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 Ben Stubbings

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Ben Stubbings
Ben Stubbings is editor of the Community and Bilingual pages of The Japan Times. Born and bred in Cambridge, educated at Leeds, he is alternately frustrated and amazed by Tokyo but loves life in Shonan.
For Ben Stubbings's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / VIEWS FROM THE STREET
Jun 19, 2018
World Cup views from Tokyo, Group H: Japan, Colombia, Senegal and Poland
Japan-based supporters of Group H teams fighting it out for the ultimate prize at the FIFA World Cup speak to The Japan Times.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / VIEWS FROM THE STREET
Jun 18, 2018
World Cup views from Tokyo, Group G: England, Belgium and Tunisia
Japan-based supporters of Group G teams fighting it out for the ultimate prize at the FIFA World Cup speak to The Japan Times.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / VIEWS FROM THE STREET
Jun 17, 2018
World Cup views from Tokyo, Group E/F: Brazil, Serbia and Germany
Japan-based supporters of Group E and F teams fighting it out for the ultimate prize at the FIFA World Cup speak to The Japan Times.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / VIEWS FROM THE STREET
Jun 16, 2018
World Cup views from Tokyo, Group D: Nigeria, Iceland, Croatia and Argentina
Japan-based supporters of Group D teams fighting it out for the ultimate prize at the FIFA World Cup speak to The Japan Times.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / VIEWS FROM THE STREET
Jun 15, 2018
World Cup views from Tokyo, Group C: France, Peru and Australia
Japan-based supporters of Group C teams fighting it out for the ultimate prize at the FIFA World Cup speak to The Japan Times.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / VIEWS FROM THE STREET
Jun 14, 2018
World Cup views from Tokyo, Group A/B: Egypt, Russia, Uruguay, Morocco and Spain
Japan-based supporters of Group A and B teams fighting it out for the ultimate prize at the FIFA World Cup speak to The Japan Times.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
Sep 27, 2017
Surviving sexual assault in Japan, then victimized again
Despite signs of progress, some women still face secondary ordeals at the hands of police after rape and other sexual attacks.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
Aug 19, 2015
Trail of failed ventures involving American in murder probe leads from New York to Tokyo
The record of dubious projects leads from Peter Gatien-era New York clubland to Singapore and Japan
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
Dec 1, 2014
What to buy, where to go: 40 steps to maximum merriment this Christmas in Japan
From meeting Pikachu in Fukushima to a laughter ritual in Osaka, here are dozens of ways to make sure you make the most of the festive season.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LIGHT GIST
Aug 28, 2012
How did we end up here, in 'Hashimotopia,' 2022?
Walking home the other night, I glanced furtively over my shoulder and clocked the notorious tattoo-enforcement police heading in my direction. I ducked into a nearby konbini and cursed that bad decision inked onto my forearm in the 1990s.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Feb 16, 2010
Help for Haiti from half a world away
A plain black bow adorns the coat of arms on the door of the Haitian Embassy in Tokyo, a poignant reminder to visitors of the hundreds of thousands who have died in the country since the devastating earthquake of Jan 12. It is a small gesture that belies the scale of the destruction wrought by the quake: the mountains of rubble, the mass burials, the hunger and loss.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Sep 25, 2007
Is it all over for Nova?
"The dark clouds that have been hanging heavily over us will be cast aside," reads the English translation of Nova Corp. CEO Nozomu Sahashi's memo faxed to staff Friday. "I said previously 'the darkest time is before the dawn,' and finally the first light of dawn can be seen."
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 13, 2007
Foreigners march for worker rights
Workers from all parts of the globe battled wind and rain Sunday to give speeches, performances and then trudge through the streets of Shibuya, Tokyo, calling for job security and equality for all.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Jul 21, 2006
Waving goodbye to the city
The sound of waves lapping on the shore. The cool sea breeze. Beautiful people wearing very few clothes. Overdressed cocktails. What better way could there be to while away a hot summer's day than a beach-bar crawl along Shonan Bay?
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Apr 7, 2006
Lost in the K-hole
Bernard Sumner of U.K. dance-pop group New Order credits the late, great Ian Curtis with introducing Joy Division -- later to become New Order after Curtis' suicide in 1980 -- to the then-revolutionary synthesizer sounds of Kraftwerk.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Sep 30, 2005
Cosmopolitan city comes to life
Before Aug. 9, 1945, Nagasaki was best known for its churches, Chinatown and a tasty noodle dish called champon, and but for heavy cloud cover that day over the nearby city of Kokura -- which was slated to be the world's second atom-bombed city -- it would still likely be that way. However, moments after the U.S. bomber "Bock's Car" dropped its payload over its backup target, Nagasaki, this city was branded indelibly by its instant devastation.

Longform

A statue of "Dragon Ball" character Goku stands outside the offices of Bandai Namco in Tokyo. The figure is now as recognizable as such characters as Mickey Mouse and Spider-Man.
Akira Toriyama's gift to the world