With reopening borders, the rules of etiquette for mask wearing here in Tokyo are best described as vague. Even advocates are having doubts. However, the clearest example often comes from eating out. Places like Oban-zushi in Kabukicho show that mask wearing is about keeping others comfortable, 'masking' the distance between people without drawing attention to it.

With a faltering start, the border open for some tourists but not without additional red tape. Meanwhile, an old apartment building home to Astro Boy's creator Osamu Tezuka has opened to celebrate his work, the work of others, as well as a quiet, suburban part of the city, post-pandemic.

Cinemas and Summits: With the Asia Security Council having met last weekend we look at several independent cinemas in and around Tokyo that have been screening the latest films and documentaries from around Asia in Japan.

Asteroids and Chirashi: As news of what the Hayabusa2 space probe found buried in an object floating out in space is revealed, a new book on Japanese Punk uncovers a counterculture found here on Earth.

Oil prices, Philippine imports, gates sold for scrap, and the art of New Humans : Alchemy, turning lead into gold, is where the future lives. Like the cost of domestic oil and gas, the price of Philippine Bananas has also gone up. And as unsuspecting Japanese holiday makers return home to find their gates missing and sold for scrap, the artist Mika Tajima considers the translation of an idea into diverse material, pondering what it means to be human.

World cuisine and Restaurant sharing: Well-known Chinese restaurant Heichinro calls it a day as FINGER IN THE SOUP, an artist-run diner in Tokyo's Kichijoji, revisits the experience of traveling abroad.

Rising weather, falling currency, and a materials manufacturer looking for change : As challenging weathers descend upon Japan, and rural areas slowly come back emerge from lockdown, sustainability and recombinant fabric have come to describe the way old things are now being put to good use, meeting the challenge of an ever-changing landscape.

As infection rates slow down, attention turns to an economy desperate for foreign custom. Meanwhile, the wider region wrestles with new infections by protesting at signs of foreign alliances. Conversely, new Japanese films respond wearily to all this with their take on old sci-fi characters, a rediscovered classic from Tashio period cinema feels as relevant today as it ever did, and an old cinema house prepares to bid farewell with a documentary on walking, to reveal strange, unusual tales of a world to those who willingly travel on foot.

Quarantines, traffic lights and live music : As Japan's border show signs of opening it still remains off-limits to the vast majority of potential visitors. We look at who is affected along with live music, all searching for ways to be "borderless" amid division.

Introducing NOTEBOOK, a cultural travel guide to art, design and architecture, to information on travel restrictions and recommendations for where to eat and drink.