Nippon.com (English)

02/06/2026

Residents are encouraged to avoid nonessential travel and remain on high alert as Typhoon Jangmi moves eastward along Japan's Pacific Coast

02/06/2026

Are you ready for typhoons and the rainy season?
Japan has launched a new 5-level disaster alert system that could save your life.

The Japan Meteorological Agency and Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport, and Tourism have introduced a unified framework covering four types of weather disasters: river flooding, heavy rain, landslides, and storm surges. Alerts are now color-coded across municipal broadcasts, TV, and online news.

Here's what each level means and what to do:

31/05/2026

"The sole function of a kitchen peeler may be to peel thin strips off of an ingredient, but customers can find around 100 different types stocked at Iidaya, a cooking goods emporium in the shopping district of Kappabashi, Tokyo."

A big part of cooking is ingredient preparation, and cutting and slicing are major tasks here. Peelers, kitchen scissors, and more that draw on Japan’s ancient tradition of finely honed blades are a favorite purchase at the kitchenware shops of Kappabashi, Tokyo.

31/05/2026

Hon-mirin goes into many dishes as a key ingredient to add depth to flavor, a glaze to cooked dishes, or a reduction of overly fishy flavor in seafood offerings.

Mirin comes in different forms in Japan, from the affordable mirin-fū sweet sake to the “real thing,” hon-mirin. It goes into many dishes as a key ingredient to add depth to flavor, a glaze to cooked dishes, or a reduction of overly fishy flavor in seafood offerings.

30/05/2026

Sesame primarily comes in white, black, and golden varieties, with distinct uses.

Sesame is an important element of Japanese cooking, providing flavor, aroma, and nutrition to a range of dishes. Although goma is considered a staple food in the country, Japan imports almost all of the seed it consumes.

30/05/2026

A little of the native Japanese vegetable mitsuba helps make dishes aromatic and colorful.

A little of the native Japanese vegetable mitsuba helps make dishes aromatic and colorful.

29/05/2026

Most of Japan's premium beef cattle trace their lineage to a single bull born in 1939.

Famed for its tenderness and marbling, wagyū is a much sought-after delicacy in Japan, with several foreign countries also creating their own varieties of the succulent beef. However, the soul of wagyū remains in Japan, where the majority of the premium beef cattle trace their lineage to a single ...

29/05/2026

A summary of Japan’s 16 national holidays in 2027, including the Golden Week cluster of holidays in late spring.

A summary of Japan’s 16 national holidays in 2027, including the Golden Week cluster of holidays in late spring.

29/05/2026

The Thousand-Armed Kannon at the temple of Tōshōdaiji in Nara is believed to have literally had 1,000 arms at the time of its creation, and its 953 arms extending in all directions are a striking feature of the image.

The Thousand-Armed Kannon at the temple of Tōshōdaiji in Nara is believed to have literally had 1,000 arms at the time of its creation, and its 953 arms extending in all directions are a striking feature of the image.

28/05/2026

"The manufacturing process, some 50 to 70 steps in all, is done by hand; the more the kettles are used, the more seasoned they become."

Japan’s leading cookware shops, in the Tokyo district of Kappabashi, sell everything you need for your kitchen. But a particularly popular product type is the cast-iron teapot. Why is this item, heavy and hard to carry home, such a draw?