Blessing ceremonies? Power stones? Cultivating one’s ki energy? Gen Yers in Japan aren't just embracing these things – a growing number are spending on them, too. Amid economic turmoil and rampant Americanisation, young Japan is turning to religion for both their personal and national identities.

‘I’m glad to be Japanese!’ It’s a thought that two-thirds of Japanese people have had. But with nationalism’s long, sordid history in the country, some debate whether it can be taken too far. With a recent spike in patriotism in Japan's popular culture, how is it translating to the rest of the world?

A huge sinkhole forming in front of your convenience store usually wouldn’t be good for business. But a 7-Eleven that survived a sinkhole in Fukuoka City in 2016 has become a symbol of good luck, leading superstitious Japanese students to visit in their droves.

What’s got Japanese people worried about their work-life balance? Why are more men staying at home to raise the kids? And how did Halloween become a national holiday? This Cultural Snapshot uses local stats and case studies to explore behavioural norms shared by Japanese people in 2017.