Bilingual reads on Japan
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READS ON JAPAN · JAPANSOSOFor visitors and locals.
Wed, Jul 29, 2026
Today's Index

The more you know, the more interesting Japan gets.知るほど、日本はおもしろい。

From Apple & gadgets to camping, travel, food and trends — for locals and visitors alike.

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Backlit silhouettes and back views of commuters with varied clothing and bags crossing a bright station concourse in warm morning light, no faces distinguishable. Cover image for a data article on Japan’s record foreign-resident population. No text, no logos, no faces.
News

Japan's Foreign Residents Hit a Record 4.12 Million: What the 2026 Data Means for Living and Working in Japan

Japan's foreign population topped 4 million for the first time — a record 4,125,395 at end-2025. Data by nationality, visa and region, plus the 2027 visa overhaul.

編集部·7 min read
A bowl of glossy freshly cooked white rice beside a plain unlabeled paper rice bag with its top folded over, on a warm wooden kitchen table in soft daylight. Cover image for a data-driven article on Japan's rice prices. No text, no logos, no people.
News

Japan's Rice Prices in 2026: Reading the Data From the Great Rice Shock to Today

Two years after Japan's 2024 rice panic, prices have peaked and turned. We trace the weekly 5 kg price data through reserve-rice releases, an import surge, and the 2026 harvest outlook.

編集部·8 min read
A small square matte-aluminum compact desktop computer — a plain unbranded mini-PC with no logos or text — on a warm wooden desk in soft daylight, beside a low-profile wireless keyboard with blank keycaps, a small coffee cup and a potted plant, a blacked-out monitor edge blurred behind. Cover image for the Japan-angle outlook on the Mac mini M5 and whether to buy an M4 now or wait. No logos, no text, no visible face.
Tech

Mac mini M5 in 2026: a Japan-angle outlook on yen prices and buy-now vs wait

Apple still hasn't announced a Mac mini M5 (as of July 2026). We split the shipped M5 chip's measured gains from the mini's rumors — then tackle yen pricing, buying in Japan, and the honest buy-now-or-wait call.

橘 蒼真·9 min read
A close-up of a hand about to tap a plain smartphone on an unbranded payment terminal at a shop counter, with a few loose coins resting on the counter beside it — the shift from cash to cashless. No logos, no readable text, no visible face. Cover image for the news feature reading Japan’s cashless-payment ratio through the data.
News

Japan's Cashless Payments in 2026: Reading the 'Cash Country' by the Data

Japan's cashless payment ratio for 2025 came in at 58.0% — but that headline uses a newly introduced domestic metric; internationally it was 46.3%. We read the current state by the data: the breakdown, the gap with Korea and China, why cash endures, and the 2026 debates on fees and a digital yen.

編集部·9 min read
A close-up of a conveyor-belt sushi lane carrying a few plates of nigiri on plain, color-coded dishes past a wood-toned counter under warm interior light, the background softly blurred. No people, no logos, no readable text. Cover image for the 2026 visitor guide to conveyor-belt sushi — color-coded plate pricing, touch-panel ordering, how to eat and etiquette.
Food

Conveyor-Belt Sushi in Japan: The Complete 2026 Guide for Visitors

The plates barely revolve anymore and the flat 100-yen-a-plate era is over: kaiten-zushi has changed a lot by 2026. Here is how the system works, what it costs now, how to order, plate colors and checkout, manners, and how to handle wasabi and allergies—fact-checked against official and news sources.

灯里 七海·9 min read
A plain smartphone held up in one hand in warm morning light, its screen showing only a generic map with a single location pin, against a softly blurred Japanese station concourse and streetscape. No logos, no readable text, no visible face. Cover image for the 2026 guide to the essential apps and phone settings — translation, transit, maps and emergency alerts — that help visitors navigate Japan.
Tech

Essential Smartphone Apps & Phone Setup for Japan 2026

Master Japan with your phone across four pillars: translation, transit, disaster safety and handy tools. When to use Google Translate, Lens and VoiceTra, Google Maps and transit apps, plus the JTA's Safety tips and earthquake-alert settings, all verified for 2026.

