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David Cortez
For David Cortez's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
Bears doing yoga? If you’re in the city, why not?
PODCAST / deep dive
Nov 16, 2023
Bear goes the neighborhood? Japanese wildlife is on the move.
This week, Alex K.T. Martin joins us to discuss why people are encountering bears, boars and other wildlife in the most unlikely of places.
A man dressed as Kentucky Fried Chicken founder Colonel Sanders jumps into the Dotonbori River in Osaka after the Hanshin Tigers won the Japan Series.
PODCAST / deep dive
Nov 9, 2023
Japan’s 'four-eyed tax hiker' and the curse of Colonel Sanders
Baseball writer Jason Coskrey and editor Joel Tansey discuss the Hanshin Tigers’ Japan Series victory; Gabriele Ninivaggi explains how the prime minister hopes to get a home run with his tax plan.
A banner at the entrance to Shibuya’s Center Street makes it clear this is no place for a party.
PODCAST / deep dive
Oct 26, 2023
The specter of Itaewon has Shibuya spooked
One year on, Elizabeth Beattie joins us to discuss where Itaewon stands after its Halloween disaster, and what its legacy means for celebrations in Japan.
The classic Japanese ghost story often features a vengeful female ghost.
PODCAST / deep dive
Oct 12, 2023
[Rebroadcast] Japan’s got ghosts
This week we discuss a few horror movies before “Uncanny Japan” podcast host Thersa Matsuura tells a classic Japanese ghost story.
Japan Times
PODCAST / deep dive
Oct 12, 2022
It's Shotime!: Shohei Ohtani and the future of baseball
Sports writer Jason Coskrey and editor Dave Cortez join new Deep Dive host Jason Jenkins to discuss baseball superstar Shohei Ohtani and the future of the sport he has committed his life to mastering.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Jun 26, 2022
Nick Smith: ‘Skateboarders are no longer troublemakers, we’re athletes’
Nick Smith needed a solution to help assemble his skateboard in an easier way. So, he created his own tool to do so and is now selling it to stores up and down Japan.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / OBITUARY
Nov 7, 2021
Joyce Lebra: Trailblazing scholar and witness to Japanese history
The world of academia lost a true pioneer when Joyce Lebra passed away last month. She received the Order of the Rising Sun award in a ceremony a month earlier.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
Aug 18, 2021
Tokyo American Club takes vaccination process into its own hands — and into arms of Minato Ward residents
Almost a century old, the Tokyo American Club has added a new mission for the pandemic era: Get people vaccinated.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Apr 25, 2021
Seth Sulkin: 'Having risk-averse banks with risk-averse venture capitalists makes success extremely difficult in Japan'
The CEO of commercial real estate development firm Pacifica Capital highlights the importance of switching lanes when external circumstances change.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues
Mar 18, 2021
The pandemic is harming the mental health of women and youth in Japan. TELL wants to help.
In an alarming set of numbers, data from the National Police Agency shows that 6,976 women in Japan took their own lives last year. That's nearly 15% more than in 2019, marking the end of what had been a 10-year decline in the number of women who died by suicide.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / How-tos
Jan 25, 2021
Five questions to ask yourself when considering a job change in Japan
The season of new employees is fast approaching, here are some last-minute things to ask yourself before making a big career change.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
Nov 2, 2020
TELL takes its fundraisers online ahead of holiday rush
Nonprofit counseling service TELL holds an auction to help fund its Lifeline as the holidays approach.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Oct 11, 2020
Matthew Wilson: ‘Students need to come first’
The dean of Temple University Japan on keeping students safe during COVID-19 and the importance of cultural sensitivity.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Sep 24, 2020
Promoters push online concerts in an effort to save Japan's live house culture
Kaala, a group of independent music promoters, has launched a concert series called Korona Nights to keep outlets for underground musical expression alive.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives
May 23, 2020
Crowdfunding campaign tries to save Tokyo's beer and books
Both What The Dickens! and Infinity Books are important hubs for the international community in Tokyo, and that community wants to help them out.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
Apr 7, 2018
What's in a tweet? Startup CEO sees endless storytelling potential
96 Problems has created an app that allows you to bring stories with you wherever you go — stories that can be followed in brief glimpses at social media.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Feb 27, 2018
Rock act Joy Opposites detail infamous low points on ‘Find Hell’
When was the last time you found yourself "in hell"? For Adam Graham, frontman for Japanese rock act Joy Opposites, it was last year.

Longform

High-end tourism is becoming more about the kinds of experiences that Japan's lesser-known places can provide.
Can Japan lure the jet-set class off the beaten path?