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April 29, 2024
 

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Elaine Lies
For Elaine Lies's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / OSAKA RESTAURANTS
May 26, 2018
Hood by Vargas: Whimsy, Americana and sandwiches
Just behind Nakatsu Station, there's an old residential pocket located within a warren of narrow alleyways. Here, change is in the air.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
May 23, 2018
'Give me back my life': Victims of Japan's forced sterilizations demand justice after decades of silence
One day when Saburo Kita was 14, he was taken from an institution for troubled children to see a doctor. Despite protesting that his health was fine, he was ordered to strip, lie down on a table, and was given a local anaesthetic.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Mar 3, 2018
Koe Lobby: New arrival has all-day sustenance and style
With its high ceiling, comfortable seating and impeccably cool soundtrack, Koe Lobby ticks all the right boxes. It only opened last month and already this buzzy cafe/bakery/restaurant/lounge space has become a magnet in Shibuya for both the hungry and the hip.
Japan Times
Figure Skating
Jan 14, 2018
Uno eager to escape Hanyu's shadow
Shoma Uno first stepped on the ice at five, but it was the rough-and-tumble of hockey he had his eyes on — until a chance meeting with a figure skater changed everything.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 3, 2017
Grief-stricken families of Japanese abducted by North Korea pin hopes on Trump
Takuya Yokota vividly remembers clutching a flashlight and running to the ocean with his mother and twin brother to look for his older sister in the dark, shouting her name.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 14, 2017
Abe's support rate slides to under 30%, poll says
Public support for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, battered by a smoldering scandal and a perception that he is taking voters for granted, has fallen below 30 percent, the lowest since he returned to power in 2012, a survey released on Friday showed.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Aug 10, 2016
Japan's Crown Prince ready for throne, but no fairy tale for his unhappy Crown Princess
When Crown Prince Naruhito proposed to a reluctant Masako Owada, he promised to protect her with all his might, a vow that may get tougher to keep if, as expected, his father Emperor Akihito abdicates, and the woman who has struggled to adjust to royal life becomes the empress.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Jul 7, 2016
Japan election manifestos free LGBT rights from political closet
When openly gay independent candidate Wataru Ishizaka campaigned in a 2007 Tokyo local election, people snickered at his speeches. But now even Japan's conservative ruling party mentions gay rights in its platform for this year's Upper House election.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives
Apr 11, 2016
U.S. woman fights for her dream in world of Japanese pro wrestling
Forget the stereotypical Japanese values of reserve and delicacy. The Japan that Kris Hernandez has pinned her dreams on is more about body slams, sweat, and garish costumes — the world of professional women's wrestling.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 26, 2016
Dolphin activist Ric O'Barry says he's a political prisoner of Japan
A U.S. activist opposing the dolphin hunt in Taiji, Wakayama Prefecture, now in detention near Narita International Airport said Tuesday he is a political prisoner for his efforts to save dolphins.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KYOTO RESTAURANTS
May 8, 2015
Traditional coffee joint Inoda also makes a good breakfast
Inoda is one of Kyoto's long-established coffee chains, and has several outposts dotted around the city, but the cafe and shop on Sanjo Street is a treat, with its space to seat ratio in the region of 10 to 1.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
May 1, 2015
Wages of sin might be death, but Greed is worth the risk
Notice: Greed closed its doors in January 2016.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Apr 3, 2015
Multiracial Miss Universe Japan hopes to change homeland's thinking on identity
Ariana Miyamoto hadn't planned to enter a Japanese beauty contest because she figured her multiracial origins meant she couldn't win. Then a close multiracial friend committed suicide.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KYOTO RESTAURANTS
Mar 10, 2015
All Hale lunch at this Kyoto cafe
To get to Hale you'll have to wrestle your way past the armies of tourists and locals who converge on Nishiki Market — a long, narrow market that sells everything from adzuki beans to unagi (eel).
Japan Times
JAPAN / History
Mar 9, 2015
Tokyo firebombing survivor fears Japan starting down road to war again
Katsumoto Saotome was 12 the night he ran for his life through a sea of flames, jumping over smouldering railroad ties along a train track as U.S. B-29 bombers rained incendiary bombs down around him.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 2, 2015
As islanders face off with administration over bases, a new battle for Okinawa
Okinawa Prefecture looks and feels almost like a different country. And a growing number of islanders say it should be just that.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / OSAKA RESTAURANTS
Dec 24, 2014
Channeling Italian style at Dah's Caffe on the Sennichimae Line
Dah's Caffe is marked by an architectural and engineering oddity: a giant circular air vent rising up from the Sennichimae Subway Line onto the street. On first glance its purpose, and ugliness, are obfuscated by a mosaic of amber tiles. The vent makes its presence felt in the cafe; one wall curves around it to accommodate the structure. But, happily the only aroma in the air at Dah's is the pungent smell of coffee.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / THE KIDS' TABLE
Nov 25, 2014
Grab a patio lunch before winter arrives
Nothing spells fall like a pile of leaves just waiting to be jumped in, especially for children or those who are still kids at heart. Add to that a steaming hot beverage and some scrumptious eats, and a perfect fall afternoon is born.
JAPAN
Oct 17, 2014
Japanese volcanoes made more jittery by 2011 quake, expert says
Japan's massive 2011 earthquake may trigger more, and larger, volcanic eruptions over the next few decades, perhaps even that of Mount Fuji — but predicting them remains close to impossible, a volcano expert said on Friday.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / OSAKA RESTAURANTS
Aug 26, 2014
Standard Bookstore: Something to drink, something to read
If you want to know how a country thinks or is titillated, a bookstore is a good place to start. Combine this with a cup of coffee and you could call it a day, or just a lunch break. Bookstores and coffee shops are a natural fit, even if, like me, you mostly resort to looking at pictures in magazines.
Number of homeless in Japan hits record low
Homeless people sleep on the street in Tokyo's Shinjuku Ward in August 2021.
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.
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.
In Japan, regional revitalization fails to halt population decline
Sakiyama elementary school in Tamba, Hyogo Prefecture, in March .Over the past decade, the government has directed efforts toward policies designed to give young people incentives to base themselves in rural areas.
Putin’s war will soon reach Russians’ tax bills
Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks during a meeting in St. Petersburg on Friday.
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.
Kyotographie's strong 12th edition shines light into the margins
Yassine Alaoui Ismaili, who goes by Yoriyas, turned to photography, shooting motion while in motion himself, after an injury forced him to give up his career as a professional breakdancer.

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

Students ‘study abroad’ on island of Suo Oshima
Students ‘study abroad’ on island of Suo Oshima

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