For more than 40 years, Emile Yoshimura has brought more than 10,000 old damaged paintings back to life, including some by eminent artists dating back 200 to 300 years. Most of the paintings he deals with are oil paintings on canvas, which can crack ...

Interest in meals based on Chinese herbal medicine started taking off this summer as “yakuzen” became the latest fad in vegetable-based cuisines. “Yakuzen meals use seasonal vegetables in principle,” said Hisako Kikuchi, who manages a cafe in Tokyo. “Summer vegetables are effective in protecting ...

Sportswear maker Asics Corp. has organized a running school for beginners in collaboration with scale maker Tanita Corp. and cosmetics maker Shiseido Co. to capitalize on the growing popularity of the activity. On a weekend morning in late June, 20 people, many in their ...

Fancy a few drizzles of olive oil over your ice cream? Or how about becoming a certified “olive oil sommelier”? Olive oil is once again gaining popularity in Japan, after first coming under the spotlight in the 1990s for its health benefits. Various olive ...

Apparel makers, department stores and other fashion-oriented businesses strive to attract women in their 40s and 50s as they remain active consumers, regardless of economic conditions.

With workloads at offices growing as a result of job cuts amid the weak economy, food service companies are seeking to capitalize on an increasing need among workers to use time and money efficiently. Yasuhiro Yamamoto, a 46-year-old who runs a management consulting business, ...

Young mothers who were raised on TV and movies are being targeted in a marketing push for animated DVD versions of children’s picture books. Unlike usual cartoons, the picture book DVDs move slowly so viewers feel like the story is being read to them. ...

People planning to tie the knot are increasingly looking to hold wedding receptions that reflect their personal tastes, instead of following conventional patterns that don’t have much character. The norms of a usual celebration begin with the newlyweds entering the reception hall and taking ...

As digital cameras continue to grow in popularity, there remains a group of committed people who still prefer film. Sales of digital cameras have taken off as amateur photographers like being able to check their pictures immediately after taking them. They also are attracted ...