the major sights.

USEFUL INFO

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