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Masako Tsubuku
Japan Times
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Apr 15, 2013
Deflation watch: gyudon
Will fast food price competition undermine Abenomics?
Japan Times
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Apr 10, 2013
Employment counselors forced to sit on the other side of the window
In one area of employment public servants have it worse than private sector workers.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Apr 3, 2013
Local government attempts to make citizens rat on welfare recipients
Welfare recipients made to feel guilty for guilty pleasures.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / How-tos / HOME TRUTHS
Apr 2, 2013
When remodeling isn't quite a home improvement
A year ago we looked at a 20-year-old apartment after it had just gone on sale in the city where we live, which is about an hour from Tokyo. It was large and sunny, but the walls needed to be re-papered and the floors replaced. The realtor told us that the ¥11.6 million asking price included the cost...
Japan Times
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Mar 29, 2013
Court says railway can make patrons pay through the nose
Railway patrons can now sue over fares, for what it's worth.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Mar 21, 2013
Auto sales driven by gas mileage
Japanese carmakers compete over fuel efficiency.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Mar 14, 2013
Convenience store companies boost employee income, engage in one-upmanship
Convenience stores a leading the way for higher employee wages, but is it enough?
Japan Times
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Mar 7, 2013
Uniqlo not as different as its workers thought it would be
Japan's most coveted work environment isn't what it's cracked up to be.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / How-tos / HOME TRUTHS
Mar 5, 2013
Buying property in the age of Abenomics
According to most business media, now is the time to act if you are thinking about buying a home. Though the Liberal Democratic Party has yet to confirm that it will go ahead with the consumption tax increases the Democratic Party of Japan passed last year, it seems likely that the first hike to 8 percent...
Japan Times
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Feb 27, 2013
Annals of cheap: Don Don Down on Wednesday
Used clothing retailer plays games with customers — and they love it.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Feb 21, 2013
Proposed inheritance tax exemption isn't really about inheritance taxes
Will old folks encouraged to think of their grandkids' education loosen their grip on unproductive savings?
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Feb 14, 2013
Japan still paying for war sins through international copyrights
If you're a copyright holder, you have a special reason to be happy if your work is sold in Japan.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Feb 8, 2013
Japanese attorneys throw their nets farther out
Big city lawyers are moving to the sticks to drum up business.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / How-tos / HOME TRUTHS
Feb 4, 2013
Building your home can come at quite a cost
People in the market for new single-family houses usually don't worry as much about the land those houses occupy because they tend to work with developers, who purchase huge tracts and then subdivide them. The customer buys the land and the house as a package, though the authorities see it as two purchases...
Japan Times
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Feb 2, 2013
Government says all single parents not created equal
A single mother finds that she doesn't qualify for a tax exemption because she was never married.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Jan 24, 2013
Deflation watch: Retort curry
What effect has deflation had on ready-to-eat curry?
Japan Times
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Jan 16, 2013
Gas station business losing to reality
A new law is accelerating the closures of gas stations.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Jan 9, 2013
Energy conservation isn't just for summers any more
More Japanese homes are using electricity for heating purposes.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Jan 4, 2013
Cleaning 'angels' reinforce positive image of Japanese workers
Train cleaning crews are the new heroes of Japanese commerce.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / How-tos / HOME TRUTHS
Jan 1, 2013
Checking out the real estate agents
Several months ago we looked at a house that had been bought at auction by a housing company, fixed up and then put on the market. We found it among the listings on the home page of a realtor we've dealt with in the past, and he agreed to show it to us.

Longform

People in cities across Japan will pop into their local convenience store for any number of products they believe will help them with a night of drinking.
Hangover cures are everywhere in Japan — but do they work?