Unseen Japan
@unseenjapan.com
The Japan you don't learn about in anime. News and social issues from Japan. Visiting Japan soon? Check out our tours service!
https://unseenjapan.start.page/
https://unseenjapan.start.page/
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Unseen Japan
@unseenjapan.com
· Mar 3
Wow - we blinked and you brought us to 20K followers on Bluesky. Thank you! We're happy to have made this our new social media home.
Unseen Japan covers Japanese news, language, history, and social issues from a liberal perspective. Here's a little more about what we do (and how you can help).
Unseen Japan covers Japanese news, language, history, and social issues from a liberal perspective. Here's a little more about what we do (and how you can help).
Each float in the Sagicho Festival weighs around 500 kilograms and is surrounded by around 30 dancers. After being pitted against each other in a test of strength, they're all set aflame to thank the deities who have visited and brought blessings for the season.
buff.ly/MHdgyY8
buff.ly/MHdgyY8
January 23, 2026 at 2:00 PM
Each float in the Sagicho Festival weighs around 500 kilograms and is surrounded by around 30 dancers. After being pitted against each other in a test of strength, they're all set aflame to thank the deities who have visited and brought blessings for the season.
buff.ly/MHdgyY8
buff.ly/MHdgyY8
Besides Uber, visitors to Japan can use Go Taxi, which has opened its app to allow registration with non-Japanese phone numbers. The company has also updated the app to support multiple languages, including English.
Japan Taxi: How to Get Around in Comfort - Unseen Japan
It's not always easy to grab a taxi in Japan as a visitor. However, more services are making it easier than ever for tourists to hail a ride.
buff.ly
January 23, 2026 at 5:37 AM
Besides Uber, visitors to Japan can use Go Taxi, which has opened its app to allow registration with non-Japanese phone numbers. The company has also updated the app to support multiple languages, including English.
On January 22nd, the Japan Meteorological Corporation announced its third cherry blossom forecast for Japan. As of now, initial flowering is expected near the end of March for Osaka, Fukuoka, Nagoya, and Tokyo, top of April for Sendai, and end of April for Sapporo.
January 23, 2026 at 1:29 AM
On January 22nd, the Japan Meteorological Corporation announced its third cherry blossom forecast for Japan. As of now, initial flowering is expected near the end of March for Osaka, Fukuoka, Nagoya, and Tokyo, top of April for Sendai, and end of April for Sapporo.
40 million tourists visited Japan in 2025. More are expected this year. Fortunately, there are many sites, events, and experiences that still remain relatively unexplored across the country. Here are four that will give you an authentic taste of Japanese history and culture.
buff.ly/MHdgyY8
buff.ly/MHdgyY8
Check Out These Four Unique Japan Travel Experiences in Early 2026 - Unseen Japan
Get away from the over-crowded tourist areas in Japan's cities this year and enjoy one of these unique cultural experiences.
unseen-japan.com
January 22, 2026 at 11:09 PM
40 million tourists visited Japan in 2025. More are expected this year. Fortunately, there are many sites, events, and experiences that still remain relatively unexplored across the country. Here are four that will give you an authentic taste of Japanese history and culture.
buff.ly/MHdgyY8
buff.ly/MHdgyY8
Japan's National Diet Building was constructed in 1936, when women were barred from political office. There are now 12 bathrooms for men and nine for women. However, there are only 22 toilets for women, while there are 67 toilets + urinals for men.
Japan's New Guidelines for Women's Toilets Have Men Online Hopping Mad - Unseen Japan
The country will recommend buildings provide more facilities for women than men, bringing Japan closer to international standards.
buff.ly
January 22, 2026 at 3:02 PM
Japan's National Diet Building was constructed in 1936, when women were barred from political office. There are now 12 bathrooms for men and nine for women. However, there are only 22 toilets for women, while there are 67 toilets + urinals for men.
The Oscar nominations are out, and despite failing to be nominated for International Feature, Japan's new highest-grossing live action film, Kokuho did slip into one category: Makeup and Hairstyling.
Learn more about Kokuho in our article on its smash box office:
unseen-japan.com/kokuho-becom...
Learn more about Kokuho in our article on its smash box office:
unseen-japan.com/kokuho-becom...
January 22, 2026 at 2:53 PM
The Oscar nominations are out, and despite failing to be nominated for International Feature, Japan's new highest-grossing live action film, Kokuho did slip into one category: Makeup and Hairstyling.
Learn more about Kokuho in our article on its smash box office:
unseen-japan.com/kokuho-becom...
Learn more about Kokuho in our article on its smash box office:
unseen-japan.com/kokuho-becom...
