Japan is experiencing a tourism boom. But its struggling countryside is absent from most itineraries, with limited access for foreign visitors and areas marred by runaway development. Could spreading the word about Japan’s rural charm bring tourists and locals back to its dying towns?

Following the new religion movements in Japan from the 1960s to the 1980s that reinterpreted Shinto and Buddhism for a modern era, Millennials are now looking back to their spiritual roots. Young men and women are drawing inspiration from Japan’s ancient spiritual heritage.

More than 25% of the Japanese population is over the age of 65. With a low birthrate and increasing life expectancy, that figure is only set to increase. Japan is renowned for its respectful and traditionally regimented attitudes towards seniors, but what does it really mean to be ageing now, in the world’s oldest population?

Babies born in China in 2015 (the Year of the Sheep) are thought to be unlucky. So unlucky that thousands of mums rushed to have a baby in the more favourable Year of the Horse. Superstitions still hold fast in rapidly modernising China. How can international brands avoid making cultural mistakes?