Bon Odori dancers circle yagura Shibuya summer festival Japan

Japan Now! Bon Odori Takes Over Shibuya! The 600-Year-Old Dance in Japan’s Trendiest District (7/13)

For decades, Shibuya has been shorthand for everything new in Japan: the scramble crossing, youth fashion, neon-soaked nightlife. However, on the evening of August 8, the district will do something radically old. The streets around SHIBUYA109 will close to traffic, a wooden yagura tower will rise in the middle of the road, and thousands of people in yukata will dance in circles to songs their great-grandparents knew. This is Bon Odori, and it is one of Japan’s oldest living traditions. Quick Answer: Bon Odori is the traditional circle dance of Obon, Japan’s midsummer festival honoring ancestral spirits. Shibuya Bon Odori…

View More Japan Now! Bon Odori Takes Over Shibuya! The 600-Year-Old Dance in Japan’s Trendiest District (7/13)
Red Brick Sunset 2026 Santa Monica theme Yokohama Red Brick Warehouse

Japan Now! Japan Is Building Its Own Santa Monica, and It Opens August 1 (7/10)

For years, Japanese pop culture fans in America have recreated a little piece of Japan at home, from ramen nights to anime conventions. However, this summer the tables have turned completely: Japan is building a full-scale replica of Santa Monica, palm trees, pier, white sand and all, right on the Yokohama waterfront. It is called Red Brick Sunset 2026, and it might be Japan’s most American event ever. Quick Answer: Red Brick Sunset 2026 runs August 1 to 30 at Yokohama Red Brick Warehouse, one of Japan’s most popular waterfront venues. This year’s theme is Santa Monica, complete with a…

View More Japan Now! Japan Is Building Its Own Santa Monica, and It Opens August 1 (7/10)
Valley Kendo Club beginner kendo class in Los Angeles, trial in Sun Valley

Kendo Trial Class in SFV area: Beginners Welcome in Sun Valley

Looking for a kendo class in the Valley areas? Valley Kendo Club is welcoming new beginners to a trial class in Sun Valley. Kendo builds fitness, focus, respect, confidence, and discipline, and all ages (8yo and up is recommended) and experience levels are welcome. Kendo Trial Class Details: Date, Time, and Location ・Date: Saturday, July 11, 8:00 AM・Location: Valley Japanese Community Center, 8850 Lankershim Blvd, Sun Valley, CA 91352・Open to: Children, teens, and adults. No experience needed. Class Times and How to Join For the full class schedule and ongoing session times, visit ValleyKendoClub.com. Contact ・Email: valleykendodojo@gmail.com・Website: https://www.valleykendoclub.com

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Ultraman 60th anniversary Ultraman Day July 10 Japan

Japan Now! Ultraman Turns 60! Japan Celebrates Ultraman Day (7/10)

For sixty years, one silver giant has been saving Earth on Japanese television, decades before superhero universes became Hollywood’s favorite formula. However, most American fans who discovered Ultraman through Netflix’s “Ultraman: Rising” have no idea that in Japan, July 10 is an official holiday for the character, and this year’s is the biggest one ever. The Ultraman 60th anniversary is officially here, and Japan is going all in. Quick Answer: In Japan, July 10 is Ultraman Day, officially recognized by the Japan Anniversary Association. It marks July 10, 1966, when Ultraman first appeared on Japanese TV. In 2026, the franchise…

View More Japan Now! Ultraman Turns 60! Japan Celebrates Ultraman Day (7/10)
Shinzo Abe assassination fourth anniversary memorial Japan

Japan Now! 4 Years Since the Shinzo Abe Assassination, Japan Remembers(7/8)

For decades, Japan has been known as one of the safest countries in the world, a place where political violence felt like a relic of another century. However, July 8 marks the day that assumption was shattered: four years ago today, former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was assassinated during a campaign speech in Nara, an event that shocked Japan and made headlines around the globe. The Shinzo Abe assassination remains one of the most consequential events in Japan’s modern political history. Quick Answer: July 8, 2026 marks four years since former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was fatally shot while giving…

View More Japan Now! 4 Years Since the Shinzo Abe Assassination, Japan Remembers(7/8)
Tanabata festival bamboo decorations with tanzaku wishes in Japan

Japan Now! It’s Tanabata! Why All of Japan Is Wishing on Stars Today(7/7)

Every July 7, something magical happens across Japan: train stations, shopping malls, and schools fill with bamboo branches covered in colorful paper strips, each one carrying someone’s handwritten wish. However, here is what most visitors never learn: according to the original legend, today is the only day of the year when two star-crossed lovers in the sky are allowed to meet, and all of Japan is celebrating their reunion at the Tanabata festival. Quick Answer: Tanabata (July 7) is Japan’s “Star Festival,” celebrating the once-a-year reunion of Orihime and Hikoboshi, two lovers separated by the Milky Way. People write wishes…