Oyakodon ("parent-child bowl") is usually a combo of chicken and egg on top of rice. This is a salmon oyakodon with salmon and ikura (salmon roe) 💀🐟
January 22, 2026 at 10:30 AM
Oyakodon ("parent-child bowl") is usually a combo of chicken and egg on top of rice. This is a salmon oyakodon with salmon and ikura (salmon roe) 💀🐟
It was some years ago that tattooist Mim encountered an important piece of her heritage. Hachiji, the traditional tattoos of the Ryukyuan people of Okinawa, seemed doomed to become a part of the past. Thanks to Mim & others, that’s starting to change.
Hajichi: The Banned Traditional Tattoos of Okinawa - Unseen Japan
Hajichi, a traditional form of tattoo native to the Ryukyuan people in modern-day Okinawa, has been making a comeback among young people.
buff.ly
January 22, 2026 at 5:05 AM
It was some years ago that tattooist Mim encountered an important piece of her heritage. Hachiji, the traditional tattoos of the Ryukyuan people of Okinawa, seemed doomed to become a part of the past. Thanks to Mim & others, that’s starting to change.
Right-wingers in Japan are spreading disinformation that the Centrist Reform Alliance's new logo and party name echo that of a Chinese organization. The logo on the left was created after the CRA revealed its own logo.
January 22, 2026 at 3:26 AM
Right-wingers in Japan are spreading disinformation that the Centrist Reform Alliance's new logo and party name echo that of a Chinese organization. The logo on the left was created after the CRA revealed its own logo.
A battery exploded on the Hibiya Line in Tokyo (one of many such incidents lately), causing someone on X to complain about the "hassle." Another user reminds them that *their own phone* is made of the same materials and "it could explode tomorrow."
January 22, 2026 at 12:10 AM
A battery exploded on the Hibiya Line in Tokyo (one of many such incidents lately), causing someone on X to complain about the "hassle." Another user reminds them that *their own phone* is made of the same materials and "it could explode tomorrow."
Tourism to Japan officially passed the 40 million mark in 2025. Tourism from China decreased due to a row sparked by comments from Japan's PM. But a spike in tourism from other countries relative to 2024 more than made up the difference.
January 21, 2026 at 11:58 PM
Tourism to Japan officially passed the 40 million mark in 2025. Tourism from China decreased due to a row sparked by comments from Japan's PM. But a spike in tourism from other countries relative to 2024 more than made up the difference.
In response to recent headlines about long lines for women's public restrooms, Japan's Ministry of Transportation is preparing new guidelines to increase the number of women's facilities. That has men online mad because of course they are.
buff.ly/BdjYc6D
buff.ly/BdjYc6D
Japan's New Guidelines for Women's Toilets Have Men Online Hopping Mad - Unseen Japan
The country will recommend buildings provide more facilities for women than men, bringing Japan closer to international standards.
unseen-japan.com
January 21, 2026 at 10:42 PM
In response to recent headlines about long lines for women's public restrooms, Japan's Ministry of Transportation is preparing new guidelines to increase the number of women's facilities. That has men online mad because of course they are.
buff.ly/BdjYc6D
buff.ly/BdjYc6D
Bicycling in Japan is a great way to see more of your surroundings while also working off that huge yakiniku dinner you had last night. Here are some tips on renting a bike, along with some Japan-specific rules you might not know.
Bicycling in Japan: How to Travel and Sightsee on Two Wheels - Unseen Japan
Bicycling can be a great way to get more out of your Japan trip. Here's what you need to know before you put on a helmet.
buff.ly
January 21, 2026 at 5:23 AM
Bicycling in Japan is a great way to see more of your surroundings while also working off that huge yakiniku dinner you had last night. Here are some tips on renting a bike, along with some Japan-specific rules you might not know.
Reposted by Unseen Japan
Life in prison was the only real outcome, in spite of widepread public and even government level endorsement of Yamagami's motives. If this was the 1930s, the courts would probably have let him off.
Asahi Shimbun is reporting that Yamagami Tetsuya, the man who assassinated former Japanese Prime Minister Abe Shinzō with a homemade gun, has been sentenced by a court in Nara to life in prison, which is the sentence prosecutors had requested.
January 21, 2026 at 5:09 AM
Life in prison was the only real outcome, in spite of widepread public and even government level endorsement of Yamagami's motives. If this was the 1930s, the courts would probably have let him off.
Asahi Shimbun is reporting that Yamagami Tetsuya, the man who assassinated former Japanese Prime Minister Abe Shinzō with a homemade gun, has been sentenced by a court in Nara to life in prison, which is the sentence prosecutors had requested.
