Astronomers Detect a Possible Signature of Life on a Distant Planet
Further studies are needed to determine whether K2-18b, which orbits a star 120 light-years away, is inhabited, or even habitable.
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How to Evade Taxes in Ancient Rome? A 1,900-Year-Old Papyrus Offers a Guide.
It may not have been the tax-evasion trial of the century — the second century, that is — but it was of such gravity that the defendants faced charges of forgery, fiscal fraud and the sham sale of slaves. Tax dodging is as old as taxation itself, but …
An Acadia-to-Zion Guide to Visiting National Parks in an Uncertain Summer
Sign up for the Travel Dispatch newsletter. Essential news on the changing travel landscape, expert tips and inspiration for your future trips. Get it sent to your inbox.Firings, resignations and delays in seasonal hiring have clouded the coming …
How to Bird-Watch: A Traveler’s Guide
According to a survey from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 96 million Americans are bird-watchers, or 37 percent of the population aged 16 and above. Most observe from home, but 43 million have traveled a mile or more to go birding. Amy Tan …
How to Haggle When There’s No Set Price
Bargaining, a common practice in many countries, may seem daunting to first timers. Here are some tips to get a fair deal, and maybe even make a new friend.
The Darker Side of Japan’s Love of Cuteness
From Hello Kitty to Pikachu, the country changed what the world considers adorable. But do these characters represent joy — or rage?
Nothing Lasts. How Do We Face It?
BEAUTY: THE TRADITION OF IMPERMANENCE “SEE THE TREE there? It’s turning red, right?” I looked to see what Kotaro Nishibori, the last manufacturer of paper umbrellas in Kyoto, was pointing at. On our left was a line of cherry trees, their leaves …
How Japanese Superfans Redefined What It Means to Be Obsessed
Otaku, people for whom hero worship is a way of life, have changed everyone’s relationship to the culture.
Why Japan Counts 72 Microseasons
To accompany this essay, the Japanese photographer Rinko Kawauchi created an original series, “Kaze Hikaru” (Glittering, 2025), based on things growing for six weeks between February and March near where she lives in Futtsu, in Chiba Prefecture. “The …
Why Some of Japan’s Most Exciting Cultural Figures Are of Korean Descent
The artists, musicians and writers pushing past decades of historical erasure.