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daily-life

The Endurance Season

Once the rains lift, the real season begins — Japanese summer as something you get through, not a holiday.

Simon Thorne's avatar
Words By
Simon Thorne
A clear glass wind chime painted with blue fish, a paper streamer hanging below it.
  • food/ Jun 19, 2026

    The Quiet Half of the Gift

    Father's Day in Japan is Mother's Day's muted sibling — read from the department-store gift counter, where the rule is: give him something to consume.

    A single yellow rose with its stem, lying on a dark grey surface.
  • travel/ Jun 17, 2026

    Hydrangea Weather

    A Kyoto native on going out in the rain on purpose — and the quieter ajisai temples when the famous ones are heaving.

    A blue and purple hydrangea bloom beaded with raindrops, framed by green leaves against dark wet rock.
  • culture/ Jun 16, 2026

    The Other National Sport

    How football built itself a home in a generation — borrowed name, hometown clubs, and a national team that lives abroad.

    A worn, scuffed leather football resting against a white net on grass.
  • daily-life/ Jun 13, 2026

    Kickoff at 4am

    The 2026 World Cup drops Japan's group games into the small hours — and what the country actually does in the dark for it.

    A condensation-covered silver drink can on a dark slate surface before a lit cooler.