January 21, 2026 at 4:52 AM
Asahi Shimbun is reporting that Yamagami Tetsuya, the man who assassinated former Japanese Prime Minister Abe Shinzō with a homemade gun, has been sentenced by a court in Nara to life in prison, which is the sentence prosecutors had requested.
Reposted by Unseen Japan
TBS News in Japan covers ICE arresting American citizens based solely on their appearance - including one dude who voted for Trump on the mistaken belief the leopards wouldn’t eat HIS face
January 20, 2026 at 11:36 PM
TBS News in Japan covers ICE arresting American citizens based solely on their appearance - including one dude who voted for Trump on the mistaken belief the leopards wouldn’t eat HIS face
Reposted by Unseen Japan
Prime Minister Takaichi said she will dissolve the lower house on 23 January and hold a general election on 8 February. Here are sixteen thoughts and questions on what she hopes to achieve, the risks she faces, and why the election might not change all that much.
open.substack.com/pub/observin...
open.substack.com/pub/observin...
Takaichi's election gambit
Sixteen desultory thoughts on what to watch as the campaign unfolds
open.substack.com
January 20, 2026 at 4:08 AM
Prime Minister Takaichi said she will dissolve the lower house on 23 January and hold a general election on 8 February. Here are sixteen thoughts and questions on what she hopes to achieve, the risks she faces, and why the election might not change all that much.
open.substack.com/pub/observin...
open.substack.com/pub/observin...
"Love this one-of-a-kind pictogram"
(For the curious, the creature is Milzo - you can find it in Kansui Park, Minato Irifune-cho, Toyama. Just don't ride him)
(For the curious, the creature is Milzo - you can find it in Kansui Park, Minato Irifune-cho, Toyama. Just don't ride him)
January 20, 2026 at 9:38 PM
"Love this one-of-a-kind pictogram"
(For the curious, the creature is Milzo - you can find it in Kansui Park, Minato Irifune-cho, Toyama. Just don't ride him)
(For the curious, the creature is Milzo - you can find it in Kansui Park, Minato Irifune-cho, Toyama. Just don't ride him)
A day after Japan's PM Takaichi Sanae says she doesn't want a "turn to the right" but just "a normal country," her party said it's standing Sugita Mio for election in Osaka. Sugita has repeatedly slandered Koreans, the native Ainu population, LGBTQ people, and, somehow, women.
January 20, 2026 at 8:50 PM
A day after Japan's PM Takaichi Sanae says she doesn't want a "turn to the right" but just "a normal country," her party said it's standing Sugita Mio for election in Osaka. Sugita has repeatedly slandered Koreans, the native Ainu population, LGBTQ people, and, somehow, women.
Reposted by Unseen Japan
it's a good store!
January 20, 2026 at 8:26 PM
it's a good store!
Reposted by Unseen Japan
this is what happens when you turn a storefront into an MRE
January 20, 2026 at 8:38 PM
this is what happens when you turn a storefront into an MRE
Reposted by Unseen Japan
(Just don't ask them about Xinjiang cotton)
January 20, 2026 at 8:22 PM
(Just don't ask them about Xinjiang cotton)
Japan would like to introduce you fools to MUJI (無印, "no brand")
January 20, 2026 at 8:22 PM
Japan would like to introduce you fools to MUJI (無印, "no brand")
Reposted by Unseen Japan
"Kokuho" means National Treasure.
It is a designation given to that which contributes tangibly to Japanese culture. In terms of people, these are called Ningen Kokuho, or Living National Treasures.
When I lived in Japan, I met two; a swordsmith, and a doll maker.
It is a designation given to that which contributes tangibly to Japanese culture. In terms of people, these are called Ningen Kokuho, or Living National Treasures.
When I lived in Japan, I met two; a swordsmith, and a doll maker.
Anyone else in Seattle have tickets to KOKUHO this Wednesday?
Really looking forward to this.
Really looking forward to this.
January 20, 2026 at 8:02 AM
"Kokuho" means National Treasure.
It is a designation given to that which contributes tangibly to Japanese culture. In terms of people, these are called Ningen Kokuho, or Living National Treasures.
When I lived in Japan, I met two; a swordsmith, and a doll maker.
It is a designation given to that which contributes tangibly to Japanese culture. In terms of people, these are called Ningen Kokuho, or Living National Treasures.
When I lived in Japan, I met two; a swordsmith, and a doll maker.
A survey by the marriage counseling company Presia found that 70% of married Japanese women polled regret marrying their current husbands. The majority (65 respondents) cited their partner's low income as a factor they regret compromising on.
January 20, 2026 at 7:38 AM
A survey by the marriage counseling company Presia found that 70% of married Japanese women polled regret marrying their current husbands. The majority (65 respondents) cited their partner's low income as a factor they regret compromising on.