Monique Bae - The Japan Times

October 27, 2025

Today's print edition

Subscribe for more access

Meta

Monique Bae

The traditional naginata is a long wooden pole with a curved blade at the end. Though the naginata used in the dojo were entirely bamboo, they nonetheless made for striking displays of power and agility.

COMMUNITY / Voices / FOREIGN AGENDA

Oct 27, 2025

Wielding a weapon of yore at a community dojo

An American in Tokyo embarks on a thrilling course in Japanese weaponry after noticing an advertisement in her ward newspaper.

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.

Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

The byzantine process for converting a foreign driver’s license into a Japanese one entails mountains of paperwork and significant stamina — unless you're a lucky license holder from a country or region where these requirements are waived.

Driving in Japan isn’t hard. Getting the license is.

By Thu-Huong Ha and Mike Fu

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Maruhachi never sleeps in quest for better futons

Maruhachi never sleeps in quest for better futons

SPECIAL SUPPLEMENTS

SUPPLEMENTS BINDER

international-reports