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Futuristic Shibuya Crossing in Tokyo.

I returned to Japan after almost 20 years. Here’s what’s changed

Was Japan still going to be at the pointy end of wacky experiences and futuristic technologies? Would its cultural idiosyncrasies still induce a travel buzz?

  • Penny Watson

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Studio Ghibli AI image generation trend

An animation legend once called this tool creepy. His fears have come true

You can now upload a picture to ChatGPT to generate a Ghibli-style version of yourself. But the artist has branded it “an insult to life itself”.

  • Cindy Yin
Shell’s Prelude floating LNG vessel off the WA coast flaring excess gas. WA was the only state to reserve gas for its local market.

In Australia’s energy dilemma, Japan may end up selling us our own gas

The humiliation of Australia, the energy superpower, is now a very real prospect as we face the need to buy gas from our biggest customer.

  • Colin Kruger
Shinzo Abe falls to the ground.

‘Moonies’ and their millions: Japan cracks down on ‘brainwashing’ church with links to world leaders

An investigation triggered by the shooting of former prime minister Shinzo Abe found the group had manipulated its followers – known as “Moonies” – into donating money.

  • Lisa Visentin
Takamatsu Gushiken leaves a cave after a session of searching for the remains of those who died during the Battle of Okinawa, in Itoman, Okinawa archipelago, southern Japan.

Old bones on jungle island sound warning to those living here today

Takamatsu runs his fingers through the gravel until two pieces of bone emerge - parts of the skulls, he says, of an infant and possibly an adult.

  • Ayaka McGill, Hiro Komae and Mari Yamaguchi
Jodogahama Beach – was said to have been named by a Buddhist monk who thought its beach (hama) resembled paradise (jodo).

‘Here is nowhere’: Japan’s stunning, little-known epic walking trail

The coastline here is as beautiful as it is battered, in a region that has traditionally seen few tourists. But that’s starting to change.

  • Andrew Bain
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The Nagoya Kanko Hotel is in one of Japan’s less visited cities.

A taste of undiscovered Japan in an imposing new hotel

Keen to steer clear of Western tourists but still indulge in a luxe stay? Check out this hotel-within-a-hotel in Nagoya, Japan’s fourth-largest city.

  • Trudi Jenkins
Gocchanko, an ex-sumo wrestler who now wrestles on the street for busking money.

You win sumo, you lose some: Busker Gocchanko wrestles with onlookers, red tape

A street-fighting star who’s been a hit in Melbourne’s CBD found himself grappling with the city’s hefty bureaucracy.

  • Alexander Darling
The curved foyer of Hotel Gajoen, Tokyo.

This luxury Tokyo hotel is a favourite with locals

A historic hotel with its own shrine for weddings and a stunning art collection offers a unique insight into Japanese culture.

  • Trudi Jenkins
The entertainment system is clunky to use.

This airline’s economy class gives you a taste of business for $25

You win some, you lose some. I got a business class meal but my “window” seat has no window.

  • Julia D'Orazio

Original URL: https://www.theage.com.au/topic/japan-b1c