Aichi prefecture in central Japan seems to be a hot spot for weird criminal activity these days, between people selling modified Pokémon from a hacked game, stealing piano covers from schools, and slashing women’s car tires. And now we can add one more crime to the list: theft of women’s shoes, and replacing them with brand new ones. (soranews24.com)

Large numbers of people on Saturday flooded transport hubs in major population centers across Japan despite the government designating Tokyo, Kyoto and Okinawa prefectures as requiring more stringent coronavirus countermeasures just a day earlier. (Kyodo)

Napolitan is a ketchup flavored spaghetti that originated in Japan. (Kimono Mom)

Swimming star Rikako Ikee, recovering from leukemia, claimed a Tokyo Olympics berth in the women's 4x100 freestyle relay on Thursday after winning the 100-meter freestyle at Japan's national championships. (Japan Today)

A very popular spot for getting shots for your Instagram or TikTok during sakura season in Kyoto, Keage Incline is a beautiful old railroad track surrounded by cherry blossoms trees. (VIRTUAL JAPAN)

Osaka Prefecture reported a record 918 new coronavirus cases on Saturday amid growing signs of a fourth wave of the pandemic driven by new variants. (Japan Times)

Members of a government panel on the coronavirus say the spread of infections in Japan this winter was aggravated by people attending year-end parties, especially in nightlife districts after 9 p.m. (NHK)

The Sleeper Express train SUNRISE SETO & IZUMO is the only train in Japan that runs every day. (Kuga's Travel)

The Japanese government will enforce stricter coronavirus measures in Tokyo, Kyoto and Okinawa from Monday without declaring a state of emergency. (NHK)

In Japan, sumo is more than just a sport. It is akin to a religion, with its stars hailed as demigods. (Al Jazeera English)

Police arrested or took other actions against 2,889 foreign nationals with technical training visas in 2020 for their alleged involvement in crimes, a National Police Agency report showed Thursday. (Japan Times)

Tesla is starting to gain some serious momentum in Japan, thanks to a wave of Model 3 orders. (teslarati.com)

Japan recently overtook China as the largest international holder of U.S. Treasury securities. (Bloomberg Markets and Finance)

Japanese researchers have found that the British coronavirus variant found in Japan is on average 1.32 times as transmissible as the original virus. (NHK)

Japan's health ministry says three of its employees have tested positive for the coronavirus after attending a farewell party last month at a restaurant in Tokyo. (NHK)

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga is expected to visit India as part of efforts to bolster cooperation across the Indo-Pacific to counter China’s aggressive actions. (WION)

A record 5,034 people were involved in cannabis-related crimes in Japan in 2020, with teens and those in their 20s accounting for the majority of the offenders, police data showed Thursday. (Japan Times)

A Japanese karate official will quit after being accused of bullying a champion set to compete at the Tokyo Olympics, he has told a local newspaper. (yahoo.com)

A Japanese start-up is working to create man-made meteor showers for use in mass entertainment. (South China Morning Post)

Brothers Rikuto and Takushi Nakamura have become social media celebrities showcasing their stunning slackline skills online. (South China Morning Post)

Japan's western prefecture of Osaka has declared a medical "red alert," and reported a record 878 new cases of coronavirus infections on Wednesday. Osaka's daily cases have topped Tokyo's for more than a week. (NHK)

Japan’s western region of Osaka will hold the Olympic torch relay in a park without spectators instead of on public roads, as record coronavirus infections prompted its government to declare a medical emergency on Wednesday. (Reuters)

The boyfriend of Princess Mako, niece of Japanese Emperor Naruhito, expressed his resolve to tie the knot with her in a statement released Thursday, vowing to "correct erroneous information" regarding a monetary dispute involving his mother. (Kyodo)

Martial arts performer Koshiro Minamoto’s hope to introduce Bugaku, or warrior dance, to foreign visitors during the Tokyo Olympics faded after Japan decided to ban overseas spectators to prevent Covid-19 spread. (South China Morning Post)

In this first episode we travel to Kanayama near Hidatakayama to explore the boulders that are created in unique formations, which makes for a climbing experience like no other. (EpicTV)