It feels silly to apply the term “life affirming” to a bowl of noodles. But when I arrived in Fukuoka, dead-tired after the long flight from New York, and my lips met the ramen invented there, a ...

Maybe you’ve always dreamed of understanding anime without subtitles, chatting with friends in Tokyo, or finally reading those beautiful Hiragana characters. But let’s get real: lots of Japanese ...

KATHERINE KENDRICK, 62, wants to give her nephew Henry Kendrick, 21, a trip to celebrate his graduation from Reed College in Portland, Ore. The destination of their dreams: Japan. “I’ve been to Tokyo ...

The quintessential global wanderer, Pico Iyer has published two books on Japan this year: Autumn Light and A Beginner's Guide to Japan. After 30-plus years in Japan, Iyer can use everything from anime ...

First thing you have to do when you visit Japan? Prepare yourself. Prepare yourself for an incredible experience in one of the weirdest and most wonderful places on Earth.

Having lived in Japan for decades, the widely traveled and erudite, Oxford-born Iyer (The Art of Stillness) presents this lovely pocket compendium of oddities and insights of Japanese life. Save for a ...