author

 
Menu
Search
 
July 27, 2024
 

Today's print edition

Home Delivery
Subscribe for more access
Alex K.T. Martin

Meta

Alex K.T. Martin
Alex K.T. Martin is a Tokyo-based journalist and senior writer at The Japan Times, primarily focusing on feature stories. Previously he was a Tokyo correspondent for The Wall Street Journal.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Jan 13, 2020
Japan's rockin' pastor: Counseling those living on a prayer
No ordinary pastor, Kazuhiro Sekino wields a bass guitar like a rock star to bring his congregation together.
Japan Times
JAPAN / New Year's Special
Jan 2, 2020
Can Tokyo's soft power push ensure a positive Olympic legacy?
When the capital hosted the Olympic Games over half a century ago, it was heralded as a symbol of Japan's postwar recovery. This time around, Tokyo appears keen on trading brick and mortar for hearts and minds.
Japan Times
CULTURE
Dec 21, 2019
Jomon revival: Interest in Japan's indigenous hunter-gathers grows
From his hilltop studio in the suburbs of Tokyo, Taku Oshima is reviving an ancient form of body art tradition he believes was practiced by the indigenous hunter-gatherers that inhabited Japan thousands of years ago.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Nov 25, 2019
One diorama at a time, miniaturist reconstructs aftermaths of ‘lonely deaths’
Miyu Kojima's models of the apartments she has help clean after the deaths of their tenants can be hard to look at, but they also reveal the empathy needed to be able to continue in such a difficult line of work.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society / 2010s: Decade in Review
Nov 16, 2019
The gray wave: Japan attempts to deal with its increasingly elderly population
Eighty-one-year-old Sachiko Miura wakes up at 6 a.m. every day to prepare breakfast at her newly renovated apartment located near a large supermarket, spa and a hospital in the suburbs of Japan's third largest city.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Oct 27, 2019
Rare views of Mount Fuji: Japan's last sentō artists
A dying craft, sentu014d (public bathhouse) painting now has just three artisans continuing the art form. Can interest in Japanese culture, sparked by the 2020 Olympics, help renew an appreciation for the stunning murals?
Japan Times
JAPAN / FOCUS
Oct 23, 2019
The new norm: Japanese experts warn of more rain, raging rivers and submerged homes
The nation should expect the frequency of powerful typhoons and heavy rains to grow with global warming, says a professor at the Institute for Space-Earth Environmental Research at Nagoya University.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Oct 19, 2019
Food for the soul: Traditional gyōza makers and eaters in Utsunomiya try to keep the dumplings rolling
Albert Kuwano Bakonyvari beckons me inside his factory's steam chamber, where hundreds of plump, white, crescent-shaped gyōza dumplings are neatly lined on stacks of trays fitted in steel racks, waiting to be sent to the freezer.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Oct 6, 2019
The white rose that blossoms in the rain
White Rose Co. invented the plastic umbrella in the 1950s when Mitsuo Sudo was inspired by vinyl tablecloths brought to Japan by occupation forces. Now it's just one of few makers weathering the storm of cheap, mass-produced imports.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Sep 15, 2019
The hot topic of Western saunas in Japan
Onsen hot spring baths may reign in Japan, but the Western sauna could be the next health and wellness trend.
Japan Times
CULTURE
Sep 14, 2019
In the shadow of giants: Are high-rise condominiums in Japan destroying local communities?
Tsukishima is among many districts being gentrified by giant condominium projects popping up in the most populous city in the world.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT
Sep 13, 2019
Debate over Japan's extinct wolf grows
An unidentified animal howl recorded in the Okuchichibu mountains bears a strong resemblance to a wolf howl, according to an analysis of audio samples provided by Hiroshi Yagi, an independent researcher who has been working to prove the existence of the officially extinct Japanese wolf.
Japan Times
CULTURE
Sep 7, 2019
Death notes: Traditional rituals associated with curses persist in 21st-century Japan
It's a scorching summer afternoon with temperatures crawling toward 37 degrees Celsius. Kadota Inari Shrine is empty except for a chorus of screeching cicadas and the smooth stone statues of foxes guarding its entrance.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Aug 4, 2019
