”This is no ordinary white rice. I worked overtime & came home late, so my oldest boy (11) looked up how to cook rice & made it for me, making it the world's most delicious white rice.".

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JR Shikoku has apologized to a 67-year-old man after he fell into a 65cm hole while trying to take a piss in a bathroom at Ritsurin Station in Takamatsu, Kagawa Prefecture. It took the man seven days to heal. JR Shikoku admitted that the floor hadn't been renovated in 50 years.

Are Domestic Japanese Tourists Avoiding Kyoto? One Study Aims to Find Out .

Kyoto is doing booming business thanks to overseas tourists. But are the crowds pushing out domestic visitors? Here's how a research team plans to find out, plus some of the factors that may be leading to a "Kyoto flight" (more below).

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Unseen Japan Newsletter - Week of July 27th 2025.

The dark side of APA hotels, two-tier pricing for tourists at Buddhist temples, Sanseitō's Imperial Constitution, and Tokyo's prostitution hot spot - this and more in this week's free Unseen Japan Newsletter (link below).

Why Japan’s Disability Law Still Fails Disabled Students .

Japan's disability laws are supposed to protect disabled students. So why do some still fall through the cracks? We talked to a Japanese attorney who says there are two key flaws inherent in the current law. Learn more about the law - and the students impacted by it - below.

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Kawanaka has published the Japan Middle Schooler News since 2023. He's scored some key interviews. But when he tried to ask the right-wing party leader a question, Kamiya asked, "Which company?" and, after Kawanaka replied, said, "I don't talk to freelancers" and walked off.

Middle schooler journalist Kawanaka Daiji (14) has interviewed Japanese PM Ishiba, Osaka gov Yoshimura, and other top politicians. The one person who wouldn't answer his questions? Kamiya Sōhei, leader of the far-right Sanseitō party.

Colors in Japanese: Not as Black and White as You’d Think .

How did the names of colors evolve in Japanese? Turns out there are no black and white answers to that question. Here's a look at the interesting evolution of color vocabulary in the Japanese language (link below).

Read the details and learn more about APA here: .

In 2017, a video uploaded by an American traveler on the Chinese social media platform Weibo brought APA Hotels into the spotlight. The clip alleged that some rooms featured a book denying the Nanjing Massacre, one of the most brutal episodes of Japan’s wartime past.

The fire department says it did things by the book. Commenters on Yahoo! News JP are mystified why people would act like this in a life-or-death situation: "Blaring a siren is standard. If you don't like it, take a taxi.". Source:

The family had both asked the fire department not to blare the siren and to take him to a designated hospital. They called back five hours later when his condition worsened and the department took him to a hospital - but by then, it was too late.

In Iwata, Shizuoka Prefecture, the family of a man in his 50s called emergency services - but for reasons unknown, asked that they "not blare the siren" on arrival. When an operator said they couldn't do that, the caller said they'd "wait and see" how he did. He died hours later.