Editor in Brief

April 2026

Welcome to our new subscribers, welcome back to our old ones, and thank you all for your support! I hope you’ll enjoy our dives into Japanese culture and history.

Last month began with Hina Matsuri, Japan’s doll festival centered on girls. Therefore, we featured articles on dolls and women, with some special favourites of mine. The supposedly dark origin of the kokeshi dolls from northern Honshu has always fascinated me, however, diving into juicy 8th century court rumours around Japan’s last “real” empress was a personal highlight.

Sneak Peek: April in Japan means cherry blossom season, and even though this year’s sakura equator has already passed Kyoto (and it’s raining to boot as I write this), there are many places further north where the delicate blossoms are still to open.

So, in honour of the season, we’ll have a look at The Nature of Japan: the cute, the beautiful - and the destructive.

I wish you a lovely month ahead!

Iris Reinbacher, editor-in-chief

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