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February 13, 2026
 

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LIFE

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Digital
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Lifestyle
Experts say emotional bonds with AI are often shaped by prior experiences ¡ª or disappointments ¡ª in human relationships.
LIFE / Lifestyle / Longform
Love, engineered in the age of AI
By Elizabeth Beattie
As chatbots grow more sophisticated, some people are forming romantic bonds ¡ª and even marriages ¡ª with artificial partners.
A mother and daughter take part in a buffet of sweets and desserts ¡ª a perfect way for many to spend Valentine¡¯s Day this year.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
In Japan, Valentine¡¯s Day has become a personal luxury
By Yuko Tamura
Valentine¡¯s Day in Japan is shifting from obligation to indulgence, as people embrace life¡¯s small luxuries for themselves.
At the new Tenshoku Sodan Bar, owner Shota Umemoto (right) and recruiting staff from Yokohama-based LIA Group serve up cocktails and career advice in equal measure.
LIFE / Lifestyle
Inside Yokohama¡¯s ¡®quit your job¡¯ bar, where drinks and advice are free
By Thu-Huong Ha
Owner Shota Umemoto says he was surprised by the viral response to his new bar aimed at making discussions around changing jobs more casual.

Travel

While standard rooms at the Royal Park Hotel Iconic Naha may run you around ?25,000 to ?35,000 per night, more luxury suites like this one are available for travelers with yen to burn.
Travel
Naha¡¯s newest hotel is made from Okinawan culture ¡ª literally
By Zoria Petkoska
Open from Jan. 30, the Royal Park Hotel Iconic Naha incorporates numerous elements of the island¡¯s heritage, including remnants of the incinerated Shuri Castle.
Travel
Data-driven travel rankings crown Japan as world¡¯s top destination
By Owen Ziegler
Travel
At the origin of the ¡®Mackerel Road,¡¯ this seaside town fed Kyoto
By Edward J. Taylor
Travel
Seeing Kyushu slowly aboard the 36+3 tourist train
By Gendel Gento
Travel
The enduring charm of 91²Ö¿â oldest Edo Period amusement park
By Aiko Imaizumi
Travel
Park Hyatt Tokyo reopens, and nothing's been lost in renovation
By Owen Ziegler
Travel
InterContinental Sapporo kicks off Hokkaido capital¡¯s MICE push
By Owen Ziegler

Digital

Team Ninja's latest soulslike action RPG will put you through the ringer, but it also gives you more than enough assistance to feel as powerful as the demonic enemies you'll face.
Digital
Nioh 3: Demons, death and an early contender for game of the year
By Owen Ziegler
Team Ninja¡¯s latest hardcore action RPG will hurt ¡ª but it gives players ample tools to hit back even harder.
Digital
The American bringing a Disney flair to Sega¡¯s nongaming push
By Gendel Gento
Digital / 2025 IN REVIEW
In 2025, Asia got tough on nuisance streamers. Japan did not.
By Owen Ziegler
Digital / 2025 IN REVIEW
In 2025, Japan became the canvas for the year¡¯s best video games
By Owen Ziegler
Digital
Hearing colors and seeing sounds with Tetsuya Mizuguchi
By Gendel Gento
Digital
Ninja Gaiden 4 revives series with kinetic carnage, clumsy platforming
By Gendel Gento
Digital
How Japan¡¯s greatest psychological horror game came home
By Gendel Gento

Food & Drink

"Hatoshi," a shrimp paste sandwich, was originally part of "shippoku ryš­ri," a banquet cuisine served at Chinese-style round tables.
Food & Drink / The Recipe Box
With XO sauce, a Nagasaki shrimp toast turns into a slice of heaven
By Simon Daly
This Japanese version of a Cantonese favorite is all you need for an indulgent afternoon treat.
Food & Drink
Against the grain: Japanese wine aged in local barrels
By Kimberly Hughes
Food & Drink / The Recipe Box
Whip up sesame-crusted eggs for your Japanese breakfast
By Simon Daly
Food & Drink / Destination Restaurants
In Saitama, Kam finds its garden-to-table concept ripe with potential
By Robbie Swinnerton
Food & Drink
No pictures, just text: A Japanese cookbook for the nerds
By Simon Daly
Food & Drink / Washoku Essentials
Twists and turns to spice up the mild 'konnyaku'
By Elizabeth Andoh
Food & Drink / JAPANESE KITCHEN
Stay warm with a Japanese-style ¡®pot-au-feu¡¯ stew
By Makiko Itoh

Style & Design

In a country where self-expression is limited during children's school years, nail art is often one of the first avenues of experimentation for many young women in Japan.
Style & Design
¡®In Japan, people pack everything they love on their nails¡¯
By Mishu Callan
Tokyo¡¯s nail artists say their customers view their chosen designs as reflections of their inner selves.
Style & Design
Valentino, Italian haute couture 'emperor' who painted fashion red, dies at 93
By Giulia Segreti
Style & Design
Noto's Suzu ware reemerges from the earthquake rubble
By Jessica Kozuka
Style & Design
Designtide Tokyo 2025 closes this weekend with a creator-led marketplace
By Erik Augustin Palm
Style & Design / Longform
Why Japan¡¯s internet looks weird ¡ª unless you live here
By Thu-Huong Ha
Style & Design
Frank O. Gehry, titan of architecture, is dead at 96
By Nicolai Ouroussoff
Style & Design
Florist Nicolai Bergmann flourishes outside the box
By Elizabeth Beattie

