Spring has sprung and the first week of no meaningful snowfall this season. Hey but what's that? Yep even on some smaller dumps we can still score some good lines. (TJ in Hakuba)

Among the stocks whose prices were allegedly manipulated by four SMBC Nikko Securities employees were Koito Manufacturing and Mos Food Services, Nikkei has learned. (Nikkei)

I tried First Class VIP cabin on the Japanese Passenger Ferry from Oshima to Takeshiba, Tokyo. It was a relaxing 4.5 hour day cruise and you'll find a beautiful scenery of Tokyo Bay (Solo Travel Japan)

Every culture is different. Every country has its own customs and unique quirks. And some of those things are extraordinarily specific to a place, and definitely can’t be found anywhere else. (The Scary Cherry)

This month it was voted that we will be diving into the history of the Hosokawa clan, a historic family that continues to impact Japan to this very day! ( The Shogunate)

We tried our hand at making two traditional Japanese condiments: soy sauce and miso! Whether we can successfully complete it is yet to be seen. Because it will be at least six months before it is completed. (Kimono Mom)

Dumped, demoted, and very drunk, Sumire finds a cute guy hiding in a cardboard box outside her building--and decides to take him in as a human pet. (AsianCrush)

As Japan's biggest movie star, Ken Watanabe has performed in Hollywood movies such as The Last Samurai, Batman Begins, Godzilla & Inception. But it's off the big screen where Ken plays his greatest role of all, rebuilding a town destroyed by a tsunami. I spent a week with Ken to hear his inspiring story. (Abroad in Japan)

Japan will provide bullet-proof vests and other defense supplies to Ukraine, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Friday, in a rare delivery of equipment by the Self-Defense Forces to a country under armed attack. (Japan Times)

Athletes from Japan's team enter the arena during the opening ceremony at the 2022 Winter Paralympics in Beijing on Friday night. (Japan Today)

An international survey shows female representation in national parliaments around the world has reached 26.1 percent, a record high. However, Japan lags behind, with women making up less than 10 percent of its Lower House members. (NHK)

Japan reached the government's target of administering 1 million COVID-19 booster shots per day in mid-February as it accelerated the inoculation drive to stem infections driven by the highly transmissible Omicron variant of the coronavirus, the vaccine minister said Friday. (Kyodo)

Japan's top court has ordered Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc to pay damages of 1.39 billion yen ($12 million) to about 3,600 people whose lives were seriously affected by the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster. (Japan Today)

McDonald's Japan will raise prices on menu items for the first time in years as costs rise for ingredients, labor and logistics. (Nikkei)

Visiting Kyoto could be an overwhelming experience for you, as you can experience the ancient Japanese way of harmony. (Space-Time)

Hino Motors Ltd., Toyota Motor Corp.'s truck-making subsidiary, admitted Friday to having submitted fraudulent emissions and fuel economy data to transport authorities, suspending the same day the shipment of vehicles with engines for which the figures were utilized and may not meet Japanese standards. (Japan Timesj)

Japan on Thursday raised its travel advisory for Belarus to the second-highest level to warn against visiting there, citing the possible danger after imposing sanctions on the former Soviet republic for its role in Russia's military invasion of their neighbor Ukraine. (Japan Today)

Two big names in Japanese electronics and autos are joining forces to produce an electric vehicle together. (ctvnews.ca)

The Japanese man who raised the Akita dog that was gifted to Russian President Vladimir Putin is joining the chorus condemning the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (NHK)

In the middle of this month, crossbows, as well as pistol-type bow guns, will become illegal to possess. (Japan Today)

The leaders of Japan, the United States, Australia and India have confirmed they will closely cooperate in responding to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (NHK)

The Japanese government has decided to extend coronavirus quasi-emergency measures in 18 prefectures, while they will end in 13 others at the end of the day on Sunday. (NHK)

Japan and its Western peers are racing to crack down on cryptocurrency transactions by Russians trying to dodge sanctions imposed after Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, but the effort faces enormous challenges because the targeted assets are decentralized and lack single administrators. (Nikkei)

Ginzan Onsen Hot Spring Village in winter - with the snow falling - may be the most magical sight in Japan, especially at night. (ONLY in JAPAN * John Daub)

Former Nissan Motor executive Greg Kelly was found guilty on Thursday in a Tokyo court for his alleged part in helping Carlos Ghosn, his former boss at Nissan Motor, hide earnings. (Nikkei)