Local Life

Short answer to a common sidewalk question: those yellow bumpy tiles running across Japanese streets and train

Question travelers search sooner or later: if a cloth curtain hangs over a doorway in Japan, does it mean the

The first time I noticed the neighborhood “gomi station” in west Tokyo, it was still dim enough that the stree

At first I thought it was a music box in someone’s window. A few bright notes drifted over the rooftops, then

Umbrella racks, plastic sleeves, and orderly entrances reveal a small everyday etiquette in Japan—and how visitors can handle rainy days well.

You’ve got the address written down. You’ve typed it into Google Maps. You’re standing in th

Somewhere between your third day in Japan and your first load of laundry, you’ll realize the apartment y

Vending machines in Japan are not a tourist attraction you need to chase down. They are simply one of the easi

There’s a vending machine outside a shuttered fish shop in a small Niigata town. It sells hot canned cof