Unseen Japan
@unseenjapan.com
The Japan you don't learn about in anime. News and social issues from Japan. Visiting Japan soon? Check out our tours service!
https://unseenjapan.start.page/
https://unseenjapan.start.page/
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Unseen Japan
@unseenjapan.com
· Mar 3
Wow - we blinked and you brought us to 20K followers on Bluesky. Thank you! We're happy to have made this our new social media home.
Unseen Japan covers Japanese news, language, history, and social issues from a liberal perspective. Here's a little more about what we do (and how you can help).
Unseen Japan covers Japanese news, language, history, and social issues from a liberal perspective. Here's a little more about what we do (and how you can help).
[Insider] You don't talk about affairs in Japan. One reason is that cheating can result in a lawsuit. Learn how one self-proclaimed polygamous throuple used that to scam sugar babies out of their money in our latest for subscribers:
buff.ly/iYhMknS
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[Insider] "Itadaki Ojisan": How a Japanese Throuple Ran a Sugar Daddy Scam - Unseen Japan
In Japan, you can sue someone who's had an affair with your spouse. One Japanese couple used that to run a daring scam.
unseen-japan.com
February 9, 2026 at 12:44 AM
[Insider] You don't talk about affairs in Japan. One reason is that cheating can result in a lawsuit. Learn how one self-proclaimed polygamous throuple used that to scam sugar babies out of their money in our latest for subscribers:
buff.ly/iYhMknS
buff.ly/iYhMknS
Reposted by Unseen Japan
Reposted by Unseen Japan
lot of bad news coming out of the japanese election so lets appreciate this w for a moment
One person didn't benefit from yesterday's blowout LDP victory in the Japanese Lower House election: Sugita Mio. The militantly bigoted LDP member lost her election in Osaka's 5th District and failed to make the cut for a proportional representation seat.
February 8, 2026 at 10:11 PM
lot of bad news coming out of the japanese election so lets appreciate this w for a moment
An Asahi analysis says that Japan's liberal parties lost the support of the left in yesterday's Lower House election. Of 102 ppl in their teens to 30s who identified as left-leaning, 34% said they cast their proportional vote for the conservative Liberal Democratic Party (LDP).
February 8, 2026 at 10:15 PM
An Asahi analysis says that Japan's liberal parties lost the support of the left in yesterday's Lower House election. Of 102 ppl in their teens to 30s who identified as left-leaning, 34% said they cast their proportional vote for the conservative Liberal Democratic Party (LDP).
One person didn't benefit from yesterday's blowout LDP victory in the Japanese Lower House election: Sugita Mio. The militantly bigoted LDP member lost her election in Osaka's 5th District and failed to make the cut for a proportional representation seat.
February 8, 2026 at 9:53 PM
One person didn't benefit from yesterday's blowout LDP victory in the Japanese Lower House election: Sugita Mio. The militantly bigoted LDP member lost her election in Osaka's 5th District and failed to make the cut for a proportional representation seat.
"Most of us have, at some point, tried using The Gangrene Owl of Doom to learn a language. But Duolingo isn’t a standalone tool for language learning. At most, it can help you nail pronunciation, plus a few hundred words and basic phrases."
How to Ditch Duolingo and Actually Learn Japanese - Unseen Japan
Want an alternative to Duolingo now that they're firing workers and resorting to AI slop? Here's a much better way to study Japanese.
buff.ly
February 8, 2026 at 5:21 PM
"Most of us have, at some point, tried using The Gangrene Owl of Doom to learn a language. But Duolingo isn’t a standalone tool for language learning. At most, it can help you nail pronunciation, plus a few hundred words and basic phrases."
Sometimes in Tokyo's Kabukicho district, the combination of alcohol, sleep deprivation, and bad tempers creates a perfect storm that leads to random violence. That was the case in September 2025. Learn why their fight has made headlines in Japan:
[Insider] In Japan, When Does a Fight Become a Duel? - Unseen Japan
A Tokyo man is facing an additional five years in jail after prosecutors charged him under a 136-year-old law.
buff.ly
February 8, 2026 at 2:01 PM
Sometimes in Tokyo's Kabukicho district, the combination of alcohol, sleep deprivation, and bad tempers creates a perfect storm that leads to random violence. That was the case in September 2025. Learn why their fight has made headlines in Japan:
Reposted by Unseen Japan
More of the beautiful 2026 Tokyo snowpocalypse, as seen from Shinjuku. Some major train shutdowns now in effect.
February 8, 2026 at 2:44 AM
More of the beautiful 2026 Tokyo snowpocalypse, as seen from Shinjuku. Some major train shutdowns now in effect.
Hokkaido has only truly been part of the Japanese mainland for the past 150 years. Who lived there before its colonization by the Japanese? And how do the island’s indigenous people, the Ainu, fare today?
