' Cosplayers' (from コスプレ kosupure 'costume roleplay') - teenagers who dress as characters from film, television or animé cartoons - pose for the cameras in Harajuku, Tokyo. These girls are dressed as members of the Japanese band 'Dir en grey'. Photo © by Sonny Santos, used by permission.
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This bar menu in Shinjuku, Tokyo lists food and drink in both angular katakana - for loanwords or to make signs easier to read - and the curvy hiragana script - for native vocabulary. Top of the list, in katakana, is レミーマルタン - Remii Marutan 'Remy Martin' brandy; bottom, in hiragana, is あんみつ anmitsu - a jelly to finish a meal. Photo © by Sonny Santos, used by permission.
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Japan's capital, Tokyo, is a city of packed streets, neon logos and the ancient tucked away alongside the modern. Photo © by Sonny Santos, used by permission.
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Japan and its neighbours.
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An early seventeenth-century map drawn by an Italian missionary in China. It is the first map in which the name ' Sea of Japan' appears. Image: Public Domain
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A mid nineteenth-century British map. Image: Public Domain
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Promoting a maid-kissa (メイド喫茶 meido-kissa, 'maid coffee shop') in Akihabara, Tokyo will involve looking the part; young women in maidlike waitresses' outfits are a common sight in this electronics quarter of the city. Photo © by Sonny Santos, used by permission.
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Tengu-geta shoes can be seen at traditional festivals. Photo © by Sonny Santos, used by permission.
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Bank cards with cute characters on them are widely available in Japan. (CC) Photo: Henry Tapia
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Japanese restaurants often display plastic replicas of many dishes, so diners can see exactly what to expect. (CC) Photo: John Stephenson
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A traditional Japanese doll. The Hina Matsuri (雛祭り 'Doll Festival') is held every 3rd March in Japan. (CC) Photo: Yasushi Arima
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Return to Japan
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