Spectral sightings at Zenshoan Temple
Tokyo's Yanaka district ghosts are back to haunt the public via rakugo storyteller Sanyutei Encho's collection of spooky paintings.
Japan Times
CULTURE
Aug 3, 2019
Chindonya: The beat goes on
Once a dying profession, chindonya troupes are passing their knowledge on to the next generation
Japan Times
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Jul 11, 2019
Viral Momo Challenge hoax, based on sculpture by Japanese artist, being turned into Hollywood horror film
Momo, the goggle-eyed creature created by a Japanese artist that triggered a viral social-media hoax terrifying children and parents alike, is receiving a Hollywood makeover.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jul 5, 2019
One year after deadly flooding in western Japan, disaster resonates for vulnerable areas of Tokyo
In the worst-case scenario, 2.5 million residents will be affected as five low-lying wards are submerged in water over 10 meters deep.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 1, 2019
Blue-collar clothier Workman shakes up Japan's stagnant apparel market
It's a weekday morning and a steady stream of customers is entering a Workman store in Tokyo's industrial Ota Ward, mostly blue-collar workers looking for ¥99 rubber gloves, ¥3,500 safety shoes and other gear they need before heading to construction sites.
Japan Times
PODCAST / deep dive
Jun 26, 2019
Episode 18: Is the Japanese wolf really extinct?
The last confirmed sighting of the Japanese wolf was in 1905, but is it really extinct? The Japan Times' Alex Martin talks to Oscar Boyd about chasing down the story.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Jun 14, 2019
With diagnosis and treatment lacking, nonprofit strives to raise awareness of OCD in Japan
A peer-inspired dieting competition triggered the unhealthy lifestyle, but it wasn't only an eating disorder that haunted Sayaka Hashiba's late sister.
Japan's population continues to fall even as foreign resident count rises
The number of residents in Tokyo as of Jan. 1 rose by 0.03% from a year before, data shows, marking a year-on-year increase for the first time in three years, while the country's other 46 prefectures saw their populations continue to decline.
Japan’s minimum wage set for record ¥50 hike in major boost
Demonstrators rally to demand a big hike in minimum wages in Tokyo last week.
One dead, three missing as heavy rain batters Tohoku
Camera footage shows the Mogami River bursting its banks in Tozawa, Yamagata Prefecture, on Friday morning.
Yen melt-up nudges Japanese stocks into correction territory
Japanese stocks are down 10% from their July peak as the yen strengthens.
Yen rally could help end crushing wage decay in Japan
Some economists say a sticky weak yen trend would have a negative impact on Japan's real wage growth.
Japan’s minimum wage set for record ¥50 hike in major boost
Demonstrators rally to demand a big hike in minimum wages in Tokyo last week.
Japan loses top spot on strongest passport list to Singapore
Japan had the strongest passport for six years running from 2018, before being dethroned by Singapore on the 2024 list.
Why Japan's mysterious stash of classified funds escapes scrutiny
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi (right) during a meeting in Tokyo on Tuesday.
Terunofuji, as he tends to do, returns to stamp his authority on sumo pretenders
Terunofuji (left) throws down Kirishima on Tuesday to build on his perfect record at the Nagoya Grand Sumo Tournament.
Japanese startups advised to internationalize to get some global mojo
Entrepreneurs who participated in the Beyond Japan Zero to X program last year share their experiences in the United States during a meeting in May in Tokyo.

Podcast

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

Longform

Traditional folk rituals like Mizudome-no-mai (dance to stop the rain) provide a sense of agency to a population that feels largely powerless in the face of the climate crisis.
As climate extremes intensify, Japan embraces ancient weather rituals
By Alex K.T. Martin

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

mission sustainability vol.11 : Sekisui House Ltd.World’s top homebuilder acts on its responsibility
mission sustainability vol.11 : Sekisui House Ltd.World’s top homebuilder acts on its responsibility

SPECIAL SUPPLEMENTS note

Read more

SUPPLEMENTS BINDER