author

 
Menu
Search
 
April 30, 2024
 

Today's print edition

Home Delivery
Subscribe for more access

Meta

Asako Takaguchi
For Asako Takaguchi's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 6, 2014
Locally produced wines selling well as they pair up with nation's cuisine
Wines made entirely from grapes grown in Japan are becoming popular for the way they match some types of Japanese cuisine.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 16, 2014
Witty tram chief draws plaudits in Hakone
Shinya Ochiai, 26, is a popular conductor on Hakone Tozan Railway Co.'s mountain tram in Kanagawa Prefecture.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 15, 2014
Buyma site hooks up fans of luxury brands
A website called Buyma, billing itself as a "social fashion site," is connecting individuals looking for luxury brand products unavailable in Japan with people abroad willing to buy them on their behalf.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 9, 2014
Employers pay, entice workers to take leave
An increasing number of companies are starting unique leave programs aimed at improving employee morale.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 6, 2014
'Hometown' firm helps new city folk aid farm kin
Mitsushi Kodama established Jimoto Co. in Tokyo in April 2012 to sell rice, vegetables and other farm products together with people who, like himself, have moved to the capital but still want to support their families.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 24, 2013
Training drug-sniffing dogs Narita customs officer's window on world
At a national training center near Narita International Airport in Chiba Prefecture, Manato Kimura, 25, trains sniffer dogs to recognize the smell of illegal drugs and detect them hidden inside luggage at airports and seaports.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 11, 2013
'Real-life' puzzle escape games catching on
"Real-life" puzzle games are booming, prompting even big companies to let employees play to improve their communications and problem-solving capacities.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Nov 28, 2013
Highway rest areas get retail-centric makeover
Operators of expressway rest areas are refurbishing their sites in often unusual and creative ways to draw customers and increase their earnings.
JAPAN
Nov 21, 2013
All ages heading to guesthouses
Traditionally popular with young people, hostels and guesthouses are growing in popularity among middle-aged and elderly people looking for reasonably priced accommodations.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 19, 2013
Firms tap apps that 'augment reality'
Smartphone applications featuring "augmented reality" are being used by an increasing number of companies to promote their products.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Oct 30, 2013
Service delivers famed ramen to the home
You no longer have to travel far and wide to try ramen or dishes from popular restaurants that are much talked about.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Oct 24, 2013
Ex-meter reader forms company that offers jobs and purpose to retirees
Kenji Ueda founded a human resources company for retirees 13 years ago, hoping not just to help them work again but also find something to live for.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Oct 17, 2013
Farm-fresh produce delivery goes online
A growing number of consumers are purchasing fresh vegetables and fruit online directly from farmers.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Sep 16, 2013
Companies try to fire up bubble generation
Hotels, publishers and retailers are trying to capitalize on the buying power of people in their 40s and 50s who experienced the go-go days of the 1980s bubble economy before it imploded in 1991.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Sep 11, 2013
Bid to shift libraries to social spaces turns page on stale bookworm image
A new library that opened in Funabashi, Chiba Prefecture, in April is not an ivory tower of books, but an innovative attempt to boost liquor sales and interest in libraries themselves.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Sep 3, 2013
Sites push recipes made from leftovers
Recipes using leftovers have been growing more popular as they help homemakers reduce waste and save time in the kitchen.
JAPAN
Aug 6, 2013
Tokyo parks gearing up to provide vital amenities in emergencies
Public parks represent a vital recreation space in a metropolis as densely populated as Tokyo, but beneath the surface some are also equipped to play important roles in responding to disasters as well as improving the health of elderly residents.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jul 14, 2013
New foods spring from school labs
With popular interest in health and food safety growing stronger in Japan, food products incorporating the finds of university researchers are drawing strong attention.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jul 3, 2013
Disabled find new roles in workplace
At Sign with Me, a cafe on the second floor of a building in central Tokyo, orders are given and taken without a word being spoken.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
May 28, 2013
Online signing making life easier
An Internet-based sign language service launched by a university student a few years ago is finding its way into hotels, restaurants and other public places.
When will Japan intervene to support the yen?
Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki has reiterated the government's readiness to take an appropriate action as the yen continues to slide against the U.S. dollar.
'So hot you can't breathe': Extreme heat hits the Philippines
A pedestrian cools himself with a folding hand fan as he waits for a ride along a road in Manila on Wednesday, as extreme heat hit the Philippines.
Raising kids in Japan as a single parent? It takes a village.
Making things work as a foreign, single mother in Japan isn't easy, but these tips and tricks can help you through the hardest parts.
Yen rebounds strongly after first slide past ¥160 since 1990
The yen dropped to ¥160.245 per dollar on Monday before heading into the other direction to ¥155.01 amid speculation of an intervention by Japanese currency authorities.
JAL cancels international flight after captain gets drunk at Dallas hotel
A Japan Airlines' flight from Dallas to Tokyo was canceled last week after its captain got drunk at a local hotel.
Climate change, chalky grains and the risks for Japan’s rice farmers
A farmer plants seedlings in Satsumasendai, Kagoshima Prefecture. Japan’s self sufficiency rate for rice is nearly 100%, compared with 38% for food overall, on a calorie basis.
Japan wants you to spend more with ‘luxury tourism’
Performers play a traditional drum unique to Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, in the prefectural capital of Kanazawa on March 16 to mark the extension of the Hokuriku Shinkansen line to Tsuruga Station in Fukui Prefecture.
Theaster Gates’ ambitious ‘Afro-Mingei’ brings Black Chicago to Tokyo
Theaster Gates' “A Heavenly Chord” lines up church pews before seven speakers and a Hammond B3 organ, a type of electric organ prevalent in Black American churches.
Casa del Cibo: A thriving jewel born from Tohoku’s harsh past
When chef Ryohei Ikemi moved to Hachinohe, Aomori Prefecture, and opened Casa del Cibo in 2011, it was the first proper Italian restaurant in the city.
Town to block view of Mount Fuji in response to overtourism
The town government of Fujikawaguchiko, Yamanashi Prefecture, decided to set up a 2.5-meter-high screen to prevent tourists from taking pictures of Mount Fuji looming behind a convenience store.

Podcast

From easily navigable train stations to the helpfulness of its municipal staff, Tokyo has earned high praise for its commitment to accessibility for disabled travelers.
[Rebroadcast] Japan is doing better on accessibility than you may think

Longform

When trying to trace your lineage in Japan, the "koseki" is the most important form of document you'll encounter.
Climbing the branches of a Japanese family tree
By Alex K.T. Martin

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Prize winner Maki Imoto catches light with glass
Prize winner Maki Imoto catches light with glass

SPECIAL SUPPLEMENTS note

Read more

SUPPLEMENTS BINDER