View More Japan Now! It’s Tanabata! Why All of Japan Is Wishing on Stars Today(7/7)
Sword Art Online Integral Domain new SAO movie 2028 announcement

Japan Now! New Sword Art Online Movie “Integral Domain” Announced for 2028 (7/6)

For over a decade, Sword Art Online has been the gateway anime that introduced millions of Western fans to the idea of living inside a video game. However, ever since the epic Alicization arc concluded in 2020, one question has haunted the fandom: what happens to Kirito and Asuna next? Japan just answered with the reveal of Sword Art Online Integral Domain. Quick Answer: A brand-new original Sword Art Online movie, titled Sword Art Online the Movie -Integral Domain-, will hit Japanese theaters in 2028. It tells a completely original story set after the Alicization arc, with a story concept…

View More Japan Now! New Sword Art Online Movie “Integral Domain” Announced for 2028 (7/6)
Motoori Norinaga, the scholar who defined mono no aware

JAPANESE SAMURAI / Motoori Norinaga

1730 – 1801 本居宣長 Motoori Norinaga The Scholar Who Unearthed the Sensibility of Japanese Culture . If you have ever felt a bittersweet ache at falling cherry blossoms, you already understand mono no aware. This uniquely Japanese sense of beauty was named and defined by one scholar: Motoori Norinaga. Motoori Norinaga, born in 1730 in what is now Matsusaka City in Mie Prefecture, is remembered as the scholar who illuminated the emotional core of Japanese culture—mono no aware, the deep sensitivity to the beauty and sorrow of human experience. His life traces the path of a boy captivated by books who…

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Japan heatwave 2026: extreme summer heat warning

Japan Now! A “Once in a Decade” Heatwave Is Coming(7/2)

Summer in Japan is always hot, and most travelers plan for it. However, on July 2, 2026, Japan’s weather agency issued a rare official warning: a “once in a decade” level of extreme heat is expected to hit large parts of the country starting July 8. If you are traveling in Japan this month, this Japan heatwave 2026 alert is one you should not ignore. Quick Answer: The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) issued Early Warning Information on Extreme Weather on July 2, 2026. From around July 8 (July 9 in the Tokai region), temperatures in Hokkaido, Tohoku, Hokuriku, Kinki, and…

View More Japan Now! A “Once in a Decade” Heatwave Is Coming(7/2)
Carine Lantignac, a French artist living in Japan as a foreigner

I LIVE IN JAPAN / Carine Lantignac / Artist and Cultural consultant

Jun 2026 (VOL.224) Carine Lantignac What is it really like to live in Japan as a foreign artist? In this I Live in Japan interview, French artist and cultural consultant Carine Lantignac shares 13 years of life in Tokyo, raising three children and building Mapponica, her art maps made from traditional Japanese paper. What do you do in Japan? I have been going through different phases of adaptations following my family needs, being the prime physical carer of my children I had to constantly find the most suitable solution. I have three children and a Japanese husband, so caring. My…

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BE:FIRST

Japan Now! BE:FIRST Drop New Song “Missing” at FNS 2026 (6/30)

For years, BE:FIRST has been one of the most talked-about boy groups to come out of Japan’s BMSG label. However, on July 1, 2026, they did something that pushed them into an entirely new spotlight: they performed the brand-new song “Missing” on national television for the very first time, on the same night they covered a beloved Japanese summer classic.This BE:FIRST Missing performance instantly became one of the night’s biggest talking points. Quick Answer: At the 2026 FNS Music Festival Summer (FNS Kayousai), the BE:FIRST Missing premiere came at the 2026 FNS Music Festival Summer, where they also performed Keisuke…

View More Japan Now! BE:FIRST Drop New Song “Missing” at FNS 2026 (6/30)
Julie Mitrovic, a French coach living in Japan as a foreigner

I LIVE IN JAPAN / Julie Mitrovic / Coach & Facilitator

May 2026 (VOL.223) Julie Mitrovic What do you do in Japan? Can you talk about your job in Japan? I’m a coach and facilitator working with women navigating major life or career transitions. I help them reconnect with themselves and move forward with clarity and confidence, using a blend of somatic coaching and Positive Psychology. I support them in those in-between moments where the old version no longer fits, but the new one hasn’t fully emerged yet. After 10 years working in Admin and HR, I wanted to deepen my impact, so I started a Master’s in Applied Positive Psychology…

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