The International Atomic Energy Agency said Friday that Japan’s preparations for the planned discharge of treated water from the crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant are proceeding largely in line with international safety standards. (Japan Times)

It’s often said that the four pillars of hip hop culture are rap, DJing, break dance, and graffiti, the last of which is easily the most controversial, challenging concepts of public space, freedom of expression, and the very nature of what defines “art.” (Japan Today)

Travelers wearing masks crowded train stations and airports across Japan as the Golden Week holiday began Friday without the issuance of a coronavirus state of emergency for the first time in three years. (Japan Today)

About 14,000 years ago, prehistoric hunter-gatherers in southern Japan were making pottery. There are no signs whatsoever that the late Pleistocene inhabitants of Tanegashima Island had begun to settle down and grow food. They were foragers, hunter-gatherers and fishers, not farmers. (haaretz.com)

The governor of the Japanese prefecture of Okinawa says Australian Defence Force personnel are not welcome on the 150 islands he administers, as fears grow that rising tensions between China and US allies will lead to conflict in the region. (afr.com)

A man in his 30s armed with what appeared to be a shotgun was found dead early Friday after allegedly stabbing a woman and then holing up in a Tokyo apartment in a standoff with police that lasted approximately four hours, the police said. (Japan Today)

This video is a Tokyo Food Guide for cheap tokyo food ideas at a Japanese izakaya making it a perfect Japan guide for travelers on a budget. ( SAMURAI JUNJIRO Channel)

Tokyo has lodged a protest with Moscow over its decision to expel eight Japanese diplomats, the top government spokesman said Thursday, arguing Russia is fully responsible for the deterioration of bilateral relations. (Kyodo)

A former senior member of the Aum Shinrikyo cult was released from prison Tuesday, having served a nine-year term for his involvement in three cases related to the group, people familiar with the situation said. (Japan Today)

Part of a human skull has been found near a mountainside campsite in Yamanashi Prefecture, west of Tokyo, where a 9-year-old girl went missing over two and a half years ago, investigative sources said Tuesday. (Kyodo)

The average age of homeless people in Japan has hit a record 63.6 years old, with 40% of them living on the streets for more than a decade, according to a health ministry survey conducted every five years to keep track of homelessness in the country. (Japan Times)

Tokyo's Shibuya is famed for its Scramble Crossing, where crowds of people crisscross the intersection in a scene symbolizing urban Japan’s congestion and anonymity. It may have added another boasting right. (sacbee.com)

Shizuka heads north to a popular location for a day trip out of Tokyo, the picturesque Nikko in Tochigi Prefecture. Well known for its beautiful waterfall and colorful nature, Nikko is also a great place to sample the mouthwateringly tender Tochigi beef! (Japan by Food)

Around 1.4 million Japanese adults have tattoos, almost double the number from 2014, according to Yoshimi Yamamoto, a cultural anthropologist at Tsuru University who studies traditional hajichi tattoos worn on the hands of Okinawan women. (Japan Times)

Coming off his first top-division championship in March, sekiwake Wakatakakage remains on the more prestigious east side of the latest rankings released Monday by the Japan Sumo Association ahead of next month's Summer Grand Sumo Tournament. (Kyodo)

Members of sexual minority groups and their supporters have paraded in central Tokyo for the first time in three years, and called for a society free of discrimination and prejudice. (NHK)

This is how Japanese school food lunches are made in Japan called Kyushoku（給食) it’s served in all Japanese elementary and most junior high schools, it’s known for its balanced and varied menu all planned by certified nutritionist. (Paolo fromTOKYO)

Japan's foreign minister promised his country would bolster its military to help the United States maintain regional security during a visit on Saturday to a U.S. aircraft carrier patrolling Asian waters. (Nikkei)

This is the Best Tokyo Street Food guide at Tsukiji Fish Market. (SAMURAI JUNJIRO Channel)

Japan has seen a surge in job-hopping among older workers as companies seek experienced individuals who can help them grow in the post-pandemic era. (Nikkei)

Real-estate developers have held a ceremony to mark the completion of the frame for a Tokyo skyscraper that is to be Japan's tallest at 330 meters. (NHK)

A cross-party group of more than 100 Japanese lawmakers on Friday visited Yasukuni, a Shinto shrine in Tokyo regarded as a symbol of Japan's past militarism by its Asian neighbors, for its spring festival. (Kyodo)

New Zealand’s prime minister Jacinda Ardern has been met in Japan on her first trip outside the country in two years by a duo of enormous, mournfully dancing kiwifruit. (theguardian.com)

Japan described four disputed islands as "illegally occupied" by Russia for the first time in nearly two decades on Friday as ties sour between the countries over the war in Ukraine. (france24.com)

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government has decided to ease its requested limit on the number of people permitted at each table in some bars and restaurants, while continuing to call on the public to stay vigilant against the spread of the coronavirus. (NHK)