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Japan

In this Aug. 9, 1945, file photo, a giant column of smoke rises after the second atomic bomb ever used in warfare explodes over the Japanese port town of Nagasaki, Japan.

‘Oppenheimer’ film ‘fails’ to show devastation of atom bombs in postwar Japan, critics say

Arts, Culture & Media

‘Oppenheimer’ is expected to win big at the 2024 Academy Awards. But one point of controversy is that the director did not depict any images of the devastating aftermath of the dropping of the atomic bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Getting those images out to the public was a longtime quest for Herbert Sussan, then a 24-year-old filmmaker who filmed in Japan at the time.

The 2015 Kennedy Center Honors Honorees, including conductor Seiji Ozawa, stand on stage during a reception for them in the East Room of the White House, Dec. 6, 2015.

Renowned conductor Seiji Ozawa is remembered as ‘graceful,’ ‘supernaturally’ gifted

Music
A photo of a book, Eyeliner: A Cultural History

New book taps into the cultural history of eyeliner

Books
A portrait of Sasami from her self-titled LP, "Sasami."

‘It’s all mixed’: Sasami makes music inspired by her multicultural heritage 

Movement
The smaller floats impressed the audience because they were adorned with stunning tapestries, miniature trees, and beautiful figurines. Each float had a legendary story behind it. 

1,000-year-old Gion Matsuri festival resumes in Kyoto, Japan

Culture
A few customers sneak into a card shop just before closing time in Akihabara, Tokyo.

Pokémon fever once again grips fans around the world

Arts, Culture & Media

The 27-year-old Japanese trading card franchise has exploded in popularity in recent years, leading to frenzied fans, collectors and Pokémon card players fighting for the best cards.

two actors pretending to fight

Tokyo’s trash-collecting samurai takes a fun, zany approach to cleanup

They call themselves the Gomi Hiroi Samurai — or the “Samurai Who Pick Up Litter.” These sword-wielding eco-warriors have turned garbage collecting into a choreographed performance. 

Customers get out their smartphones and go silent as Shizuo Mori begins his pudding-fling serving technique that made him a viral sensation.

This 80-year-old pudding maker in Tokyo goes viral for his flan-flinging flair

Food

For more than five decades now, Shizuo Mori, now 80, has been waking up at 4 a.m. to prepare the famous flan-style puddings he serves at Hecklen, his cozy corner café in Tokyo’s Toranomon neighborhood.  

sushi restaurant facade

Japanese restaurants use AI to combat sushi terrorism

​​​​​​​The latest disturbing TikTok trend in Japan features young pranksters who are contaminating sushi that is served on conveyor belts in restaurants. They share videos of themselves licking sushi rolls or otherwise contaminating plates and condiments. Some restaurants are using AI to fight back.

scientists on lake

Geologists edge closer to defining the Anthropocene

Environment

The Anthropocene Working Group is voting on a so-called Golden Spike, a sedimentary layer somewhere on Earth that best exemplifies the global impact of humans on planet Earth. It’s the last, big task in formally defining the Anthropocene, which is being proposed as a new age in geologic time.