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April 26, 2025
 

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Elliott

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Elliott
Elliott Samuels is manager of the Life & Culture Division of The Japan Times and editor-in-chief of The Japan Times On Sunday.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Jun 25, 2016
Vloggers Simon and Martina: 'We feel like we need to whisper in our own house'
Canadian pair on foot fetishes, addiction to CoCo curry and getting lost in the mountains on Halloween.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Jun 11, 2016
Film producer Georgina Pope: 'Work hard, play harder ... love what you do'
Australian producer recalls some memorable cinematic moments.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
May 21, 2016
Meguru Yamaguchi: 'Help others, keep creating masterpieces'
Contemporary artist on 'Lost in Translation,' pop art and taking a selfie.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
May 7, 2016
Matthew Ireton: 'Continuation is the key to success'
Radio/TV show host on calligraphy, singing shirtless and waking up ridiculously early.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Apr 9, 2016
Yoko Kaiki: 'You should be flattered by your achievements'
Scanjap president on the obstacles facing young female entrepreneurs in Japan.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Feb 27, 2016
Miwa Komatsu: 'It's absurd to accomplish anything by yourself'
Nagano painter on peace, purity and cultural influences worldwide
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Feb 12, 2016
Red Hot Chili Peppers return for 20th anniversary of Fuji Rock
Los Angeles alternative rock outfit Red Hot Chili Peppers and Icelandic post-rock trio Sigur Ros were among acts named Friday to perform at the 20th anniversary of Fuji Rock Festival in July.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Jan 30, 2016
Takayuki Ohira: 'Dreams are always worth chasing, however challenging'
Planetarium creator on handmade rockets, Yuri Gagarin and the Milky Way
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Jan 9, 2016
Michael Leitch: 'If you want something, make a plan, work hard and go get it'
Japan's World Cup rugby captain tells us his secret to making the perfect tackle
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Jan 2, 2016
20 Questions: the best answers of 2015
Japan Times On Sunday contributors select the responses that made them laugh loudest this year
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Dec 12, 2015
Santa Paradise Yamamoto: 'Pursue what you love ... be a Santa if you want'
Japan's authorized Santa Claus on gyoza dumplings, mambonsai and mysterious footprints in the snow
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Nov 28, 2015
Mariya Suzuki: ‘I like to draw the mundane moments that otherwise flit away’
Coffee cup illustrator on sketching, picture books and distractions
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Sep 26, 2015
Masaki Matsunaga: 'We should enjoy all the emotions we feel'
Japanese entreprenuer on dialects, parents and using balloons to make people float
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Sep 12, 2015
Dante Carver: 'Dream big, love bigger and do what you love'
SoftBank's Yoso Guy on games, design and what it's really like to be a part of the White family
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Aug 29, 2015
Robert Bailey: 'I enjoy the precision of Japanese tailoring'
Huntsman senior cutter on snowboarding, bespoke suits and Gregory Peck
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Aug 8, 2015
Robbie Deans: 'Keep learning regardless of the outcome'
New Zealand rugby coach on the difference between a winning team and a losing team
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Jul 11, 2015
Steve Spencer Baker: 'No one in their right mind gets on a frantic elevator'
Freelance company director on science fiction, social media and early incarnations of Simply Red
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Jun 27, 2015
Natsuko Aoike: ‘Appreciate the moment you are living in’
Japanese announcer on ukiyo-e, Kiss and living in the moment
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
May 30, 2015
Angela Ortiz: 'I'd like to see Tohoku contributing to Japan and the world'
NGO founder on aid initiatives and the Knights in White Lycra.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
May 23, 2015
Ahmed Mohamed Elmardi: 'Today is today, but work for tomorrow'
Sudanese artist on patience, determination and depicting Ray Charles on TV.
Naked man’s rampage in Saitama linked to one fatality and 10 injured
Police believe Daisuke Nishimura may have been involved in roughly 20 incidents in the 90 minutes leading up to his arrest, including a fatal hit-and-run and multiple assaults.
Japan set to fine cyclists on the spot for rule violations from 2026
Under new rules, those who use smartphones while riding a bicycle would be subject to the maximum fine of ¥12,000.
Japan brings forward deadline for electronic travel authorization system
Japan is planning to implement by March 2029 a new online screening system in which foreign visitors who don’t need a visa apply for a certification before entering the country.
Built in a flash, Osaka Expo pavilions wrestle with sustainability
Kengo Kuma & Associates oversaw the construction of the Malaysia pavilion, which is encased in interwoven rows of bamboo that appear to ripple.
Social media helps fuel growing 'sex tourism' in Japan
People walk down a street in the red-light entertainment area of Kabukicho in the Shinjuku district of Tokyo on March 31.
Amid uncertain tariffs, is now the time to buy a new iPhone?
An Apple store in Tokyo's Shibuya Ward in September. Prices for the newest iPhone models start at around ¥100,000 ($700) in Japan.
Built in a flash, Osaka Expo pavilions wrestle with sustainability
Kengo Kuma & Associates oversaw the construction of the Malaysia pavilion, which is encased in interwoven rows of bamboo that appear to ripple.
Japan weighs using U.S. rice imports as tariff negotiation tool with Trump
A restaurant owner pours California-grown Calrose rice into a rice cooker at his restaurant in Tokyo
Is Japan’s parliament ready to welcome more youth to its ranks?
Lower House lawmaker Kai Odake in his Tokyo office on Wednesday
Crow meat, goat tartare: Mauvaise Herbe raises its game
Crow meat, shaped into a ball and attached to a foot of the bird, is one of the peculiar offerings of game at Mauvaise Herbe.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

Visitors walk past Sou Fujimoto's Grand Ring, which has been recognized as the largest wooden structure in the world.
Can a World Expo still matter? Japan is about to find out.
By Tomoko Otake

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