Access to Japan tour-related websites has been partially disrupted with the start of the Japanese government's domestic travel discount campaign on Tuesday. (NHK)

Known famously as "The City of Water", Gujo Hachiman is a beautiful town in Gifu prefecture. It's also famous for being the birthplace of the ultra-realistic looking fake food, or "samples" as they are known in Japan. (Japan by Food)

Japan is reintroducing a visa waiver program for short-term visitors, and allowing visits by non-escorted individual tourists, as the country lifts most of its COVID-19 border controls. Japan's tourism industry was booming in pre-pandemic years. (NHK)

In recent years, stink bugs, which can cause major damage to farm crops, have been appearing in alarming numbers in Japan. (Japan Today)

Claiming her fiance deceived her into giving him a large amount of cash, Japanese woman Yumiko Sakagami sought justice on Turkish TV. (dailysabah.com)

A 53-year-old man was arrested Monday on suspicion of abandoning the body of a female university student at his home in Sapporo, Hokkaido, over the weekend. (Kyodo)

What we like about Izumo Restaurant is the thought and care that goes into every Unagi dish they make. Located conveniently in central Osaka, just steps from the train station is this humble Izakaya, specializing in Unagi (fresh water eel). (TabiEats)

The prefecture of Miyagi in northeastern Japan plans to grant government workers leave to take care of their grandchildren as part of efforts to help child-rearing parents. (Kyodo)

Japan had the lowest share of female staff in tertiary education in 2020 among 32 comparable member countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development at 30 percent, the group's recent report on education said. (Japan Today)

A Japanese student who was fatally shot in the United States 30 years ago was remembered in his home city, where his parents renewed their appeal for the world without gun crimes. (NHK)

Nissan Motor is pressing French partner Renault to cut its stake in the Japanese automaker as much as possible, ideally to 15%, and may consider raising funds to buy back the shares, a source familiar with the matter said. (Nikkei)

Japan is lagging other countries in cloud computing, with related investment accounting for only 4% of all information technology spending in 2021 -- a third that of North America -- and the gap is growing. (Nikkei)

History of Japan 93: Medieval Japanese children were deathly afraid of their parents. Why? (Linfamy)

Alonso was catching Vettel after a late pitstop for a fresh set of inters gave him a significant pace advantage over rivals, allowing him to regain the places he had lost with the stop. (autosport.com)

Police are investigating whether a woman in central Japan was scammed into sending around 4.4 million yen to a person who claimed to be a Russian astronaut working at the International Space Station and needing money to return to Earth to marry her. (Japan Today)

Avant-garde pianist and composer Toshi Ichiyanagi, who studied with John Cage and went on to lead Japan’s advances in experimental modern music, has died. He was 89. (Japan Today)

Japan's Megumi Horikawa won the women's 63-kilogram division at the judo world championships on Sunday in Tashkent for her first world title. (Kyodo)

North Korea fired two more ballistic missiles into the sea on Sunday, the South's military said, the latest in a blitz of launches amid tensions over US-led military exercises in the region, Yonhap News Agency reported. (rte.ie)

The Burj Khalifa, which stands 2,716.5 feet (almost half a mile) tall and has held the title of largest skyscraper for a long time, is about to lose that title to Japan’s ambitious Sky Mile Tower project. (interviewtimes.net)

After almost three years of Covid-induced border closures, Japan is finally opening up to vaccinated tourists from most countries, with no need for quarantine, PCR tests or visas. And with the yen making hotels, restaurants and shopping more affordable, demand is sure to be high. (businessmirror)

Taxi fares in Tokyo will rise for the first time in 15 years from the middle of October. The increased fares will be implemented in all 23 wards of Tokyo, as well as Musashino and Mitaka cities. (Japan Today)

Max Verstappen is now a two-time Formula One world champion, both titles awarded under bizarre and unprecedented circumstances long after he crossed the finish line. (AP)

Reservations for international flights to Japan in December and January have increased fivefold ahead of next week's resumption of visa-free travel, All Nippon Airways said Friday. (Nikkei)

In the 1970s and 1980s, North Korea organised a kidnapping campaign in "enemy" countries. As one of its closest neighbours, Japan became a prime target. (FRANCE 24 English)

For decades, residents of the Japanese island of Okinawa have strongly opposed hosting the dozens of US military bases set up there. But a subtle shift in perception appears to be under way among Okinawan, driven by heightening regional security concerns. (South China Morning Post)