Economy | ANALYSIS
Households to take hit from tax hike
by Tomoko Otake
The consumption tax increase will hit every household in Japan hard, with many people’s financial future hanging on whether their wages rise enough to offset the hike's impact.
Lifestyle | CHILD'S PLAY May 15, 2013
Kids love park life in the summer
by Jason Jenkins
At long last, warm weather has arrived, which means more playtime in Tokyo’s parks — from your scrappy, local patch of dirt to the manicured opulence of Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden. My family’s favorite is Yoyogi Park. While not the most pristine public space ...
Lifestyle May 15, 2013
Berlin's Barbie Dreamhouse is a pink feminist nightmare
by Marie Julien
The opening this month of the first life-size Barbie Dreamhouse in Europe may be the fantasy of many a little girl, but Berlin’s feminists are mobilizing against what they call a sexist icon. With her straight blonde tresses, doelike baby-blue eyes, blinding smile and ...
Lifestyle May 14, 2013
Tips on how to survive the wedding season
by Ellen Mccarthy
It’s upon us, once again. You can hear it in the sound of the harp strings, the camera clicks, the echo of Corinthians — “Love is patient, love is kind.” You can hear it in the muffled screams of frenzied bridesmaids who are this ...
Lifestyle May 10, 2013
Ideas to trump names on TEDxTokyo stage
by John Matthews
TEDxTokyo is set to kick off its fifth annual event on May 11 at Hikarie Hall in Shibuya Ward, featuring a bevy of talented speakers, among whom are many you've likely never heard of.
Lifestyle | CHILD'S PLAY May 1, 2013
Watching moms get funky can get babies into the groove
by Danielle Demetriou
My baby is staring at me in shock. This may be something to do with the fact that I am hopping in a circle on one leg, shaking a ring of jingly bells in each hand and singing nonsensical sounds. This is admittedly not ...
Lifestyle | CHILD'S PLAY Apr 17, 2013
Give the kids a dose of culture and fun at Tokyo Midtown
by Jason Jenkins
Since the 1950s, the Roppongi entertainment district has been synonymous with drink, debauchery and the like ... or so people tell me.
Lifestyle Apr 16, 2013
Blossom Queen ritual becomes an education
by Emily Wax
Adjusting her cupcake-size replica of a Mikimoto gold-and-pearl crown and gliding through a downtown Washington hotel lobby in her white sash, Taylor Barfield offers her business card with a knowing grin: “First African-American United States Cherry Blossom Queen,” it reads. “Sorry if I’m groggy ...
Lifestyle | CHILD'S PLAY Apr 3, 2013
Belly-dancing, the perfect way to tone that post-baby body
by Danielle Demetriou
One is an activity that conjures up images of exotic beauties, swishing silks, aromatic teas and balmy starlit skies. The other involves nursery rhymes, nappy changes and nocturnal awakenings of the most unglamorous variety. “Belly-dancing” and “motherhood” might at first sight seem as suitable ...
Lifestyle | CHILD'S PLAY Mar 20, 2013
This is one museum where kids will have a blast
by Jason Jenkins
Once a month, it will be my goal to help you and your kids get the most out of Tokyo. This city is full of opportunities to learn and have fun, and I've been seeking out these opportunities ever since my first-born arrived 10 ...
Lifestyle Mar 12, 2013
Food for thought: eat, drink, protect the brain
by Vicky Hallett
We love our hearts. But what are our brains — chopped liver? Neal Barnard, an adjunct associate professor of medicine at the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, says how we eat can improve not just the function of our tickers, ...
Lifestyle Mar 12, 2013
Keep reading and add warmth to a room with books
by Elizabeth Mayhew
I have noticed over the years that every so often magazines (and now blogs) feature beautiful spreads of book-filled rooms, with headlines like “Living With Books” or “The Pages of Our Lives.” Usually the images feature poetic, far-off places where leather volumes fill 4.5-meter-tall, ...
Lifestyle | CHILD'S PLAY Mar 6, 2013
Babies at the cinema need not be a recipe for disaster
by Danielle Demetriou
Kiko Blossom is sitting in a red velvet cinema seat next to a handsome young man. A box of popcorn lies between them and their eyes widen in anticipation as the opening credits of the latest James Bond movie begin to roll. Such a ...