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June 23, 2026
 

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Kat Joplin
Gordon Higgins and Chloe Douglas pose for a picture with Shorna-Kay Richards (center), Jamaica¡¯s ambassador to Japan.
COMMUNITY / Issues / The Foreign Element
Feb 18, 2026
Tokyo LGBTQ fundraiser to raise money for Jamaica after Hurricane Melissa
Organizers blend art, drag and Jamaican cuisine to support marginalized communities still recovering from last year¡¯s devastating storm.
In pet-loving Japan, the ways owners say goodbye to their dearly departed animals can mirror the ways they bid farewell to other humans.
LIFE / Lifestyle
Nov 29, 2025
In Japan, beloved pets receive human-style farewells
Japan has the highest rate of cremation in the world, and increasingly, that applies to departed pets as well.
Dog ownership may seem daunting in Japan, but with the right tools and logistical knowledge, you can ensure a healthy, happy life for your pet.
COMMUNITY / How-tos
Jul 7, 2025
A furever friend: Tips for responsible dog ownership in Japan
Owning a dog in Japan may seem daunting, but having these tools and tips in mind can ease your journey and bring you lots of joy.
Maria Seiren, known for winning the first-ever ¡°Japan¡¯s Got Talent¡± with her opera voice, has also been training in traditional noh theater, creating productions that combine opera, noh and even pop music.
CULTURE / Stage
Jun 28, 2025
Diva of dualities: Maria Seiren sings opera and noh in both a female and male voice
The first-ever winner of talent show competition ¡°Japan¡¯s Got Talent¡± is having a stacked year with two noh and opera productions and her 10th anniversary album release.
Since 2017, Kotomi Li has won some of Japan¡¯s top literary awards and built a formidable career in the face of persistent online harassment. ¡°Authors are tenacious creatures to begin with,¡± she says.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives
May 5, 2025
Kotomi Li: ¡®I refuse to choose death¡¯
The Taiwanese writer reflects on the importance of queer community, her ascent in Japan¡¯s literary world and her ongoing battles against online harassment.
From her early love for "Cardcaptor Sakura" and "YuYu Hakusho" to her rise on "RuPaul¡¯s Drag Race," Rock M. Sakura¡¯s anime inspirations are central to her drag persona.
CULTURE / Stage
Feb 25, 2025
When anime meets drag: The manga-inspired world of Rock M. Sakura
A drag queen who merges manga, anime and queer culture, Rock M. Sakura¡¯s persona resonates deeply with fans worldwide.
Looking for LGBTQ+ events this holiday season? Tokyo is chockful of a variety of ways to spread cheer in the way that suits you best.
LIFE / Lifestyle
Dec 20, 2024
Make the Yuletide gay: Tokyo¡¯s LGBTQ+ Christmas events
Drag shows and lip-sync karaoke may not be traditional holiday get-togethers, but they deck the halls just the same.
While baldness can often be the butt of jokes in Japan, it can also be a powerfully freeing act of self-acceptance for those struggling with hair loss.
LIFE / Lifestyle
Nov 16, 2024
Thinning up top? Hair loss in Japan is not the end.
Among Asian countries, Japan has the highest rate of alopecia at around 26%, as well as 7.8% of women experiencing some form of hair thinning.
If you're still trying to be active during Japan's record-setting heat, you should also know how best to care for yourself when you inevitably get a sunburn.
LIFE / Lifestyle
Aug 31, 2024
Japan¡¯s nasty summer has left you with a nastier sunburn. Now what?
Aloe facial masks, non-alcohol-based lotions and souped-up sunscreen can take the edge off the pain of getting a sunburn.
Durian Lollobrigida and his co-hosts ¡ª actors Megumi and Chiaki Horan, singer Thelma Aoyama and former ¡°Terrace House¡± panelist Yoshimi Tokui ¡ª offer in-studio commentary on the contestants¡¯ footage in Netflix¡¯s new reality dating show, ¡°The Boyfriend.¡±
CULTURE / TV & Streaming
Jul 13, 2024
¡®The Boyfriend¡¯ host Durian Lollobrigida puts a face to queer joy
Involvement in Netflix¡¯s new reality dating show is just the latest success in the Japanese drag queen¡¯s rise.
Japan has a long history of parasol use, and there's no time like the present to see if they can help you get a bit of heat relief.
LIFE / Lifestyle / Boiling Point
Jul 6, 2024
Parasols are an age-old solution to today¡¯s crippling heat
By Japan¡¯s Edo Period (1603-1868), bamboo and waterproofed paper ¡®kasa¡¯ (umbrellas) and ¡®higasa¡¯ (parasols) were everyday tools and props in kabuki plays.
While Japan may not have a large market for English-language publications, there's still hope to grow your career overseas while living here.
COMMUNITY / How-tos
Jul 1, 2024
How to make it as an English-language author in Japan
Some writers find career stability in teaching, while others find that the culture and vibrance of this country inspires their imaginations.
Here are a handful of places around Tokyo where you can treat the dad in your life to the pampering they deserve.
LIFE / Lifestyle
Jun 12, 2024
Retro barbers, executive facials: Pamper dad with a Tokyo spa day
Despite forward-thinking on male grooming, Japan markets these pampering services largely toward women ¡ª but here are a few places dad might enjoy this Father¡¯s Day.
Korean skincare routines tend to be more complex than Japan¡¯s counterpart beauty industry of ¡°less is more,¡± making K-beauty something of a sweet spot between Japan and the West.
