Edo period
2 stories
Why is it fine to slurp your noodles in Japan?
Many visitors grew up being told never to slurp. At a soba or ramen counter in Japan, most people do. Why is the noise fine there, and is it ever rude?
How did "Made in Japan" go from a joke to a promise?
After the war, "Made in Japan" was shorthand for shoddy goods. Today it sits on cameras, cars and kitchen knives. The change runs through clockwork dolls, a self-stopping loom and a postwar obsession with getting the small things right.