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August 31, 2025
 

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Eric Margolis
Eric Margolis is a writer, book editor and translator from Japanese who is based in Tokyo. His writing has been published in The Japan Times, The New York Times, Foreign Policy, Slate, The New Republic, Tokyo Weekender and elsewhere.
JAPAN
Jul 2, 2023
Just how green are Japan’s trains?
The nation is famed for its rail network, but despite significant steps to reduce emissions, the sector is still responsible for a substantial amount of carbon dioxide.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Jun 10, 2023
Ao Omae confronts identities and alienation of modern youth
The author deftly explores the struggles Japan’s young people face today with subtlety and incisive criticism in his English-language debut, “People Who Talk to Stuffed Animals Are Nice.”
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jun 4, 2023
The Japanese firms and megabanks funding rainforest destruction
Comprehensive datasets reveal thousands of investments and loans made by Japan’s top lenders and investment funds that are impacting rainforests around the world.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / How-tos
May 28, 2023
The My Number card has some real benefits. Is it time you got yours?
Hit with a few scattered glitches recently, the My Number card still proved helpful to our writer when he filed his taxes.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
May 19, 2023
Get to work: Conquer the mountain that is a Japanese resume
While creating a Japanese resume may seem daunting, it is more just a matter of filling out the sections correctly — even if your Japanese is already above par.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
May 7, 2023
'Hit Parade of Tears': Izumi Suzuki attacks genre and gender with twisted precision
The cult literary figure's new collection of 11 stories unveil the chaos, conflict and pain of women rebelling against the desires of men and seeking messy self-actualization.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
May 5, 2023
Why bilingual literature is needed in a place like Japan
Only when Japan’s great stories are translated into other languages can we get a glimpse into the real lives of people living here.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
Apr 10, 2023
What does it take to make a long-term relationship great in Japan?
The advice from most people on long-term cross-cultural relationships? You sometimes need to think more with your head than your heart.
JAPAN
Apr 2, 2023
Japan's largest lake used to be a cesspool. Now it’s a vision of a sustainable future.
Lake Biwa, Japan's largest lake, has long been a center of flourishing agriculture and cultural progress, but it's also been at the center of countless environmental crises.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
Mar 19, 2023
Racial dynamics are inescapable when dating in Japan. That doesn't mean your experience will be negative.
In the cross-cultural or international dating scene, politics can sometimes sneak in. Avoid the pitfalls simply by being aware of the conversation.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Mar 10, 2023
The Oscars are upon us. What films are you rooting for?
Discussing what makes a great movie is fun conversation fodder. What kind of movie do you think is worthy of an Academy Award?
Japan Times
JAPAN / Science & Health
Feb 26, 2023
Kanazawa sets an example for badly needed biodiversity policy in Japan
Japan’s cities may be typically clad in concrete, but there is one reliable source of verdant life: shrines and temples.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Feb 23, 2023
Get your sports vocabulary into shape for the start of baseball season
Preseason baseball games have begun, catch up on your sports-related vocabulary so you don't strike out in any conversations.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Feb 18, 2023
Life and leisure in the fast lane: Japan's motorsports tourism push
Japan may be famous for its high-speed trains, but what if its cars were just as much of a tourist draw?
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
Feb 14, 2023
Not so easy to fall in love: The app effect on Japan’s international dating scene
Japan has its own rules when it comes to Valentine's Day. Would you be surprised to know it has its own rules when it comes to dating apps, too?
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art / Longform
Feb 13, 2023
Museums in Japan adjust to life after COVID-19
The country’s cultural spaces are looking to rethink their role in society as they face an uncertain future due to increased competition and an aging population.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Jan 23, 2023
Resham Upreti wants his fellow Nepalis to succeed in Japan — without forgetting where they came from
When people arrive in Japan they can sometimes face the challenge of being 'double limited': unable to speak fluently in their native language or the tongue of their new home.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Jan 3, 2023
Sticking to your Japanese New Year’s resolutions
When speaking about resolutions, it's better to use a more decisive grammatical structure in Japanese than the regular 'I want' pattern.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Dec 30, 2022
There’s more going on in a haiku than just the 5-7-5 syllable rule
Dive into one of Japan's most fascinating art forms during the holidays and think up a couple of haiku poems to celebrate the season.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Dec 10, 2022
Take a journey through the mythic and mundane in 'The Thorn Puller'
Hiromi Ito's semi-autobiographical, transnational novel probes the complexities of life as it follows the struggles of a woman shouldering an impressive load of family troubles.
Philippine bid to acquire used Japanese warships gains steam
Tokyo is looking to transfer Abukuma-class vessels to the Philippines as part of broader efforts to boost the defense capabilities of like-minded neighbors amid growing Chinese military assertiveness in the region.
Japan to launch broad review of immigration policies amid rise in foreign nationals
Foreign tourists at Narita Airport in June. A report released Friday stresses that Japan is at a turning point and that current ad-hoc measures on immigration are no longer sufficient.
Top Japan trade negotiator canceled U.S. trip over rice, report says
Ryosei Akazawa
Most Japanese teens struggling with school find end of summer ‘painful’
Some 93.1% of Japanese teenagers who struggle with school life said they felt like they “wanted to disappear from the world" at the end of summer vacation ahead of the start of a new term, according to a recent survey released by Yokohama-based nonprofit Daisan Kazoku.
Most Trump tariffs are not legal, U.S. appeals court rules
Workers hang a large poster of U.S. President Donald Trump on the facade of the Department of Labor headquarters building in Washington on Wednesday.
Japan to launch broad review of immigration policies amid rise in foreign nationals
Foreign tourists at Narita Airport in June. A report released Friday stresses that Japan is at a turning point and that current ad-hoc measures on immigration are no longer sufficient.
Japan is warming up to tattoos — just not permanent ones
Tattoos have a complex history in Japan, but new types of temporary ink are letting locals curious about body art experiment without the commitment.
YouTube Music Weekend is where Japan’s internet-born performers go global
Headlining the second day of YouTube Music Weekend is Vocaloid artist Kikuo, who, with 1.46 million YouTube subscribers, is one of the most popular artists in the genre.
Japan looks to build drone ‘shield’ in record defense budget request
A group of Ground Self-Defense Force service members discuss drone operations and capabilities at a joint static display during the Orient Shield 24 opening ceremony at the Yausubetsu Training Area in Hokkaido in July last year.
Can anime carry the memories of World War II?
Many schools in Japan show "Grave of the Fireflies" as educational material to tell the emotionally grueling story of a boy who has no means to prevent his sister from starving to death.

Podcast

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

Longform

Tetsuzo Shiraishi, speaking at The Center of the Tokyo Raids and War Damage, uses a thermos to explain how he experienced the U.S. firebombing of March 1945, when he was just 7 years old.
From ashes to high-rises: A survivor’s account of Tokyo’s postwar past
By Alex K.T. Martin

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