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July 13, 2025
 

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Baye McNeil
Kendrick Lamar performs at the halftime show of Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans, Louisiana.
COMMUNITY / Voices / Black Eye
Feb 17, 2025
Black History Month in 2025: The boundaries between 'us' and 'them'
Our columnist reflects on the fraught ideologies of race from both sides of the Pacific.
Writer Baye McNeil and his wife, Miki, host a Kwanzaa gathering in Yokohama together. The end of the year at the McNeil’s home is a mix of several different holiday traditions, including those of Kwanzaa.
COMMUNITY / Voices / Black Eye
Dec 23, 2024
A holiday season built on creativity and care
Fusing African heritage with Japanese spirituality, our columnist crafted a holiday season that celebrates cultural understanding.
American Kara Harris is on the verge of attaining a high-level certification in the world of kimono — and may possibly be the first Black woman to do so.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / Black Eye
Sep 16, 2024
‘The people I’d seen in kimono didn’t have as much melanin as I do’
A student of Kara Harris says the kimono instructor knows how to expertly fit the traditional garment to bodies with more curves than the stereotypical Japanese frame.
Opal Lee, the "Grandmother of Juneteenth," visited Japan last month shortly after receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom from Joe Biden.
COMMUNITY / Voices / Black Eye
Jun 14, 2024
U.S. civil rights icon Opal Lee brings her Juneteenth walk to Tokyo
Juneteenth, held on the 19th of the month, celebrates the end of slavery in the United States. Opal Lee sees it as more than an American holiday.
This untitled work was completed and installed in 1994 by a prominent Nigerian artist named Sunday Jack Akpan.
COMMUNITY / Voices / Black Eye
Jun 3, 2024
How a cache of African art found a home in western Tokyo
When I first encountered these statues, I was just minding my business headed for Tachikawa Station. I was struck dumb, paralyzed damn near mid-step.
The "style architect" for Jay-Z since 1994, June Ambrose sees influences of her work across the Japanese fashion landscape.
LIFE / Style & Design
May 1, 2024
June Ambrose: ‘Cultural appropriation is the best form of flattery’
Ambrose has been Jay-Z’s designated “style architect” since the billionaire started Roc-A-Fella Records back in 1994.
Maurice Shelton (left) and his lawyer Motoki Taniguchi spoke about alleged racial bias on behalf of the police at a recent press conference.
COMMUNITY / Voices / Black Eye
Feb 29, 2024
Making Japanese history by being Black history
Three individuals have stepped up to try and make a difference in the country we live in. They should be applauded.
Writer Baye McNeil (left) poses for a picture with Cameron Peagler, who organized the Black Gold event in Tokyo’s Adachi Ward.
COMMUNITY / Voices / Black Eye
Oct 16, 2023
An OG's tips for Japan: Create beauty and don't fake your smile
Speaking at Black Gold, an event aiming to connect the Black and Japanese communities, our columnist offered seven tips to enjoying life in Japan.
Japan might change because of you or your actions, but it will not change for you.
COMMUNITY / Voices / Black Eye
Jun 19, 2023
A note to people of color interested in living in Japan
When asked about what life is like here for people of color, columnist Baye McNeil summed it up with a story about sitting on a crowded train.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / BLACK EYE
Apr 24, 2023
Black people of Japan, we need to talk.
A mental health and wellness event aims to support Black residents of Japan and it's looking to expand in the coming months.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / BLACK EYE
Feb 6, 2023
Through good times and bad, the community you create will be your lifeline
What would Tyre Nichols' life had been like if he were living in Japan? It's a sad thought to imagine at this point, but a question worth asking nonetheless.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Dec 29, 2022
Answers in 2022 encouraged activism, recommended books and provided advice
The 20 Questions section discusses people's experiences of Japan in their own words. As we emerge from the pandemic, an underlying theme in 2022 was fighting for change.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / BLACK EYE
Feb 28, 2022
Here’s hoping our better angels can persist beyond Black History Month
Just because Black History Month technically ends on Feb. 28, it doesn't mean your education needs to stop.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Feb 7, 2022
Biankah Bailey: ‘Poetry speaks to the heart of society as it exists from moment to moment’
