Twin timber buildings draw inspiration from traditional Japanese shrines
Local architectural firm Yuji Tanabe Architects recently completed twin timber buildings on a historic street in...
Endangered bluefin tuna sold for $3.1 billion to sushi tycoon
A recent predawn auction at Tokyo’s new fish market brought a record-breaking bid for the endangered bluefin...
Japanese cherry blossoms spring into unusual fall blooms
The springtime cherry blossom festival in Japan is an annual celebration that draws in spectators from all around...
Lecomte reaches mile 1,000 in his swim across the Pacific Ocean
Ben Lecomte, the first person to swim across the Atlantic Ocean back in 1998, is now attempting to be the first...
MAD reactivates an abandoned Japanese tunnel using surreal immersive art
How do you bring young people back into Japan’s rural areas? One popular answer seems to be with art and architecture....
Japan considers adopting daylight savings time for 2020 Summer Olympics
This summer's deadly heatwaves in Japan have caused government and Olympic officials to consider the benefits...
This 3D-printed device could help its users breathe underwater
Japanese designer and material scientist Jun Kamei has invented an underwater breathing device constructed with...
Schemata Architects weaves modern design into a traditional Japanese house
Tokyo-based Schemata Architects have renovated a traditional Japanese residence into a modern dwelling with an...
Go stargazing in this galaxy-inspired cluster of tea rooms in Japan
With a name that translates to “beautiful stars,” Bisei is a town in the Okayama Prefecture of West Japan that...
Hunters killed 122 pregnant minke whales
Japanese hunters recently killed 122 pregnant minke whales as part of a so-called field survey, the BBC reported....
Japanese home features a bookshelf wall designed to withstand earthquakes
In earthquake-prone Japan, a wall full of books might seem like a disaster waiting to happen. Rather than capitulate...
Nissan to debut its self-driving taxis in Japan
Nissan will begin testing its Easy Ride self-driving taxi service in Yokohama, Japan on March 5, 2018, with plans...
Japanese builder unveils plans for world’s tallest timber skyscraper in Tokyo
Japanese builder and developer Sumitomo Forestry has unveiled designs for the world’s tallest timber skyscraper...
Japanese researchers create tasty new banana with a thin edible peel
Researchers in Japan have developed a new banana with a peel thin enough to eat. According to Quartz, the researchers...
This incredible floating hotel can take you on the voyage of a lifetime in Japan
Guntû is a gorgeous floating hotel that takes passengers on a whirlwind tour of Japan's Seto inland sea. The vessel...
Japanese train barks and snorts to protect deer from harm
Researchers from the Railway Technical Research Institute in Japan have equipped a train with a speaker that plays...
A huge factory was turned into a cozy home with plenty of room leftover for the residents’ hobbies
This former factory in Nobeoka, Japan, now functions as a modern home for a couple who wanted to preserve the industrial...
Shigeru Ban’s Mt. Fuji World Heritage Center opens in Japan
Japan’s Mt. Fuji World Heritage Center, designed by Pritzker winner Shigeru Ban, is officially open to the public...
Exquisite Japanese house wraps around a generations-old tree
The line between nature and architecture is often blurred in Japan to beautiful effect. Japanese architect Takashi...
Beautiful Japanese cat tree for design-conscious pet owners costs 1 million yen
Beautiful architecture isn’t limited to humans—architects and designers are creating stunning structures for...
Stunning chapel in Japan brings a fractal forest indoors
Not all chapels need stained glass windows and soaring archways to take your breath away. This timber chapel in...
Striking green-roofed house cantilevers over a cliff in Japan
This striking concrete house extends from a cliff above a river in Japan, providing spectacular views of the surrounding...
Japan mulls pouring 1 million metric tons of radioactive Fukushima water into Pacific Ocean
Fukushima cleanup continues over six years after the 2011 disaster - and the country hasn't yet decided what to...
Sony’s Aibo robo dog is back – and it’s cuter than ever
Remember Sony's Aibo pet robot that debuted in 1999? Well, the company just launched a new-and-improved version...
American women and their dogs rescued after surviving five months at sea in shark-infested waters
Two women from Honolulu, Hawaii, are basking in sweet relief as they and their dogs were rescued after spent five...
Newly-discovered hermit crab species uses living coral as shells
For the first time ever, a hermit crab has been documented to have found its “forever” home. Off the coast...
Japanese ‘mutant’ chickens are laying eggs with cancer-fighting drugs
Most people eat chicken eggs for their high protein content and healthy fats - but in the future eggs could ward...
Scientists say ice may fizz and bubble like champagne when floating in outer space
A group of scientists now believe that ice fizzes and bubbles like champagne when floating in outer space. This...
Hundreds of organisms hitch a ride from Japan to Oregon on waves of plastic trash
Japanese marine animals have hitched a ride all the way to the United States with unlikely help from plastic garbage....
Gogoro to launch new electric Smartscooter share in Japan this year
Electric vehicles are the future — and Gogoro is paving the way. The company behind the innovative battery-swapping...