Lonely girl makes odd new friend in this possible swan song from Miyazaki's legendary studio

Rail travel highlights the contrast between the private and the communal in the land of the well-mannered mob. An excerpt from the recently released, "Salon.com's Wanderlust: Real-Life Tales of Adventure and Romance."

Don't show you're a horn-dog -- even to a bisexual stripper porn star. First of two parts.

As parents coordinate their babies' sexes ahead of time, the male-female ratio gets even more skewed.

When I decided to drop 20 pounds, my NY friends balked. But in Japan, I discovered a truer relationship to my body

Gingrich's new novel is an alternative history of the war -- World War II, that is. But are there contemporary lessons to be learned from rewriting the past?

Gwen Stefani neuters Japanese street fashion to create spring's must-have accessory: Giggling geisha!

Tired of teaching English? Try taking your clothes off instead.

A horror auteur finds his ultimate monster -- the Japanese economy! Plus: Micro-indie legend Joe Swanberg's latest; the joyous "Carmen & Geoffrey."

The author of a new book about gender in Japan sets aside Western stereotypes and talks about how ordinary women are fueling a feminist revolution that's transforming the country.

He heals his lovers by subjecting them to rituals of ancient torture, but how can sado-masochism offer a path to sexual health?

A journey to the heart of science fiction fandom reveals that selling out is a geek survival trait.

Even as a preteen girl, I knew that Ian Fleming's James Bond was a vulnerable guy -- and his creator, an equal-opportunity voyeur.

A Japanese noodle ad scarier than "Children of the Corn."