橘 蒼真·9 min read
A tidy campsite bathed in golden dusk light — a single plain dome tent, an empty camp chair and a low table, with gentle Japanese hills and forest behind. No brand logos, text or people. Cover image for the practical beginner guide to campsites, booking, gear and etiquette in Japan.
Outdoor

Camping in Japan: A Practical Beginner's Guide to Campsites, Booking, Gear, and Etiquette

From types of campsites and the Nap-Camp booking site to all-inclusive rental plans, glamping, costs, no-open-fire and pack-out-your-trash rules, and bear, insect, and weather safety, here is what first-timers and visitors driving a rental car need to know.

Japansoso 編集部·9 min read
A quiet open-air onsen at dawn — steam rising from the water, a wooden bath with a stone rim, a small neatly folded white towel resting on the edge and a single wooden bucket. No people, no text, no logos. Cover image for the visitor guide to onsen and sento bathing etiquette.
Travel

Onsen & Sento Etiquette: How to Bathe in Japan (Tattoo-Friendly Guide)

Step-by-step bathing (undress, rinse, wash, soak, cool down), towel and tattoo rules, plus the difference between onsen, sento and super sento with 2026 price ranges.

Japansoso 編集部·9 min read
A calm, empty aisle inside a Japanese convenience store at early morning in soft warm light — tidy shelves and a counter, all fixtures and packaging blank with no brand logos, product names, text or people. Cover image for the 2026 guide to using Japanese convenience stores for food, payments, ATMs and services.
Food

How to Use Japanese Convenience Stores — Food, Payments, ATMs and Services

From the differences between 7-Eleven, Lawson and FamilyMart to what to eat and what it costs, how to ask for heating and chopsticks, withdrawing cash with a foreign card, IC/QR/cash payments, copiers and toilets — a practical guide for visitors and residents.

Japansoso 編集部·9 min read
A close-up of a hand holding a plain unbranded transit IC card over the reader of an automatic ticket gate in a Japanese station, the card and gate panel blank and the concourse behind softly blurred, no face visible. Cover image for the 2026 guide to buying, charging and using Suica, PASMO and ICOCA.
Travel

Japan IC Card Guide 2026: How to Buy and Use Suica, PASMO and ICOCA

A practical 2026 guide to Japan's ten transit IC cards (Suica, PASMO, ICOCA and more): where to buy them, how to charge, how to tap on trains, buses and at convenience stores, plus Mobile Suica, Welcome Suica for tourists, and refunds.

Japansoso 編集部·9 min read
A top-down flat-lay of three travel connectivity options on a warm wooden desk — a plain unbranded smartphone, a small white pocket Wi-Fi router, and an empty SIM tray with an eject pin, all logo-free. Cover image for the 2026 guide comparing eSIM, physical SIM and pocket Wi-Fi in Japan.
Tech

Japan eSIM vs SIM Card vs Pocket WiFi: A Practical 2026 Comparison

For visitors, staying connected in Japan comes down to three options: eSIM, physical SIM, or pocket WiFi. Here is how they work, what they cost, how to check device compatibility, and how to pick the right one for your trip in 2026.

Japansoso 編集部·9 min read
A high Japanese-alpine panorama on a summer afternoon. Near and middle ridges glow in warm side-light with honey-colored granite, green creeping-pine and clear blue sky. Over a single distant peak in the center, a localized gray-blue cumulonimbus lets down a slanting curtain of rain, blurring that one summit into dark gray haze while everything around it stays sunny — the localized, fast-changing weather of high summer mountains. No people, no buildings, no text.
Outdoor

Summer Mountain Safety in Japan 2026: Why the Ridge Storms While the Base Stays Clear

For visiting hikers on Mt. Fuji and the Japan Alps: the weather mechanics that make a sunny forecast at the trailhead fall apart on the ridge, which forecasts to trust, how to dodge lightning and hypothermia, and the three pieces of backup that matter — a climbing plan, a search service, and the right insurance.

杉野 岳·9 min read