9 Best Articles on Japan
The most useful articles on japan from around the web—beginners to advanced—curated by thought leaders and our community. We focus on timeless pieces and update the list whenever we discover new, must-read articles or videos—make sure to bookmark and revisit this page.
Top 5 Japan Articles
At a glance: these are the articles that have been most read, shared, and saved on japan by Refind users.
Short Articles
Short on time? Check out these useful short articles on japan—all under 10 minutes.
Everything is Aiming
Kyūdō, the Japanese martial art of archery, offers an alternative philosophy where aims matter more than goals, and where success is the process itself.
«It is not the target that matters. It is not the finish line that matters. It is the way we approach the goal that matters. Everything is aiming.”»
Escape the perfectionist trap with the Japanese philosophy of "wabi sabi"
Perfectionism is on the rise, and its consequences for mental health can be devastating. The Japanese philosophy of "wabi sabi" can help.
«“Instead, what keeps us living and what keeps me vitally engaged is a constant pursuit of betterment»
How Japan Built Cities Where You Could Send Your Toddler on an Errand
The Netflix show Old Enough! offers a glimpse of an alternate reality.
Japan’s karoshi culture was a warning. We didn’t listen
For decades, Japan has grappled with the problem of people overworking themselves to death. Now, it’s a global issue
«For the first time on a global scale, long hours at work have been established as responsible for about one-third of all deaths.»
Japan’s 72 seasons can liberate us from our obsession with productivity
Japanese seasons, sekki, and their sub-sections, kō, are a different way of thinking about time and how we give it meaning.
Long Articles
These are some of the most-read long-form articles on japan.
Japan’s Rent-a-Family Industry
People who are short on relatives can hire a husband, a mother, a grandson. The resulting relationships can be more real than you’d expect.
My transformative first trip to Japan
The final part of my first journey to Japan and how it changed my life.
The Surprisingly Simple Logic Behind Japanese Sentence Structure
In this guide, I break down Japanese sentence structure and show you exactly how Japanese sentences work. A solid understanding of this will save you a huge amount of time trying to make sense of Japanese grammar.
The new science of cute
The Long Read: Kumamon, a cartoon bear created to promote tourism in an overlooked part of Japan, has become a billion-dollar phenomenon. Now, a new academic field is trying to pinpoint what makes things cute – and why we can’t resist them
Publications
We monitor hundreds of publications, blogs, newsletters, and news sources in Japan, including:
Big Think
Learn from the world’s greatest thinkers. Join us on https://www.youtube.com/c/bigthink.
Ness Labs
The learning community for ambitious knowledge workers. Join us to think better, learn faster, and work happier: http://nesslabs.com/membership 🧠✨
Quartz
Global news and insights for a new generation of business leaders. Sign up for Quartz Daily Brief 👉http://qz.com/emails/
WIRED UK
The future as it happens. Subscribe today: http://wired.co.uk/subs/MWR19762
SB Nation
the S stands for sports and the B stands for blogs
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We monitor 10k+ content sources on hundreds of topics—publications, blogs, news sites, newsletters, Substack, Medium, Twitter, etc.
Which sources does Refind monitor on japan?
We monitor hundreds of sources on japan, including Big Think, Ness Labs, Quartz, WIRED UK, SB Nation, and many more.
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