Steph

Just me.

[Unseen Japan @UnseenJapanSite]

ICYMI: Less than 30 minutes from Kyoto, Uji offers a quieter alternative to the city's heaviest crowds. Beyond Byōdōin and matcha lies the setting of The Tale of Genji's final chapters and centuries of layered history.

[Unseen Japan @UnseenJapanSite]

The world will finally get legal access to peak Japanese TV, as Netflix announces it's picking up Monday Late Show (月曜から夜ふかし), the popular late-night variety show starring Matsuko Deluxe and boy band idol Murakami Shingo, for worldwide online replay.

[Kansai Photos @KansaiPhotos]

Today was still a good day to see the plum blossoms at Zuishin-in Temple in Kyoto.

[CA Vivek Khatri @CaVivekkhatri]

🚨 BREAKING:

Iran didn't respond to US bombs with missiles.

They responded with GAME THEORY.

And in doing so, they may have just fired the most dangerous shot at the US dollar in 52 years.

Here's the move most people completely missed: 🧵

(Read this slowly. Share it widely.)

[Kansai Photos @KansaiPhotos]

Plum blossoms today at Osaka Castle

[Paprika Girl @PaprikaGirl_JP]

Bonbori (ぼんぼり) are my favorite decoration of spring. These delicately colored lanterns are often painted with sakura motifs, and displayed at events like Hina Matsuri (ひな祭り), the Miyako Odori (京都踊り) dances, and hanami (花見).

[Next Science @NextScience]

🧠 MIT recently completed the first brain-scan study on ChatGPT users—and the results are deeply revealing.

Rather than boosting brain function, prolonged AI use may be dulling it.
Over four months of cognitive data suggest we might be measuring productivity all wrong ⤵️

In MIT’s study, participants had their brains scanned while using ChatGPT.
→ 83.3% of users couldn’t recall a single sentence they’d written just minutes earlier.
→ In contrast, those writing without AI had no trouble remembering.

Brain connectivity dropped sharply—from 79 to 42 points.
→ That’s a 47% drop in neural engagement.
→ The lowest cognitive performance among all user groups.

Even after stopping ChatGPT use in later sessions, these users showed continued under-engagement.
→ Their performance remained lower than those who never used AI.
→ This suggests more than dependency—it’s cognitive weakening.

Beyond the scans, educators flagged the writing itself.
→ Essays were technically solid, but often called “robotic,” “soulless,” and “lacking depth.”

Here’s the paradox:
→ ChatGPT makes you 60% faster at completing tasks…
→ But it reduces the mental effort required for learning by 32%.

The top-performing group?
→ Those who began without AI and added it later.
→ They retained the best memory, brain activity, and overall scores.

Using ChatGPT can feel empowering—but it may quietly offload your thinking.
→ You gain speed, but lose engagement.
→ You get answers, but stop learning how to think.

The takeaway isn’t to avoid AI—but to use it intentionally.
→ Use it to assist, not replace your mind.
→ Build cognitive strength—not dependency.

MIT’s early study on AI and the brain lays out the stakes. The way we use these tools matters more than ever.

[Japan Safe Travel (JST) @JapanSafeTravel]

[Winter in Japan]
Winter is full of attractive activities such as winter sports and festivals. For more ideas, visit:
https://t.co/KB7Njulcqc
Pack plenty of warm clothes, then bundle up and head outside.
Daily and monthly weather forecasts: https://t.co/zR9RxBU7fJ
#explore

[Woman of Leisure @WomenLeisure]

Korean woman who cut off a man’s penis got 15 years in prison.

Korean man killed a woman got 4 years in prison.

“Korean men complain "The law favors women" and feel aggrieved.”

A man’s penis is valued more than woman’s life in SK.

STFU! At least they are alive and breathing.

[SK misogyny🇰🇷 @zip99900]

A hidden camera sharing site similar to Nth Room and Soranet has recently been discovered in Korea. Established in 2022, it has 540,000 members and over 600,000 posts.

