Japan’s Culture
Arts, entertainment, sports, and more.
The 2023 Godzilla Minus One was the first Japanese film to win an Oscar for best visual effects. Three years later, Godzilla Minus Zero follows up with even more thrilling action in the form of a kaijū battle certain to thrill monster movie fans.
Studio Ghibli’s iconic early work My Neighbor Totoro marked a turning point for Miyazaki Hayao, who had previously steered clear of Japanese settings, in which he expressed his newfound appreciation for his native land through the film’s lush, sacred forest.
On November 5, the 30 candidates for Japan’s word or phrase of the year were announced. See the full list of terms that described 2026 for the Japanese-speaking population.
The director Miyazaki Hayao and other leading anime creators have a surprising number of connections to Nagano in central Japan. The prefecture’s Suwa region, steeped in prehistoric Jōmon culture, is home to one of Japan’s oldest Shintō shrines.
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1
Miyazaki Hayao’s Animism: The Historical Theories That Shaped “Princess Mononoke”
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2
Sagrada Familia Sculptor Sotoo Etsurō—A Half Century in the Service of Gaudí’s Open-Ended Masterpiece
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3
“Godzilla Minus Zero” Brings King Ghidorah to Clash with the King of Monsters in Postwar Japan
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“My Neighbor Totoro”: Miyazaki Hayao’s Forest Journey Back to Japan
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5
Nara’s Three-Faced Ashura: The Resolute, Sorrowful Gazes of a Kōfukuji Masterpiece
Culturally vital at home and increasingly popular around the world. Japan’s manga are a vibrant, diverse artform that continue to attract new fans and keep aficionados trekking to bookstores—and, increasingly, online marketplaces and reading apps. Revolutions in digital publication and translation technologies are bringing hit titles to readers in multiple languages almost as soon as they appear in Japanese. This series takes a look at some of the works that are worth adding to your reading list, wherever you may be.
(Banner image © Pixta)
PHOTOS
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1
Rice-Planting Festivals: Folk Traditions Centering on the Rice Paddy Deity
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2
Sumō Gone Global: Japan’s Traditional Sport in an International Age
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3
Miyazaki Hayao’s Animism: The Historical Theories That Shaped “Princess Mononoke”
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4
Japan’s Top Events in Autumn 2026
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5
J-Horror Rises Again: Unraveling the Heart of Fear, Japan Style