During Black History Month, writer Biankah Bailey has worked with the Tokyo Poetry Journal to produce 'Umoja,' a book featuring the work of Black creatives.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / BLACK EYE
Feb 1, 2022
A photographer to the stars takes up in Tokyo
There are billions of unique individuals in the world. Matthew Jordan Smith says if you want to stand out as a photographer, you need to fine-tune your vision.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / BLACK EYE
Jan 14, 2022
The Tokyo Bar Association needs our help to understand racial profiling in Japan
The Tokyo Bar Association has put together a multilingual questionnaire to try and find answers on how suspected racial profiling affects the non-Japanese community.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / BLACK EYE
Sep 27, 2021
You can’t feign ignorance in a connected world
The lecture circuit is its own thing, but you can give your own presentations on a smaller scale and still have an impact.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / BLACK EYE
Jul 5, 2021
Dealing with discrimination? Mental health suffering? Let's make the time to talk.
Baye McNeil has a chat with Mark Bookman in which the pair discuss their experiences regarding mental health amid the pandemic as visible minorities in Japan.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / BLACK EYE
Jan 18, 2021
Let's take stock on the progress we've made this Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Martin Luther King Jr. Day is a good day to look back on how we've progressed and plan how we'll continue to move forward.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / BLACK EYE
Sep 7, 2020
Naomi Osaka is the role model that Japan needs right now
The tennis champ's power lies in her ability to bring the discussion about Black Lives Matter to the country she represents, Japan.
Tokyo hit by torrential rainfall at rush hour
People line up at Shibuya Station in Tokyo as they try to avoid the heavy rain on Thursday.
Foreign drivers in Japan to face tougher license conversion rules from October
According to the National Police Agency, there were 75,905 people who converted their foreign driver’s license to a Japanese one in 2024, up from 48,885 in 2019.
Nissan clinches $4.5 billion bond deal after orders soar
Nissan Motor has raised $4.5 billion through a junk bond sale in U.S. dollars and euros, part of which carries a record-high coupon rate.
Chinese fighters came within 30 meters of Japanese spy aircraft, Tokyo says
A Chinese JH-7 fighter jet makes an near an Air Self-Defense Force YS-11EB surveillance aircraft over the East China Sea this week in this image released Thursday.
What Japanese politics could look like after Upper House election
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, who heads the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (center) waves to attendees as he departs after delivering a campaign speech in Yokohama on Sunday.
An emoji used to say it all. Now it might say too much.
Apple’s Craig Federighi shows off a set of emoji at a conference on June 13, 2016. While the small pictures have proved helpful in conveying nuance in our texts, younger people are using them less often.
‘Our ultimate goal is to save every single Japanese video game’
After nearly shuttering earlier this year, the Tokyo-based Game Preservation Society continues its work to save the early history of Japanese gaming.
Rare vintage shots and first-time shows at TOP’s 30th anniversary
The museum's curators selected a wide array of works from the archives for the milestone exhibitions. Among other photos, Nobuyoshi Araki's work from the series "Winter Journey" (1990) was included in the "Continuity and Change" exhibition that concluded in June.
New IG Arena set to dial down temperature at Nagoya Basho, in a good way
With IG Arena getting glowing early reviews as the Nagoya Basho’s replacement venue, it may be a while before fans wax nostalgic about the Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium.
Once a niche, anime is now mainstream content for Netflix and other streaming services
Though Netflix remains the dominant choice globally for anime viewers, Amazon Prime Video has also invested heavily in anime, steadily adding titles to their catalogue.

Podcast

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

Longform

Mount Fuji is considered one of Japan's most iconic symbols and is a major draw for tourists. It's still a mountain, though, and potential hikers need to properly prepare for any climb.
What it takes to save lives on Mount Fuji
By Alex K.T. Martin

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Smile! It’s ‘Sanrio Time,’ now and ever after
Smile! It’s ‘Sanrio Time,’ now and ever after

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