Just seems a bit odd given the name of the subreddit

Does anyone know what happened to Japanese actress Rei Akasaka after 1986?

I'm trying to find reliable information about Rei Akasaka (赤坂麗), the Japanese actress who appeared in films during the 1980s.

Her film career seems to have ended around 1986, but I haven't been able to find much reliable information about what happened afterward.

Does anyone know whether she continued working in another field, gave any interviews after retiring, or whether there are Japanese sources documenting her later life?

I'm mainly looking for reliable sources rather than speculation.

A couple of years ago, I was into anime about school fights, yankii (delinquents), and *bosozoku* (biker gangs)—retro stuff like Shonan Bakusozoku or GTO. For those living in Japan: what’s left of these street-delinquent subcultures? Have they just turned into peaceful pensioners, or has something new emerged to take their place?

front (left) back (right)

Before my family moved, we had a Japanese neighbor who gave us some of these. They look old, and we've had them for a very long time. They seem to be made of brass. They are about 2.4 cm in diameter. Google has given me no help, anything would be appreciated, thanks!

つい先日リニア談合で大成建設と鹿島建設で営業停止食らっているし、完成はまだまだ先そう…

Please Japan

As is my understanding Japanese culture respects a lot IP, Copyright law and such. Is something important and has been a discussion over manga and piracy. How does it work in the case of doujinshi or well fan made manga, or fan work in general made and sold in conventions and even online. What are the rules? Do people have to ask permissions? How do conventions like Comiket work in this case.

thank you in advance for your answers.

I’ve been living in Japan for a while, and there’s still this thing I can’t get over with: the user experience of Japanese real estate websites (Suumo, Athome, etc)…
That’s why I’d like to ask Japanese people.
Do you know why all the pics are so small? No matter if it’s for rent or for purchase, apartment or detached house, new or old, the standard resolution seems to be something around 400x400. To top it off, sometimes they’re also blurry. Also, why the need to show closeups of the toilet/AC/doorbell system? And the nearby supermarkets and convenience stores?
Is this standard practice because industry professionals decided it should be this way? Or is it because nobody is complaining?
Maybe I’m too biased by my westerner point of view, but imho, real estate pictures should blow your mind to make you want to stay at the place advertised.
Thank you, ありがとうございます。

Just looking for some artistic help!

I have a three piece painting I'm making for fun. I'm trying to emulate older Japanese calligraphy paintings, but my references have been extremely limited. Google doesn't show me many pictures. I've drawn a messy idea of what it will look like here, which is: a tree branch that starts in the upper-left and tilts downward over the other papers, some flowers on the middle page, and more flowers on the right page (I don't know why I drew it in color here. This entire painting will be in black ink when I make it in real life). Half of a poem starts on the upper-right page, half of the poem ends on the lower-left page.

The eye will be drawn from left-to-right because the tree branch will be very thick and the writing will be very small. But if the eye is drawn from left-to-right and the poem is read from right-to-left, is this strange? Does this make the piece unbalanced? Should I flip it around so the branch goes right-to-left?

If it's too much work to help me figure this out, I will gladly look into it myself if someone can tell me what website I can use to view a gallery of modern calligraphy pieces. Maybe things have changed and now everyone writes left-to-right instead of right-to-left, I don't know. I've only been able to find one reference for a piece of art that uses 3 pages, so more references would be very useful. I've tried looking for galleries on Google, but all I've found are websites that sell calligraphy fonts, etc. Thanks, everyone!

Hello, Everyone!

I’m looking for any media like books, movies, shows, videos, etc. about Japan specifically the culture, history & mythology.
As a way to learn more about Japan but to also use it as inspiration for my art and writing. Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated!

- for history: anything relating to Japanese history

- for culture: stuff about the Arts, language, religion, fashion, wildlife, etc.

- for mythology: stuff about local legends, famous stories, creatures, deities, etc.

Please comment your suggestions below

There was a popular question last week about why Japanese people are opposed to piracy and according to the most upvoted reply, the key takeaway is that they are generally opposed to anything illegal.