On this site, secretly filmed nude videos are being shared under titles like “Wife’s First Reveal” and “My Girlfriend of 7 Years.” Videos featuring nude images of minors also appear.

The main supplier on this site is “ID New Works Expert,” who announced last month, “I will release 100 hidden camera videos.”

https://t.co/HizU9byXUf
https://t.co/D3Ifx4z068

[創刊50周年記念 花とゆめ展 @hanayumeten]

🌸熊本🌸～新規グッズ情報～
#花とゆめ展 熊本会場から新登場のグッズをご紹介します🌟

「暁のヨナ×KUMAGAWA ARTISANS 巾着入りジャム」
各2,200円（税込）

ヨナを連想させる“トリプルベリーのコンフィチュール”と、プッキューが好きそうな“はちみつ入り栗バター”。人吉球磨地方を中心に熊本県産品を使用したジャムです！
オリジナル巾着入り♪

[Jeffrey J. Hall 🇯🇵🇺🇸 @mrjeffu]

A reminder to people who don't think "small" tsunamis are a big deal: even a 30 centimeter Tsunami can easily knock down a person.
If you are in an area with a tsunami warning, you should take it very seriously.
https://t.co/hwCcZGfz51

[太秦映画村 UZUMASA KYOTO VILLAGE @kachinta]

映画村の人気者 港町の恐竜🦕
リニューアルに伴い、1/12で卒業しますのでぜひ会いにきてください🦕✨　

#映画村 #太秦映画村 #東映太秦映画村

[Kansai Photos @KansaiPhotos]

Illumination at Banpaku

[Unseen Japan @UnseenJapanSite]

Kitano Takeshi’s filmography varies in quality. Even his most ardent fans have at least a few of his films that they have a hard time enjoying. Zatoichi, Hana-bi, the Outrage series, his trio of self-referential biographies - see how they all place in our new ranking, below!

[Taitan @taitan21]

紅葉が見頃を迎えている富士宮市白糸ノ滝の風景です！

[万博記念公園【公式】 @expo70park_jp]

【イルミナイト万博～2025 WINTER～】

太陽の塔が幻想的な光に包まれる18日間🌞✨

今年も太陽の塔が光り、万博記念公園が幻想的な輝きに染まります🙌
心ときめくイルミネーションの夜をお楽しみください✨
—————
🔸開催日時🔸（計18日間）
・11月23日(日・祝)～24日(月・振休)
・11月28日(金)～30日(日)
・12月5日(金)～7日(日)
・12月12日(金)～14日(日)
・12月19日(金)～21日(日)
・12月27日(土)～30日(火)

🕐17:00〜21:00（最終入園20:30）
—————

また、イルミナイト万博と同日開催で、11回目となる恒例の「ラーメンEXPO」を開催！🍜
北海道から沖縄まで選りすぐりのラーメン店のべ60店舗がお祭り広場に集結します🙌

イルミナイト万博とラーメンEXPOで、冬の温もりに満たされる夜をお楽しみください🌙

万博記念公園共通入園料で
お楽しみいただけます🌞

詳細はホームページからご確認ください🔍
https://t.co/Tdq2Gxmw58

#万博記念公園 #太陽の塔 #イルミナイト万博 #イルミネーション #大阪イルミネーション #関西イルミネーション #ラーメンexpo

[Christian Drosten @c_drosten]

Ich hatte mal überschlagen, dass eine ca. 2-3 Wochen spätere Reaktion in D ca. 60.000 zusätzliche Todesfälle bedeutet hätte. Das scheint wohl mit dieser Schätzung aus UK übereinzustimmen.

https://t.co/WgmwRHiidG

[小豆餅乃部屋 ⚘ ⡱ @azukimochi_room]

渡月橋と紅葉のコラボがとても綺麗でした

※一昨日撮影です

[Kanata @asagi_photo0921]

初冬に輝きを増す紅葉と金閣寺。