An ongoing eruption from the volcano has created a small land mass less than a mile off Iwo Jima island. It’s a great case study of how volcanoes work.
Author: Hisako Ueno and Mike Ives
A Japanese Candy Tasted Like Nothing. Why Do People Miss It?
Flavorless (?) Candy, a convenience store product in Japan, spurred debate over what the “taste of nothingness” tastes like, if anything.
Japan Is Unmasking, and Its Smile Coach Is Busy
After three years of Covid-era masking, some Japanese people feel their facial expressions are a bit rusty. Enter Keiko Kawano, smile instructor.
A Yayoi Kusama Pumpkin Sculpture Is Reinstalled in Japan
Technically, it’s a replica of the polka-dot plastic creation that was damaged by a storm last year. But regardless, people are happy.
Monkey Is Killed in Japan After Spate of Human Attacks
As Japan’s macaque population grows, clashes with humans are becoming more frequent. More than 50 people were injured by recent monkey attacks in one western city.
Japanese Man Gambles Away a Town’s Covid Funds
An official in the rural Japanese town wired the 24-year-old man nearly $360,000 by mistake. He lost it in online casinos. Now, the town is suing and he has been arrested.
Japanese TV Show “Old Enough!” Features Toddlers Running Errands
“Old Enough!,” a Japanese show that has been on the air for decades, recently came to Netflix. It features toddlers running errands without adult supervision.
Shinzo Abe’s Resignation Prompts Speculation About His Successor
Whoever the Liberal Democratic Party elects as its leader, probably within the next week, will almost certainly become Japan’s next prime minister. It isn’t clear who that will be.