This New York Times Magazine online story about a new generation of artisan _Ame Zaiku_ includes a 1 minute video to show the artist making a goldfish from a lump of MizuAme. It gives new meaning to the expression, "eye candy"!

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/17/t-magazine/amezaiku-candy-japan.html

On a related subject, there is an article about how to make sweets in the 19th century, https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/wagashi-design

family names - 26 readings for "Niu"

This JapanTimes article describes the logic, variations, and patterns among surnames in Japan these days.

For students at any level this is worth knowing. The extreme example is the 2-character family name with kanji for 'ship' and 'alive' with 26 ways to read it, from Nioi to Mibu, according to the article.

https://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2018/08/13/bilingual/japanese-surnames-among-usual-suspects-youre-bound-find-curveballs/

photo-essay from Kobe: one-room family life

Most documentaries these days seem to be mainly video. But the older medium of still photos, with its unnatural frozen moment, allows careful study and reflection. This story of a big family in a small space shows readers something of Japanese society that seldom attracts attention. With the forces squeezing the middle-class ever smaller and expanding the proportion of people with few resources, this story is a timely one; probably similar stories can be pictured in many of the G-20 societies, too.

https://www.newyorker.com/culture/photo-booth/a-japanese-photographers-view-of-life-in-his-familys-one-room-home