On New Year’s Day especially, prayers pile up at Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples throughout Japan. Written on wooden ... from around the world can be symbols of hope in hard times.) ...

The National Theater has been the home of traditional Japanese performing arts since its opening in 1966. Now the aging ...

The national anthem of Japan is called Kimigayo (His Imperial Majesty's Reign). In Japanese, it consists of just five lines and 32 characters, making it the shortest national anthem in the world.

Falling petals—once a quotidian symbol of ... to celebrate Japan's most beloved flower. Clouds of pink blot out the city's metallic skyscrapers over Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden, Tokyo.