The decisions shaping daily life—and the people making autumn happen.
Fifteen stories, Kamisaka Sekka’s art and six selections from our Akita edition: business, science, communities, sport and culture.
Japan’s rate rise: what 1.25% means for savers, borrowers and small firms
Decided September 18, effective September 24: the household consequences depend on deposit terms, mortgage resets and the timing of business borrowing.
Read the report →Monday, September 21, 2026
Four more ways into today’s edition
Science, community, sport and art
Business & Economy
Japan.co.jp · Monday, September 21, 2026Japan’s rate rise: what 1.25% means for savers, borrowers and small firms
Decided September 18, effective September 24: the household consequences depend on deposit terms, mortgage resets and the timing of business borrowing.
Silver Week’s local opportunity: turning five days off into business that lasts
Japan’s September 19–23 break offers regional inns, restaurants, shops and attractions more time with visitors—and a demanding test of staffing, connections and weather plans.
Beyond the crab: Kasumi’s autumn festival and the livelihoods behind a coastal brand
Red snow crab connects fishing boats, processors, inns and visitors in northern Hyogo. Kasumi’s festival reveals why a seafood brand depends on much more than the catch.
Science & Technology
Japan.co.jp · Monday, September 21, 2026The invisible connection: RIKEN’s stretchable film and the next challenge for wearable electronics
A room-temperature joining method puts the interface between delicate components in focus. Its significance emerges from more than a decade of work on ultrathin and breathable electronics.
When the leaves return before the roots recover: Japan’s ageing oaks and hillside stability
A collaborative study involving Kyoto University found low root reinforcement eight years after older konara oaks were cut and resprouted. The finding adds an underground timescale to woodland restoration.
A beetle’s view of a working forest: what Japan’s “honey trap” can reveal
Female-attracted traps recorded male stag beetles at 27 locations in Hida. A new study explores how those observations can inform broadleaf forestry—and what they cannot establish.
Communities
Japan.co.jp · Monday, September 21, 2026From a village gathering to a national holiday: Taka and the origins of Respect for the Aged Day
Sixty years after the holiday entered Japan’s national calendar, local records and original legislation reveal how a village initiative grew into a public commitment to older people.
Beyond the red flowers: the river and the work behind Kinchakuda’s autumn
Kinchakuda’s spider lilies stand within a landscape shaped by the Koma River, farming and continuing care. Its autumn festival reveals both the value and the pressures of a short visitor season.
Before the doors reopen: caring for art and community in Tanabe
Tanabe’s museum plans to resume exhibitions on October 10 after renovation. Its collection’s temporary move reveals the work behind preserving art and sustaining a regional cultural institution.
Sport
Japan.co.jp · Monday, September 21, 2026
Ōnosato and Kotozakura lead as autumn sumo’s second week comes into focus
Two leaders at 6–1, ten pursuers at 5–2, and another race to reach eight wins. A second-week assessment based on confirmed results through September 19, Day 7.
Hanshin leads by a fraction: the Tigers’ tense September pennant race
A tiny percentage lead, a recent scoring drought and a run-in extending beyond the Giants. An assessment using confirmed results through September 19.
Aichi-Nagoya opens the Asian Games: early wins and the test of hosting
Japan’s early football and basketball results meet a wider story of public celebrations, logistical complaints and weather-related access planning. Reporting verified through September 19.
Arts & Culture
Japan.co.jp · Monday, September 21, 2026
Looking again at Andrew Wyeth: windows, landscapes and a long connection with Japan
As Toyota’s exhibition approaches its September 23 close, paintings and studies reveal the choices behind Wyeth’s realism—and the history behind Japan’s enduring interest.
Art inside the merchant houses: Tamba-Sasayama’s living townscape
Contemporary work enters a historic merchant quarter, bringing artists, students and hosts together—and inviting a closer look at the work of keeping old buildings in use.
How bunraku comes alive: the ensemble behind the puppet
September’s introductory performances offer a way into the collaboration of narration, shamisen and puppetry—and the continuing work of welcoming new audiences.
16 · TODAY’S ART CHOICE
Today’s Art Choice: Kamisaka Sekka—A World of Wonder in a Few Bold Shapes
Cranes, moonlit grasses and the art of choosing what to leave out: exploring Momoyogusa, Kyoto’s craft culture and Sekka’s renewed encounter with Rinpa.
Read the art essay →Six selections from our September 20 Akita edition
Read in their original reporting context
From mining to metals recovery: Kosaka’s changing industry
Follow the connection between Kosaka’s mining and smelting history and the recovery of metals from used electronics.
Passing a business on—and keeping a community served
Akita’s succession challenges reach beyond ownership, involving the services, skills and jobs that local firms sustain.
Preparing thin tissue sections: the work behind Path One
An automated device developed around a clinical need at Akita University offers a closer look at the preparation behind pathology.
Turning volcanic heat into electricity at Wasabizawa
Explore the geothermal power station in Yuzawa through its equipment, development history and relationship with local resources.
Behind the masks: the communities sustaining Namahage
The visiting ritual on the Oga Peninsula connects households and generations. Its continuation involves more than preserving masks and costumes.
Kakunodate’s samurai streets as a living landscape
Black fences, residences and garden trees form a historic townscape that depends on continued care and use.
Today’s 16 stories use AI editorial illustrations inspired by Kamisaka Sekka; the six Akita selections retain their Odano Naotake-inspired artwork. These are not documentary photographs or original works by the artists. Sports reports use information verified through September 19. Earlier features retain their original reporting context.