Beyond the bright lights of Tokyo or Kyoto lies the smallest and most seldom visited of Japan's four main islands, Shikoku. Here visitors will discover a quieter and more traditional Japan, and a ...

Each season also carried a poetic name and imagery, such as “insects awaken” or “the first frost,” reflecting a deeply observant and aesthetic relationship with nature. Japan loved poetry ... how the ...

This past season was the best it’s been in a while. The weather really cooperated.” This surprisingly colder winter delivered mounds of abundant snow compared to recent years. The Weston area ...

A popular Japanese restaurant chain has closed nearly all of its 2,000 stores for cleaning this week, after a rat and a bug were found in its food ... western Japan. Apologizing for the ...

One of Japan's biggest restaurant chains is closing its outlets for deep cleaning, after two incidents of customers finding pests - including a rat - in their food. Sukiya, known for its beef-on ...

Yuko Kawai, vice president of the Bank of Kochi, holds a press conference in Kochi, western Japan, on March 27, 2025. Kawai will be promoted to president next month, making her the first woman to ...

TOKYO (AP) — Japan ‘s official cherry blossom spotters on Monday confirmed the first blooming of the country’s favorite flower, declaring the official start of the festive season in the ...

For centuries, residents in central Japan have chronicled a mysterious natural phenomenon in winter. They see its disappearance as a bad omen. By Martin Fackler and Hisako Ueno Reporting from Suwa ...