LIFE / Style & Design
Jun 9, 2024
K-beauty or J-beauty? The two ¡®are not so different these days.¡¯
In early 2024, imports of Korean beauty products to Japan topped French cosmetics for the first time.
A typical show for the Derek Toro persona features Ice Elloso as a suave, macho hero straight from a Schwarzenegger film, along with a trademark goatee and tons of props and gadgets.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives
Apr 20, 2024
¡®Drag is my superpower¡¯: A night of pride for Filipino kings and queens
Sparkle: Road to Opulence, an April 19 lip-sync and drag performance, kicked off Pride weekend in Tokyo with a bang.
Seoul may be a cosmetic surgery mecca, but Tokyo has its fair share of high-quality clinics as well.
COMMUNITY / How-tos
Feb 12, 2024
A wrinkles-and-all guide to cosmetic surgery in Japan
Japan is uniquely positioned between two opposing hot spots of the beauty industry: Seoul and Tokyo.
The Tokyo Kiki Lounge is a queer pageant, dance competition and party, known in the ball culture as a ¡°kiki ball.¡±
CULTURE / Stage
Feb 1, 2024
You¡¯re free to be yourself at the Tokyo Kiki Lounge
The pageant, dance competition and party is a thriving safe space for Japan¡¯s queer community.
Drag queen Kylie Sonique Love performs at the third edition of Opulence. While the LGBTQ community suffered a few setbacks this year, there were also many occasions in which people could let loose and celebrate the scene.
LIFE / Lifestyle / 2023 in Review
Dec 10, 2023
Politics and pageantry for Japan¡¯s LGBTQ community in 2023
The year was one in which more Japanese members of the LGBTQ community began to push for rights such as marriage equality.
Drag queens (from left) Trinity the Tuck, Manila Luzon and Kylie Sonique Love headlined the most recent edition of Opulence, Tokyo's fast-growing drag performance extravaganza.
CULTURE / Stage
Dec 10, 2023
The opulence of Manila Luzon
The Asian American drag queen who rose to stardom after a stint on ¡°RuPaul¡¯s Drag Race¡± pays things forward with her Philippines-based show ¡°Drag Den.¡±
Yvie Oddly poses in front of Eagle Tokyo Blue, a Ni-chome bar instrumental in organizing many events around the Japan visits of "RuPaul's Drag Race" stars.
CULTURE / Stage
Oct 2, 2023
A ¡®Drag Race¡¯ tour brings inspiration and profits
When the competitors of ¡°RuPaul¡¯s Drag Race¡± come through Tokyo, the local scene gets a major boost.
Japan to raise visa fees for foreign nationals in first revision in 48 years
Tourists from abroad wearing kimonos pose for a souvenir photo with cherry blossoms in the city of Kyoto in March.
Japan to allow local governments to ban private lodging
Kiyomizu Temple in Kyoto in March. Various cities around the world have cracked down on private lodgings, such as in Barcelona where the city is attempting to eradicate all short-stay apartments by 2028.
Beyond crabs and dinos: Japan¡¯s least-touristed region rethinks its appeal
Fukui Prefecture is home to 80% of Japan¡¯s dinosaur fossil discoveries, yet it is routinely one of the least-visited regions in the country.
Japanese companies get serious about workplace DEI
People working in human resources departments participate in a workshop in Tokyo in January. The participants played a card game in which they took on roles of people with various disabilities.
Japan¡¯s AI goldrush faces backlash as data centers sprout up in urban areas
Erin and Munekazu Tanikawa look out from their balcony at the construction site of a planned 52-meter-tall data center that would dominate their surroundings, in the city of Inzai, Chiba Prefecture, last month.
Japan-South Korea detente persists ¡ª but breakthrough remains elusive
While Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung have kept relations from sliding backward, experts say they have struggled to turn stability into concrete steps forward.
Japan¡¯s AI goldrush faces backlash as data centers sprout up in urban areas
Erin and Munekazu Tanikawa look out from their balcony at the construction site of a planned 52-meter-tall data center that would dominate their surroundings, in the city of Inzai, Chiba Prefecture, last month.
Distracted walkers in Japan are a real safety risk. My mother knows firsthand.
In Tokyo and other major Japanese cities, <i>aruki-sumaho</i> ¡ª walking while using a smartphone ¡ª has become a persistent safety concern as commuters navigate crowded stations and sidewalks while focused on their devices.
Can automation offset Japan¡¯s military workforce shortage?
A Ground Self-Defense Force uncrewed ground vehicle takes part in a live-fire military exercise at the Higashi Fuji Training Field in Shizuoka Prefecture on May 7.
Japan¡¯s World Cup picture comes into focus after rout of Tunisia
Japan&#039;s Ko Itakura clears the ball during the first half against Tunisia during a Group F match at the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Monterrey, Mexico, on Saturday.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo¡¯s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo¡¯s ¡®stadium of desire¡¯

Longform

Social camouflaging can help neurodivergent people navigate social situations, but researchers say the effort often comes with significant emotional and mental strain.
The challenge of being neurodivergent in Japan¡¯s culture of conformity
By Tomoko Otake

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