Latest from Japan

'Like an army of ghosts'

It was a warm summer's morning and 5-year-old Yukiko Nakabushi was the first to arrive at nursery school. She waited for her friends to arrive. Except they never came.

Fukushima daisies light up the internet

Photo of "mutant" flowers taken near the Japanese nuclear plant that went into meltdown after tsunami .

Why matchmakers are booming in Japan

At a time when more people marry later on in life or stay unmarried, matchmakers, traditionally called nakodo in Japan, have been gaining public attention again lately as the nation's population continues to decline.

Toshiba mess shows Japan failing

Toshiba's CEO and two other top executives resigned after presiding over a US$1.2 billion accounting scandal. Well and good, but when do we see some criminal indictments?

Japan: Soaking up an ancient land

His yukata is comfy but the traditional clogs cause a few problems for Lincoln Tan in Kinosaki.

Video: Curious climbing kitten

This cute ginger kitten has obviously never heard of the phrase “curiosity killed the cat”.

'Handsome gorilla' finds fame

A brooding expression, rippling muscles, a lingering gaze ... and, er, a habit of beating his chest.

Homeless get lost in translation

Japan lacks safety nets for its urban drifters, even in Tokyo’s most glamorous districts, writes Simon Scott.

Bar/fly: Owl, Sapporo

In Northern Japan, Kelly Lynch sips crisp chilled sake from tiny tin cups in an izakaya.

Becoming an apprentice geisha is no bed of roses

Mentor fully understands how difficult it is to raise today's young girls to full-fledged maiko.

Japan: Snowblind in Niseko

If perfect ski snow is your passion this is the Japanese destination for you, but don't count on admiring the scenery, writes David Lewis.

Fish in tsunami wreckage arrive in US coast

Fish passengers have been found off the Oregon coast in the wreckage of a boat that appears to be debris from the 2011 Japanese tsunami.

Japan Day: Get a taste of what's on

Ninja, anime, and colourful customs collide at Japan Day, where old and new meet, finds Sarah Ell.

Japan talks PoW experiments

A university museum in Japan has broken a seven-decade taboo on discussing the dissection of live American prisoners of war by medical personnel.

'There is a tsunami right behind you'

On the fourth anniversary of the earthquake and tsunami that devastated Japan, Isaac Davison finds a community that's battered but unbowed.

Japan: Tale of two cities

Twentieth-century tragedy provides a moving lesson in post-war recovery during a visit to Japan's Hiroshima, writes Josh Martin.