Language

A mother and daughter take part in a buffet of sweets and desserts ¡ª a perfect way for many to spend Valentine¡¯s Day this year.
Language / BILINGUAL
In Japan, Valentine¡¯s Day has become a personal luxury
By Yuko Tamura
Valentine¡¯s Day in Japan is shifting from obligation to indulgence, as people embrace life¡¯s small luxuries for themselves.
Language / BILINGUAL
How Japanese advertising breaks grammar to get your attention
By Eric Margolis
Language / BILINGUAL
Just between you and me: Gender and Japanese pronouns
By Peter Backhaus
Language / BILINGUAL
Just because you broke your resolution doesn¡¯t mean you failed
By Mishu Callan
Language
From ¡®senpai¡¯ to ¡®love hotel¡¯: 11 new Japanese words enter the Oxford dictionary
By Mike Fu
Language / BILINGUAL
What ¡ª and who ¡ª helps us stick to our New Year¡¯s goals
By Yuko Tamura
Language / BILINGUAL
Japan¡¯s milestone birthdays: Why 60, 77, 80, 88 and 99 matter so much
By Yaeko Kabe

Lifestyle

Experts say emotional bonds with AI are often shaped by prior experiences ¡ª or disappointments ¡ª in human relationships.
Lifestyle / Longform
Love, engineered in the age of AI
By Elizabeth Beattie
As chatbots grow more sophisticated, some people are forming romantic bonds ¡ª and even marriages ¡ª with artificial partners.
Lifestyle
Inside Yokohama¡¯s ¡®quit your job¡¯ bar, where drinks and advice are free
By Thu-Huong Ha
Lifestyle
Don¡¯t let Japan¡¯s next winter storm catch you cold
By Simon Daly
Lifestyle
Set your children up for financial success with the new NISA
By Gendel Gento
Lifestyle / Longform
Running hot in 2026: What's in store for the Year of the Fire Horse
By Kathryn Wortley
Lifestyle
Japan¡¯s original decluttering queen cleans up your new year
By Angeles Marin Cabello and Steve John Powell
Lifestyle
Will 91²Ö¿â 'fire horse' curse strike again in 2026?
By Thu-Huong Ha
Read more LIFE stories
Germany considers joining GCAP fighter project with Japan, U.K. and Italy
A concept model of the Global Air Combat Program fighter jet on display at the Defense and Security Equipment International Japan conference in Chiba last May
Struggling Nissan forecasts $4.2 billion full-year net loss
Nissan intends to reduce the number of its vehicle production plants from 17 to 10 by March 2028, and is targeting 20,000 job cuts worldwide by that date.
Why Asia can¡¯t undo decades of falling fertility rates
Singapore¡¯s stalled birthrate reflects a broader pattern across wealthy Asian economies where higher living standards, shifting values and gender imbalances have made low fertility persistent and resistant to quick policy fixes.
Why we¡¯ll never see a yokozuna in the Super Bowl
Wrestlers from Onoe stable with Fujitsu Frontiers cornerback Al-Rilwan Adeyemi (front) at the Rice Bowl at Tokyo Dome on Jan. 3, 2017
Yen strengthens decisively after strong showing by LDP boosts confidence
The yen has strengthened decisively since the Liberal Democratic Party gained a supermajority in the Lower House.
Landslide election victory lets Takaichi confront China on her terms
The resounding victory by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's Liberal Democratic Party in Sunday's general election has sent a strong signal that Takaichi is likely to be around for some time, giving her the bandwidth to adhere to her strategy of putting the onus on Chinese President Xi Jinping to reengage with Japan.
Is Takaichi on course for a long-term reign?
Sanae Takaichi, prime minister and leader of the Liberal Democratic Party, at the party¡¯s headquarters in Tokyo on Sunday
Against the grain: Japanese wine aged in local barrels
At Buryu Winery, owner Keiji Yamaguchi (left) and assistant winemaker Kaede Narita created a cedar-infused red wine by fermenting it in a 1,000 liter "kioke" cedar tub.
Foreign residents breathe new life into bubble-era resort town
A craft beer brewery run by California native Brian Shevlin and his wife Mariko Furuta, Joynt Brewing Co. regularly hosts events that highlight different cultural communities.
Japan¡¯s SkyDrive hopes to have flying cars in service by 2028
SkyDrive¡¯s flying car unit at its flight test base in the city of Yamaguchi

Podcast

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

Longform

Experts say emotional bonds with AI are often shaped by prior experiences ¡ª or disappointments ¡ª in human relationships.
Love, engineered in the age of AI
By Elizabeth Beattie

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