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May 03, 2024
 

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Mara Budgen
For Mara Budgen's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle / Longform
Jul 4, 2022
Climb every mountain: Japan’s female mountaineers scale new heights
As hikers prepare to ascend on Mount Fuji for the 2022 season, it's worth celebrating the achievements of the nation's female climbers both above and below the clouds
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives
Jun 20, 2022
TELL’s Bahasa Indonesia services provide vital support
Felicia Nainggolan, TELL's Indonesian-language counselor, on the importance of mental health services for underserved communities.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / Longform
Jan 17, 2022
Beneath the surface: Are Japan’s iconic hot-spring resources sustainable?
The public and private use of hot springs is leaving a significant imprint on the environment.
Japan Times
PODCAST / deep dive
Dec 15, 2021
Are Japan's onsen sustainable?
Japan Times contributor Mara Budgen takes a look at the history of onsen in Japan and asks whether Japan's iconic hot-spring resources are sustainable.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society / Longform
Aug 30, 2021
Behind the push to improve universal access in Japan
Steps have been taken to create barrier-free facilities ahead of the 2020 Tokyo Games. But now that the Paralympics have begun, who is going to ensure such groundbreaking efforts continue?
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society / Longform
Jun 21, 2021
Pandemic magnifies household gender roles in Japan
Latest figures show that women earn on average 44% less than men while also spending five times more time on housework and child care.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 12, 2021
A slow return to agriculture in Fukushima’s evacuated areas
Ten years on from the triple disaster of 2011, farming in the region is tentatively getting back on its feet. But can this growth be sustained?
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / Food Sustainability in Japan
Mar 7, 2021
Your dinner has an origin story and blockchain tech can help you find it
Tracing the journey of how your food gets to your table is becoming easier with the help of apps that allow shoppers to make more informed decisions.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / Longform
Feb 21, 2021
Can Japan embrace an alternative approach to plastic?
Japanese companies are rethinking how we make, use and dispose of products by creating substitutes to fossil fuel-based plastics.
Japan Times
PODCAST / deep dive
Nov 11, 2020
Episode 72: Preserving the endangered Ainu language
The Ainu language has been declared critically endangered by UNESCO, with few people left alive today who speak it.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Oct 25, 2020
The Ainu language and the global movement for indigenous rights
With the Ainu language considered to be on the brink of extinction, global connections are breathing new life into revitalization efforts.
Weak yen fattens tourist wallets in Japan
People visit the Ameya Yokocho market in Tokyo's Ueno district during the Golden Week holiday on Tuesday.
Biden calls ally Japan ‘xenophobic’ along with rivals China and Russia
U.S. President Joe Biden speaks in Syracuse, New York, on April 25.
Number of vacant homes in Japan hits record high of 9 million
A vacant house in Tokyo is seen demolished in January 2020.
Saudi Arabia steps up Gaza-related arrests as Israel ties edge closer
The arrests for Gaza-related posts indicate Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s regime will take a hard line against citizens not toeing the line when it comes to normalizing ties with Israel.
'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.
Kishida sets sights on energy and climate in South America trip
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will use a policy speech in Sao Paulo to set out his vision for ties between Japan and South America, almost 10 years after former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe advocated for stronger ties between the two in the same city.
Yellow sand allergy: A health issue made worse by climate change
A screenshot of the Meteorological Agency's satellite image of clouds and yellow sand (in pink) on Sunday.
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.

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

Spotlighting a Niigata castle town through sushi
Spotlighting a Niigata castle town through sushi

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