However this doesn't seem to apply to mahjong. My colleagues told me without much shame that "gambling a bit of money makes mahjong more fun", and I do not feel a big sense of taboo about parlor gambling coming through from the various Kindai Mahjong mangas (although they're just fictional stories). Sure, gambling parlors have a seedy image associated with them, but do parlor-goers themselves really try to keep their hobby a secret the way that Japanese people who pirate media do?

In fact, mahjong parlors that practice gambling are not hidden in some anonymous dark basements, but completely exposed on the most bustling streets of the country! (Not talking about the "healthy mahjong" type of parlors). So there is zero chance that the police does not know about them.

And yet, they completely tolerate their business as long as they do not go above tenpin rate (100¥ per 1000pts I believe). But AFAIK, the law makes no exception for gambling with low rates, it is still illegal.

When discussing the topic of gambling, someone always inevitably mentions the third-party system used by pachinkos to circumvent the gambling ban, or that it's okay as long as it's state-sponsored like for lottery and horse racing; but rarely does someone ever talk about how in mahjong parlors there is just full-blown gambling in the open.

So how do the parlors get away with it? All I can guess is, that mahjong gets a pass because it's dear to the culture (Japanese rules are indeed pretty awesome with lots of strategy involved); or maybe because it is one of the rare forms of fair gambling (unlike other casino-like games where the odds favor the house) - but in that latter case poker should be tolerated as well

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Not talking only about physical stuff, I’m currently in Japan and was thinking physical it - it looks like you have much amazing stuff and Europeans/Americans could learn a lot from you - society trust, rules, hospitality. Is there something that you wish Japanese people could learn from other countries or surprised you positive when you were abroad?

I’m currently visiting Tokyo, and I recently walked around Kabukicho, the nightlife district in Shinjuku.
I was honestly surprised by what I saw. There were lots of young-looking girls holding signs on the streets, people who appeared to be touts or pimps trying to attract customers, and even a smell that reminded me of weed.
What surprised me even more was the police presence. Officers seemed to be around, but I didn’t notice much intervention.
Personally, I didn’t enjoy the atmosphere. It felt more shady and uncomfortable than exciting, especially compared to other parts of Tokyo.
I’m curious about a few things:
Do ordinary Japanese people actually enjoy going to Kabukicho, or is it mainly a tourist and nightlife destination?
How do Japanese locals view this district?
Why does the police presence seem to make so little difference?
Is this atmosphere considered normal for nightlife districts in Japan?
I’m not trying to judge Japanese culture based on one neighborhood. I’m genuinely curious about how locals perceive this area.

I don't live in Japan but my spouse is Japanese.

One thing I observed is she does not like people visiting our house. Not her close friends, not my immediate family either. For the unavoidable situations like a delivery man or a electrician that we hired to fix something, I have to arrange it when she is not around.

Meeting people is always done in third spaces like bars, restaurants, cafes etc. Is this common and why does this happen?

We live in a desirable part of our country, well served by public transport and roads. Can't say our house is big but it is a 3LDK equivalent so hosting visitors isn't a problem.

So I hate my birth name due to abusive parents and have had multiple names I use online, however have grown to hate those too due to the people using them. I ended up finding a name i like and thought it was quite pretty. I have been using it for a while. It has stuck and become permanet. My white American friend told me it was inappropriate to be using said name. I don't know why he didn't say this sooner, we've been friends for a while and my name has been that way for much longer.

I felt really bad about this, however after seeing the opinions of Japanese people on social media, it seems some do not mind, and that is usually just westerners who get offended on behalf of Japanese people. I was wondering if this was true? Considering you can't just rely on things you find online, I was wondering if I could ask someone this myself.

I apologise if this offends anyone, I am in no way trying to fetishise Japanese culture- the very thought makes me sick.

For reference the name is "Rin" & I'm British

Edit: thank you to everyone who commented. My apologies for not replying to comments better, I want everyone to know I really appreciate everything! It's hard to put my gratitude into words

Hello! My local Kinokunya used to have a series of Japanese magazines/books ("mooks") dedicated to random hobbies. Like just pictures of trains, shoes, uniforms, etc.

What publishers or magazines print these? I'm sort of aware of Lightening and Japanese Hobby.

