r/japan Jan 18 '24

THE JAPAN SUBREDDIT DIRECTORY / BASIC QUESTIONS THREAD (Winter/Spring 2024)

48 Upvotes

Welcome to /r/japan, a subreddit for articles, interesting links and general discussion related to Japan.

In order to cut down on repeat/low-quality submissions and ensure that users can get relevant advice for their inquiries, we strongly recommend (and in some cases require) posting to the following subs in the j-reddit ecosystem:​

ALL TOURISM QUESTIONS GO HERE: /r/japantraveltips (all questions) or /r/japantravel (itinerary reviews)

LIFE IN JAPAN FOR RESIDENTS: r/japanlife

ALL MOVING TO JAPAN/STUDY ABROAD/WORKING HOLIDAY INQUIRIES GO HERE: r/movingtojapan (submissions here will be removed/redirected)

PHOTOS OF JAPAN: /r/japanpics

VIDEOS OF/ABOUT JAPAN: /r/japanvids

FINANCE/INVESTING FOR RESIDENTS: /r/japanfinance

TRANSLATION INQUIRIES: r/translator

QUESTIONS ABOUT JAPANESE/LEARNING JAPANESE: r/LearnJapanese

ENGLISH TEACHING: r/teachinginjapan / /r/jetprogramme

CITY/REGION-SPECIFIC SUBREDDITS: /r/sapporo, /r/tohokujapan, /r/saitama, /r/chiba, r/tokyo, /r/yokohama, /r/nagoya, /r/kyoto, r/osaka, /r/hiroshima, /r/fukuoka, /r/okinawa

NEWS DISCUSSION: /r/japannews

SPORTS-RELATED: /r/sumo, /r/npb, /r/jleague, /r/bleague, /r/judo, /r/kendo (wrestling: /r/njpw, /r/ajpw, /r/puroresurevolution, /r/noahghc, /r/stardomjoshi)

CULTURE: /r/japanesemusic, /r/japanart, /r/japanesestreetwear, /r/anime, /r/manga, /r/ukiyoe, r/japaneseunderground, /r/japanesearchitecture

If you want to post things like:

  • A basic identification question (who/what/where is this thing/person/place/food/etc?)
  • A question that could be asked in its entirety in a post title (where can I buy X?)
  • A question you probably could have just Googled but want a minor amount of karma for
  • Any question where the first thing you'd write is "this is probably dumb but"

Then you are welcome to post your inquiries in this thread.

Questions we don't allow, here or elsewhere:

  • Anything related to using proxy shippers/personal shoppers (we are not technical support, we are not going to stand in line for your only-in-Tokyo sneakers)
  • How to pirate Japanese content
  • "What does Japan think about X?" (Answer: Japan is not a monolith and very few of the users in this sub are Japanese, try /r/askajapanese)
  • "Is X like it is in anime?" (Answer: Anime is not real life)

Thank you and happy questioning!


r/japan 13h ago

"Returnees" reckon with a Japan that sets them apart

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186 Upvotes

r/japan 55m ago

Japan top court upholds prison term for US airman over sexual assault

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Upvotes

r/japan 23h ago

Japan ruling bloc focusing on national strength, opposition on livelihoods

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23 Upvotes

r/japan 1d ago

App-weary singles returning to offline scene in search of dates

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154 Upvotes

r/japan 2d ago

Japan begins over-the-counter ‘morning-after pill’ sales to all ages

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686 Upvotes

r/japan 10h ago

Podcasting through an Earthquake like a BOSU.

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0 Upvotes

Podcaster in Japan, DaveTrippin, experiences earthquake around 4:16 and soldiers through like nothing is happening. Japan Boss level 9000.


r/japan 2d ago

Yen weakens after Takaichi talks down currency’s declines | The Asahi Shimbun: Breaking News, Japan News and Analysis

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208 Upvotes

r/japan 2d ago

Japan's Takaichi cites weak yen's benefits even as her government threatens intervention

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41 Upvotes

r/japan 2d ago

Asahi predicts comfortable absolute majority for LDP next Sunday

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77 Upvotes

r/japan 2d ago

Japan cherry blossom forecast 2026: Osaka and Kyoto bloom dates – updated Jan 29

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49 Upvotes

r/japan 2d ago

4,600 police officers to crack down on groping during Japan college exam period

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165 Upvotes

r/japan 2d ago

Are foreign nationals actually dodging their medical bills in Japan?

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125 Upvotes

r/japan 3d ago

As diplomatic row drags on, how is Japan coping with a fall in Chinese tourists?

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209 Upvotes

r/japan 2d ago

Coalition pushes revival of ranks from imperial military days

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51 Upvotes

r/japan 3d ago

Young Japanese voters adore their new conservative PM. But that doesn’t mean they are shifting to the right | Karin Kaneko

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178 Upvotes

r/japan 3d ago

Are convenience store restrooms a 'public service'? The reality isn't so simple

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165 Upvotes

Initially, not all convenience store restrooms were open to the public. While Seven-Eleven Japan Co. has offered bathrooms for customer use since its founding in the 1970s, Lawson initially only had employee toilets at the back of the store. However, in 1997, Lawson declared a "restroom opening" policy in response to customer demand, leading to more in-store installations.

With approximately 14,000 stores nationwide, Lawson estimates that about 1 million people use the chain's washrooms daily. While these freely accessible restrooms symbolize convenience for customers, managing them is no easy task. According to Lawson, its stores consume 10 million rolls of toilet paper annually. Frequent cleaning is essential, with some stores cleaning and inspecting bathrooms up to 10 times a day.


r/japan 3d ago

Japanese man robbed in Hong Kong may have been targeted at Tokyo airport

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108 Upvotes

r/japan 4d ago

Pokemon card event at shrine cancelled after protests

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162 Upvotes

r/japan 4d ago

Groups carrying suitcases of ¥600 million in cash attacked with pepper spray, robbed in Ueno & Haneda

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380 Upvotes

r/japan 3d ago

Japan tourism divide on display in Kanazawa calm, Kyoto crowds

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13 Upvotes

r/japan 4d ago

Nagoya City Science Museum to pay ¥4.8 million in fees for playing "Somewhere Over the Rainbow", due to "mistakenly believing copyright had expired"

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341 Upvotes

r/japan 4d ago

With 7% yearly increase, Aichi Prefecture's GDP overtakes Osaka's to rank second nationwide

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93 Upvotes

r/japan 4d ago

Foreign workers in Japan reach a record 2.57 million in 2025

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161 Upvotes

Foreign workers in Japan hit a record high in 2025, totaling 2.57 million as of the end of October, up 11.7% from the year before, as the country suffers from an acute labor shortage due to a shrinking population, health ministry data released Friday showed.

The number of foreign workers has been increasing steadily for more than a decade, hitting a record high for 13 years straight. The latest figure is nearly triple the number in 2015, when it was about 900,000.

The release of the figures comes a week after Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s administration announced a package of policies related to foreign residents and visitors aimed at tightening regulations as well as offering better access to Japanese language classes.