Seppuku, a highly ritualized form of suicide that involved cutting one's own stomach, was once part of the bushido samurai code, and considered an honorable way to die and, until the 20th century, was quite common. So what happened? Why did this practice die out? » 1/09/15 3:28pm 1/09/15 3:28pm

Megumi Igarashi, the Japanese artist arrested in July for crowd-funding a kayak shaped like her vagina, has been formally indicted on obscenity charges. Igarashi has been arrested twice this year over the kayak. She now faces up to two years in prison and a fine equivalent to $20,755. » 12/26/14 11:00am 12/26/14 11:00am

Want a wedding but don't want a husband? Want a wedding and have a husband but don't want him to be part of it? This very entrepreneurial travel agency in Japan has got you covered. » 12/22/14 5:20pm 12/22/14 5:20pm

There's a lot of scoffing and scorn out there for theatrical marriage proposals, but viral videos or hidden cameras are usually harmless. Cheesy and annoying to observers, perhaps, but ain't no thing between the betrothed. In Japan, however, we are faced with something quite different. » 12/05/14 9:02am 12/05/14 9:02am

Various LGBT+ media claim Korean media is speculating the Korean produced music video by girl group SNH48 has been banned because it features a heavily implied lesbian relationship. » 10/14/14 10:02pm 10/14/14 10:02pm

What better way to spend your retirement than walking around with nine pampered, beautiful cats in a stroller all day? » 10/14/14 7:10pm 10/14/14 7:10pm

You know that feeling you get when you come home to an empty house with nothing but the TV to keep you company and a delicious Swanson dinner with reconstituted brownie in the fridge? Well, your problems are solved. No matter how lonely you are, there's now a chair that will make your life a joy. » 10/07/14 4:45pm 10/07/14 4:45pm

Earlier this year, Chubbiness, an all-girl group consisting of girls bigger than your average Japanese starlet stormed the J-Pop scene. The Chubbiness girls love to talk (and eat) food and their favorite "chubby" body parts. They've been quite the sensation, and they're not the only puniko ("Marshmallow girl") group. » 10/01/14 3:15pm 10/01/14 3:15pm

Forget everything you know about condoms (that's a load off your mind) (until a commercial tries to sell you condoms) and get ready to experience prophylactics as you never have before: As cooking and eating utensils. Your first erotic meal? Condom Meat Stuffing. Delicious! » 9/24/14 7:20pm 9/24/14 7:20pm

The island of Ōkunoshima, also known as Rabbit Island, is densely populated by feral rabbits, similar to the various cat islands of Japan, but you know. With bunnies instead. Please tell me there's a baby goat island SOMEWHERE. » 9/06/14 3:00pm 9/06/14 3:00pm

Cancel the Clio Awards forever because there'll never be another ad campaign that tops this beauty out of Japan, which features a Pizza Hut staffed by a bunch of cats who are completely awful at their jobs and do not care at all. » 8/22/14 2:20pm 8/22/14 2:20pm

Forget the Shake Weight, forget Sauna Suits and forget Tony Little's Gazelle, because there's a new piece of fitness equipment on the scene that's so ridiculous that just by looking at it you will descend into a shame spiral that will rival anything you've ever felt in tenth grade. Allow me to present the glory that… » 8/21/14 7:15pm 8/21/14 7:15pm

A 16-year-old girl from Nagasaki prefecture has been arrested for allegedly murdering, decapitating, and dismembering her 15-year-0ld friend and classmate. That whooshing sound you hear is 4 million aspiring horror screenwriters firing up their laptops. » 7/28/14 3:00pm 7/28/14 3:00pm

Japanese artist Rokudenashiko was recently arrested for violating the nation's super-strict obscenity laws, when she simply emailed several people 3D-printer data of her own vagina. (They were contributors to her crowdfunding campaign to build a vagina boat.) This provided Jon Stewart with an excellent opportunity to… » 7/25/14 5:30pm 7/25/14 5:30pm

Know this up front: This is an ad. But it's so fun, so awesome, so cleverly done and amazingly produced, the nanoseconds of product placement at the end are totally worth it. » 7/22/14 1:40pm 7/22/14 1:40pm

Megumi Igarashi, the Japanese "vagina artist" who was arrested on obscenity charges after distributing 3D printable design files of her genitals, has been released after spending a week in jail. "That was an unjust arrest. I don't think my genitals are obscene," she said in a statement upon her release. » 7/21/14 4:30pm 7/21/14 4:30pm