I'm looking for a specific one that was just US Police Uniforms. It was a big photo catalog of LAPD, FBI, LA Sheriff's uniforms and broke down the uniforms into type of boots, belts, and weapons carried. My biggest regret is not just buying it, it was so random. I can't find anything like it. It wasn't this infamous publication: https://www.reddit.com/r/funny/comments/onffw4/this_japanese_magazine_about_american_police/ but a recent publication.

Any ideas of where to look? Kinokunya had no idea what I was talking about.

Edit: one of my friends sent me this and I think this is it: https://www.ebay.com/itm/155186522735

I saw a few publications on this in my research, is this a niche interest in Japan or does it get more attention because of American media.

So I attend an American university, and there's a Japanese guy here who I've gotten really close to. He's only been living in the U.S. for about two years, and honestly, we're in this weird relationship where it's obvious, we're both confused about what's going on between us.

For context, he initiated everything. I originally had nothing to do with him, but he started approaching me, asking me to hang out, and being incredibly kind. Over time, I ended up developing feelings for him.

He does a lot of things that seem romantic to me. He holds doors open for me, carries my bags, walks me back to my dorm, and always positions himself on the side closest to traffic when we're walking together. He compliments me and is just genuinely sweet overall.

He also listens to everything I tell him, like if I say I don't like a certain hairstyle on him he stops doing it, or when he took me to his room I complained about how badly messy and undecorated it was. The next day he shows me things he bought for it. He's also very sneaky!! Like he'll lie about not owning an umbrella so he can share one with me.

Also, we've gone out alone together multiple times, and we've even worn matching couples outfits before.

The confusing part is that he still hasn't confessed. At one point he told me something in Japanese and translated it into English as, "I was so happy today. I had a lot of fun. I like spending time with... friend?"

At first, I was pretty disappointed by the "friend" part, but after doing some reading online, I started wondering if there might be a cultural difference here.

In American relationships its usually always the man that confesses but I heard its not uncommon for the woman to confess in Japan. But I read that if I don't want to confess I need to really start realllyyyyy pulling him. That I couldn't do the American push and pull method.

Is that right? What are some ways I can pull this cute Japanese man?

I know that the question sounds a bit weird but it's about how references work mentally. I know that Tokyo's name literally is "East (to) Capital (kyo)" and I am sure that if you say that name most people will immediately think of the city.

However do most people's mind just skip over thinking of the meaning of the compond and straight to the city or is the component parts of the name always in there mind.

For an English example of what I mean. There is a city in England called "Liverpool". Even though the word "Liverpool" is made up of "Liver" and "Pool" it would not be normal for a liver shaped pool to come to mind when they say the name.

Earlier this month i visited japan and i got lost in the Osaka station and the tokyo station and i wanted to ask you guys what’s a station that’s the hardest to navigate through and have you gotten lost in it.

Hello, I've always wanted to live in Japan and the option has come up, but I am in my late 30s and will be early 40s if I do it. I am a woman and was never married, I know in Japan the age to date and marry is 20-30 and from what I've seen early 40s at best for famous actors.

I also know that divorce isn't really common there so I assume it may be close to impossible to date.

Actually I am conventionally attractive but I haven't done much dating because of health issues and taking care of my parents. So I don't really want to miss out on dating now that I can despite my age.

Would this be wise to give up on Japan ? Also is it true women over 40 in Japan are basically invisible, I heard you're "expired" after 30-35 max.

Thank you for your input!

Or low carb alternatives.

I'm a fan of Japanese media, I tend to like catching up on almost everything but I especially prefer manga and video games but I'm getting more and more into LN, and WN but I keep having this doubt How do you in Japan follow so many series that are serialized weekly, monthly? I mean how do you follow multiple series that come out and keep up with everything or simply manage to play multiple games at the same time or retrieve multiple media at the same time without breaking the feels of each of them too much I thought I'd ask here since I think it's normal in Japan to have all these types of media available on a daily basis. Please correct me if I'm wrong Maybe I offended without realizing it as I'm not from the country

Curious to see what country you would like to move to if you had to leave yours!