Japan for the Uninvited

Japanese culture from a bemused foreign perspective

AUM Shinrikyo and the Tokyo subway gas attack

March 20th, 1995. It was just another busy morning on Tokyo's busiest subway line before a non-descript man boarded the train. The newspaper parcel he was carrying attracted even ...

Chikan (Train groping)

In Japan, more than 4000 men are arrested each year for groping on public transport. In 2001, a survey of two private high-schools in Tokyo revealed that more than 70% had been groped on the train. A recent survey of Japanese companies suggested that at least 17% of Japanese women have been ...

Enjo kosai (Compensated dating)

Enjo kosai is one of Japanese society's most infamous phenomenon: schoolgirls dating older men for money. Although many encounters don't involve sex, this prostitution of Japan's youth has been cause for serious concern. ...

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