The Colonization of Hokkaido: How a "Foreign" Frontier Became Japan - Unseen Japan
How a mysterious frontier island peopled by "barbarians" became one of the four main islands of Japan - and how the original inhabitants suffered as a result.
buff.ly
February 7, 2026 at 5:31 PM
Hokkaido has only truly been part of the Japanese mainland for the past 150 years. Who lived there before its colonization by the Japanese? And how do the island’s indigenous people, the Ainu, fare today?
Reposted by Unseen Japan
I wonder how many dudes you would need to take on this challenge, I feel like this is an absolute metric ton of food given the cheap prices and big portions
How much would it cost to eat everything on the Saizeriya menu? Turns out the answer, as you might expect given the Japanese “Italian” restaurant’s rep for cheap eats, is “not a lot”:
a mere ¥28,600 ($182)
a mere ¥28,600 ($182)
February 7, 2026 at 10:17 AM
I wonder how many dudes you would need to take on this challenge, I feel like this is an absolute metric ton of food given the cheap prices and big portions
How much would it cost to eat everything on the Saizeriya menu? Turns out the answer, as you might expect given the Japanese “Italian” restaurant’s rep for cheap eats, is “not a lot”:
a mere ¥28,600 ($182)
a mere ¥28,600 ($182)
February 7, 2026 at 9:22 AM
How much would it cost to eat everything on the Saizeriya menu? Turns out the answer, as you might expect given the Japanese “Italian” restaurant’s rep for cheap eats, is “not a lot”:
a mere ¥28,600 ($182)
a mere ¥28,600 ($182)
The national spread of the Urayasu no Mai, a woman-performed religious dance dedicated to the 2600th anniversary of imperial rule, brought about the revival of miko. Since then, the role of miko has changed to that of an assistant for Shinto priests.
Japanese Shrine Maiden School: An Inside View - Unseen Japan
What does it take to become a certified Japanese shrine maiden? A certified miko shows us inside a school built to train new miko.
buff.ly
February 7, 2026 at 4:01 AM
The national spread of the Urayasu no Mai, a woman-performed religious dance dedicated to the 2600th anniversary of imperial rule, brought about the revival of miko. Since then, the role of miko has changed to that of an assistant for Shinto priests.
Several foreign customers said ramen store staff directed them away from the Japanese menu. Some said staff told them to order only in their native language. Korean reviewers claimed staff blocked them from viewing the cheaper options.
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buff.ly/bQiCU5a
Osaka Ramen Shop Threatens to Ban Chinese Customers After Two-Tier Pricing Dispute - Unseen Japan
Social media users in Japan have accused the store of discrimination and of "embarrassing" Japan with its blatant double pricing.
buff.ly
February 6, 2026 at 2:30 PM
Several foreign customers said ramen store staff directed them away from the Japanese menu. Some said staff told them to order only in their native language. Korean reviewers claimed staff blocked them from viewing the cheaper options.
buff.ly/bQiCU5a
buff.ly/bQiCU5a
Japan isn’t known for its spicy foods. Quite the contrary. So when our author heard that a line of potato chips had landed some high school kids in the hospital, he knew that he HAD to try them. Fortunately, he lived to write about it.
These Japanese Potato Chips Hospitalized Kids - So I Tried Them - Unseen Japan
Japan isn't known for its spicy food. One snack company, however, has a product that's so spicy it made national headlines.
buff.ly
February 6, 2026 at 5:37 AM
Japan isn’t known for its spicy foods. Quite the contrary. So when our author heard that a line of potato chips had landed some high school kids in the hospital, he knew that he HAD to try them. Fortunately, he lived to write about it.
Reposted by Unseen Japan
ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!
In today's episode of "let's beat up on foreigners for no reason," The Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) announced that tourists will no longer be able to take the test inside Japan - only residents. No indication of exactly what problem this new rule is trying to solve.
February 5, 2026 at 11:12 PM
ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!
Reposted by Unseen Japan
The kind of inconvenience, if not outright discrimination, I think of when I see “Japan is living in 3026”
In today's episode of "let's beat up on foreigners for no reason," The Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) announced that tourists will no longer be able to take the test inside Japan - only residents. No indication of exactly what problem this new rule is trying to solve.
February 5, 2026 at 9:58 PM
The kind of inconvenience, if not outright discrimination, I think of when I see “Japan is living in 3026”
In today's episode of "let's beat up on foreigners for no reason," The Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) announced that tourists will no longer be able to take the test inside Japan - only residents. No indication of exactly what problem this new rule is trying to solve.
February 5, 2026 at 9:38 PM
In today's episode of "let's beat up on foreigners for no reason," The Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) announced that tourists will no longer be able to take the test inside Japan - only residents. No indication of exactly what problem this new rule is trying to solve.
Asked what she thinks of the Hitachi Pride parade in Japan's Ibaraki Prefecture, 35-year-old Yuka responds: “Until I was given this flag, I had no idea this event was going to happen today at all, but I think it’s a good thing....it’s nice to see something like that here."
