What makes a Japanese person Japanese? Is it the blood that runs through their veins? A parent they were born to? The country they grew up in? Is it how they look? How they act? How they speak? Their citizenship? A documentary exploring what it means to be Japanese.

The more I visit the inaka “countryside” of Japan, the more I wonder about how these areas will weather the aging and depopulation trends.

An introduction to shotengai, Japanese shopping streets.

Beppu is the Japanese city with the most hot springs in the world. Join my sister-in-law Akko and I as we explore some onsen homes as well as some of the sights of Beppu.

I recently found out that there’s a city in Japan, Beppu, where many people are able to own or rent a home with a natural hot spring (onsen) for their bath. I explore how this is possible and what it takes to get a hot spring home in Japan.

Why live in the world’s snowiest city? This is part 3 of the series about Aomori, Japan.

How does one deal with 6 metres (20 feet) of snow falling on and around their home every year? The residents of Aomori city, who live in the world’s snowiest city, show us how.

I don’t know why this surprised me, but Japan is a snowy place.

We asked five Japanese families to show us what’s inside their fridges and made a list of the most common ingredients. See the typical food found in a Japanese fridge plus what the ingredients are used for.

What do Japanese people really eat for dinner? My sister-in-law and I asked Japanese families to share their real, everyday dinners with us.