japan

What Is Seppuku And How Was It Carried Out? Newly Translated Samurai Texts Reveal Some Surprising Answers

Four samurai texts dating back centuries have recently been translated into English, complicating Western notions about the practice of ritual suicide known as seppuku.

By Austin Harvey • Oct 2, 2024

News

What Is Seppuku And How Was It Carried Out? Newly Translated Samurai Texts Reveal Some Surprising Answers

Four samurai texts dating back centuries have recently been translated into English, complicating Western notions about the practice of ritual suicide known as seppuku.

By Austin Harvey • October 2, 2024

The Heartwarming Story Behind The Hachikō Statue, The Bronze Dog That Watches Over A Tokyo Train Station

The bronze statue of Hachikō the Akita that stands outside of Shibuya Station in Tokyo memorializes the loyal dog who spent nearly 10 years waiting for a train to bring his dead owner home.

By Austin Harvey • Sep 28, 2024

The Heartwarming Story Behind The Hachikō Statue, The Bronze Dog That Watches Over A Tokyo Train Station

The bronze statue of Hachikō the Akita that stands outside of Shibuya Station in Tokyo memorializes the loyal dog who spent nearly 10 years waiting for a train to bring his dead owner home.

By Austin Harvey • September 28, 2024

Inside The Tokaimura Nuclear Accident Of 1999 And Its Grisly Aftermath

On the morning of September 30, 1999, Hisashi Ouchi, Masato Shinohara, and Yutaka Yokokawa were preparing uranium-enriched fuel at a plant near Tōkai, Japan, when they triggered a nuclear reaction that killed Ouchi and Shinohara and exposed hundreds of others to high levels of radiation.

By Austin Harvey • Sep 21, 2024

Inside The Tokaimura Nuclear Accident Of 1999 And Its Grisly Aftermath

On the morning of September 30, 1999, Hisashi Ouchi, Masato Shinohara, and Yutaka Yokokawa were preparing uranium-enriched fuel at a plant near Tōkai, Japan, when they triggered a nuclear reaction that killed Ouchi and Shinohara and exposed hundreds of others to high levels of radiation.

By Austin Harvey • September 21, 2024

44 Yōkai Images That Illustrate The Weird, Wonderful, And Sometimes Wacky World Of Japanese Folklore

Yōkai are supernatural beings like kappas, demons, and even haunted household objects that have appeared in Japanese art and folklore for centuries.

By Austin Harvey • Sep 16, 2024

44 Yōkai Images That Illustrate The Weird, Wonderful, And Sometimes Wacky World Of Japanese Folklore

Yōkai are supernatural beings like kappas, demons, and even haunted household objects that have appeared in Japanese art and folklore for centuries.

By Austin Harvey • September 16, 2024

Archaeologists Discover A 17th-Century Samurai Sword In A Cellar Beneath Berlin

Archaeologists conducting excavations in Berlin's historic Molkenmarkt area discovered an authentic 17th-century Japanese wakizashi, a type of short sword used by samurai in feudal Japan.

By Amber Morgan • Aug 26, 2024

News

Archaeologists Discover A 17th-Century Samurai Sword In A Cellar Beneath Berlin

Archaeologists conducting excavations in Berlin's historic Molkenmarkt area discovered an authentic 17th-century Japanese wakizashi, a type of short sword used by samurai in feudal Japan.

By Amber Morgan • August 26, 2024

Three Shipwrecks From World War II’s Battle Of Attu Discovered Off The Coast Of Alaska’s Aleutian Islands

Known as the "forgotten battle," May 1943's Battle of Attu was the only clash during World War II that was fought in North America.

By Austin Harvey • Aug 20, 2024

News

Three Shipwrecks From World War II’s Battle Of Attu Discovered Off The Coast Of Alaska’s Aleutian Islands

Known as the "forgotten battle," May 1943's Battle of Attu was the only clash during World War II that was fought in North America.

By Austin Harvey • August 20, 2024

32 Photos That Reveal The Disturbing History Of Seppuku, The Ritual Suicide Practiced By Samurai For Centuries

Traditionally, seppuku involved a samurai slicing through his own abdomen in a slow and excruciating death, but in later years, a second person would cut off the victim's head at the moment of highest agony.

By Joel Stice • Aug 18, 2024

32 Photos That Reveal The Disturbing History Of Seppuku, The Ritual Suicide Practiced By Samurai For Centuries

Traditionally, seppuku involved a samurai slicing through his own abdomen in a slow and excruciating death, but in later years, a second person would cut off the victim's head at the moment of highest agony.

By Joel Stice • August 18, 2024

A Japanese Company Hopes To Build An Elevator Into Space By 2050

Japan's Obayashi Corporation is making progress on their plan to build a massive elevator with a 22,000-mile tether that could send humans to the International Space Station in just two-and-a-half hours.

By Austin Harvey • Jun 6, 2024

News

A Japanese Company Hopes To Build An Elevator Into Space By 2050

Japan's Obayashi Corporation is making progress on their plan to build a massive elevator with a 22,000-mile tether that could send humans to the International Space Station in just two-and-a-half hours.

By Austin Harvey • June 6, 2024

The Story Of Nasubi, The Contestant Who Survived The Most Disturbing Reality Show Ever Devised

When Tomoaki Hamatsu, a.k.a. Nasubi, was cast on the show "Susunu! Denpa Shōnen" in 1998, he had no idea he'd spend the next 15 months of his life naked and isolated in an apartment — or that his ordeal would be broadcast live to 17 million people.

By Austin Harvey • Apr 23, 2024

The Story Of Nasubi, The Contestant Who Survived The Most Disturbing Reality Show Ever Devised

When Tomoaki Hamatsu, a.k.a. Nasubi, was cast on the show "Susunu! Denpa Shōnen" in 1998, he had no idea he'd spend the next 15 months of his life naked and isolated in an apartment — or that his ordeal would be broadcast live to 17 million people.

By Austin Harvey • April 23, 2024

Meet Louis Zamperini, The Legendary Olympian Who Became A World War II Hero

Although Louis Zamperini was brutally tortured inside four Japanese POW camps during World War 2, he not only survived, he later forgave his captors.

By Marco Margaritoff • Apr 17, 2024

Meet Louis Zamperini, The Legendary Olympian Who Became A World War II Hero

Although Louis Zamperini was brutally tortured inside four Japanese POW camps during World War 2, he not only survived, he later forgave his captors.

By Marco Margaritoff • April 17, 2024