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buff.ly/ydIpzHP
February 5, 2026 at 2:30 PM
Asked what she thinks of the Hitachi Pride parade in Japan's Ibaraki Prefecture, 35-year-old Yuka responds: “Until I was given this flag, I had no idea this event was going to happen today at all, but I think it’s a good thing....it’s nice to see something like that here."
buff.ly/ydIpzHP
buff.ly/ydIpzHP
Japan’s sleep deprivation issues go back to at least 2017, when the Japanese word for “sleep debt” (睡眠負債; suimin fusai) was nominated as one of the year’s top buzzwords. Nothing’s gotten better since.
buff.ly/Bitrs06
buff.ly/Bitrs06
February 5, 2026 at 2:30 PM
Japan’s sleep deprivation issues go back to at least 2017, when the Japanese word for “sleep debt” (睡眠負債; suimin fusai) was nominated as one of the year’s top buzzwords. Nothing’s gotten better since.
buff.ly/Bitrs06
buff.ly/Bitrs06
ICYMI: At the start of 2026, an AI-generated manga reached the top of Comic C’moA’s Young Adult rankings, marking a turning point for Japan’s manga industry. And what does its success portend for the industry's future?
How an AI Manga Became a Bestseller on Japan’s Largest e-Book Store - Unseen Japan
How did a fully AI-generated manga hit number one in Japan? And what does its success portend for the future of the industry?
buff.ly
February 5, 2026 at 12:45 PM
ICYMI: At the start of 2026, an AI-generated manga reached the top of Comic C’moA’s Young Adult rankings, marking a turning point for Japan’s manga industry. And what does its success portend for the industry's future?
Anime may be entertainment, first and foremost. But art is almost always political. Anime is no exception. Many of the most popular and beloved anime have explicit political ideologies. Sometimes they’re expressed overtly. Other times, they lurk beneath the surface.
Anime From the Left - and From the (Far, Far) Right - Unseen Japan
Anime may be entertainment, first and foremost. But art is almost always political. Anime is no exception.
buff.ly
February 5, 2026 at 5:05 AM
Anime may be entertainment, first and foremost. But art is almost always political. Anime is no exception. Many of the most popular and beloved anime have explicit political ideologies. Sometimes they’re expressed overtly. Other times, they lurk beneath the surface.
Japan is famous for many things. One of them? A lack of sleep. For nearly a decade, it's been the world's eepiest country. Unfortunately, with a workaholic Prime Minister now in charge, the problem may get even worse.
buff.ly/Bitrs06
buff.ly/Bitrs06
The Eepiest Nation: Why Japan's Sleep Problem May Soon Get Worse - Unseen Japan
Japan gets less sleep than any other nation. But the country's workaholic Prime Minister doesn't seem to care.
unseen-japan.com
February 4, 2026 at 11:21 PM
Japan is famous for many things. One of them? A lack of sleep. For nearly a decade, it's been the world's eepiest country. Unfortunately, with a workaholic Prime Minister now in charge, the problem may get even worse.
buff.ly/Bitrs06
buff.ly/Bitrs06
Reposted by Unseen Japan
Err happy Pikachu day to all who celebrate? ⚡
Today in Japan (2/5) is the grand opening of Pokepark Kanto in Inagi City, West Tokyo (located inside the existing Yomiuriland). It's also, not coincidentally, Pikachu Day, as 25 is Pikachu's Pokedex number.
February 4, 2026 at 8:47 PM
Err happy Pikachu day to all who celebrate? ⚡
According to a survey by Daiichi Sankyo, 1 in 5 women say they’ve experienced times where contraception has failed, or they couldn’t use contraception for some reason. That makes easy access to the morning-after pill a godsend.
buff.ly/hikt6QW
buff.ly/hikt6QW
Japan (Finally) Makes Morning-After Pill Available Over the Counter Nationwide - Unseen Japan
The approval process was long, taking three years from a trial run until approval of sale nationwide without a prescription.
unseen-japan.com
February 4, 2026 at 9:16 PM
According to a survey by Daiichi Sankyo, 1 in 5 women say they’ve experienced times where contraception has failed, or they couldn’t use contraception for some reason. That makes easy access to the morning-after pill a godsend.
buff.ly/hikt6QW
buff.ly/hikt6QW
Today in Japan (2/5) is the grand opening of Pokepark Kanto in Inagi City, West Tokyo (located inside the existing Yomiuriland). It's also, not coincidentally, Pikachu Day, as 25 is Pikachu's Pokedex number.
February 4, 2026 at 8:46 PM
Today in Japan (2/5) is the grand opening of Pokepark Kanto in Inagi City, West Tokyo (located inside the existing Yomiuriland). It's also, not coincidentally, Pikachu Day, as 25 is Pikachu's Pokedex number.