Country music became popular in Japan after World War II. Today, Tokyo has a vibrant underground country music scene.
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Posted inFeature
Best of 2025: All Our Number Five Story Picks
Every story we selected for the number five slot in our weekly newsletter, in a handy digest.
Posted inHighlight, Nonfiction, Quote Posts, Quotes, Science & Nature
Can Japan Break Its Addiction to Disposable Packaging?
One of the most technologically advanced countries in the world pays a high ecological price for its many culinary conveniences.
Posted inNonfiction, Reading List, Story
For the Love of Wordle: A Reading List on Puzzles and Games
Seven longreads on the communal pastime of puzzles, games, and crosswords.
Posted inFeature
The Expanding Table: Honoring Palestinian Culinary Tradition in Arkansas
For one baker and educator in Northwest Arkansas, food is a connection to her family’s roots in Gaza—and an essential way to share the stories of their culture.
Posted inCurrent Events, Highlight, Quote Posts, Quotes
‘Hand to hand to hand’: How Coronavirus Spread Aboard the Diamond Princess
“…the ship…provided the world’s best data set on the virus, confirming crucial facts about how the disease spread, especially through asymptomatic carriers.”
Posted inReading List
‘This Stuff is Alive’: A Global Folk Music Reading List
Six pieces that demonstrate the timelessness of ever-changing sonic traditions.
Posted inEditor's Pick
Hard Sell: Japan’s Retail Sector May Need to Reinvent Itself In the Wake of the COVID-19 Pandemic
Shifting buying habits at the country’s famous convenience stores and department stores hint at possible permanent changes in consumer behavior, favoring cooking at home, telecommuting, and online-shopping. This would be a profound change in Japan, where many people buy groceries fresh every day, department stores sell the pleasure of shopping as much as they sell […]
Posted inNonfiction
Escaping Coronavirus Lockdown Through a Stranger’s Solitary Walks on YouTube
Under self-quarantine, Aaron Gilbreath ‘moves’ freely with the help of Rambalac’s video travelogues.
Posted inFeature
Age, Sex, Location
Chatrooms taught me everything I needed to know about what real people were like before I had to grow up and become one of them.
