When a Japanese retiree who had settled in the northern Thai city of Chiang Mai died in June, his body lay undiscovered for a week at his home, where he had lived alone. The man, who was in his 70s, was among a number of ...

The face of share house living is changing in Japan as operators are stepping up efforts to meet a variety of needs among residents. A two-story share house in a residential area in the western Tokyo city of Chofu allows residents to keep pets. In late ...

Capsule hotels have long offered tiny spaces to sleep at rock-bottom prices, but they are now looking to attract a wider range of customer than the typical male office worker who has missed his train after a night's drinking. A new breed of lodging featuring ...

Consumers are looking for new ways to add a personal touch when it comes to gifts for birthdays, weddings or other special occasions. Over and above simply choosing the way gifts are wrapped or picking the color of ribbons, people can now include an original ...

Japanese companies are increasingly offering activities open to all, regardless of age, gender or disability. In late May, Tokyo-based pharmaceutical firm Biogen Japan Ltd. held an event for people with multiple sclerosis, an autoimmune disorder that affects the nervous system. About 60 participants played karuta ...

In view of the increasing number of foreign visitors to Japan, Fujita Kanko Inc., a Tokyo-based hotel chain, is stepping up efforts to train female staff in providing service in the style of okami at Japanese ryokan (inns). The okami is the chief female manager ...

Corporate Japan is looking to conduct job interviews online in a move that could benefit both companies and job seekers. For job-hunting college students in rural areas, going to interviews in Tokyo, where the major companies are concentrated, is not easy: the transportation and accommodation ...

A website providing information about sento public bathhouses in parts of Japan is proving popular despite the decline in such communal baths, which have been a major part of Japanese culture. Tokyo Sento, launched in 2015, now attracts about 100,000 views a month, mainly from ...

The era of the sento (bathhouse) was back when private homes lacked bathtubs. Today, scrabbling for survival, sento operators are branching out into services such as day care for the elderly or using the buildings as venues for public storytelling. In late April, 11 elderly customers, ...

The operator of a Tokyo-based call center is expanding services to target municipalities and companies in need of interpreters to communicate with foreign residents, tourists and customers. For two months from February, LanguageOne Corp. offered call-center services to hotels, restaurants and other tourism businesses in ...