Top Stories - Only in Japan

At first glance, Yokote's Bondon Matsuri in Northern Japan may seem rather innocuous. Tall decorative pools are paraded through the streets where later they are taken up a mountain and offered to a Shrine for the sake of a good harvest.

t's like American Girl meets Hello, Kitty. Cats in kimono. Cats dressed in red curls like Anne of Green Gables. Cats posing in Napoleon hats. Cats in tiaras. Cats in black lace.
Cat costumes created and sold by Takako Iwasa of Tokyo are creative, clever and catastrophically funny.

Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama said Thursday he is willing to sign a treaty against international parental child abductions, but warned Tokyo may need at least another year before signing it.

Half-naked men running around a temple during winter....just another day in Japan, or one of Japan's largest fire festival?

A selection of some picture of Sumo I took

Setsubun is the Japanese spring ritual where they drive bad luck in the form of devils from their homes by tossing dried soy beans. At temples and shrines, crowds gather to catch beans thrown by priests, celebrities, sumo wrestlers, and Geisha.

This year I went to Kyoto and Nara to celebrate the event a several temples and shrines.

For photos and stories, check here:

Rubber mask maker Ogawa Studios will launch the masks to the local market in mid February at the price of 2200 yen (roughly US$24). Tiger Woods takes an indefinite break from professional golf after admitting to infidelity in his marriage.

This story features embedded video of news reports of the death and wake of Maki Goto's mother, as well as commentary about the choices of clothing for a few of the members.

Men and women in Japan have been jumping at the chance to leap into an pool full of icy water.


It may seem a crazy thing to do, but they believe it helps to cleanse the body and mind with clean water at the start of the new year.

Mother, Yasuko Hatoyama is devoted to her sons and would do anything to help them to get along. But two things make Mrs Hatoyama, 84, unusual in her maternal devotion. The first is the amount of money involved — Yukio and his younger brother, Kunio, have reportedly been receiving an allowance of 180 million yen (£1.2 million) a year since 2002.

If it weren’t for the slow news leaks about Tiger Woods, this could be a bit creepier than it now seems. Sogo & Seibu, a department store in Japan, has announced it will start taking orders for Actroids.

Nowadays, there is a popular saying among Japanese girls that goes "What we want is Chinese food and men, not French lovers or American houses." This means Japanese girls have lost their interest in French and American men.

Have you ever wondered what it would feel like to pull pantyhose over the top of your head? Have you ever wondered what someone’s face would look like with pantyhose pulled over their head?

For me, a Mikoshi parade is always a source of joy. I participated a several parades and, every time, I met happy and friendly people.
But the most joyful Mikoshi parades I’ve seen are the ones were the bearers are… children.

But the most joyful Mikoshi parades I’ve seen were the bearers are… children.

Obamu: v. To proceed optimistically despite challenging obstacles.

Really, Japan? According to CNNGo Tokyo, the Commander-in-Chief has gotten his own verb, after it was passed around on a Kyoto University mailer and mentioned on Twitter. Once.