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David McElhinney
For David McElhinney's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
Managing Director of Cornerstone Recruitment Japan Director Matt Nicholls says a good recruiter has tenacity, drive and can handle the ups and downs of the job.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Mar 9, 2024
Matt Nicholls: ‘People like having control over their earning potential’
A seasoned recruiter tells us why he's spent the last decade doing business in Japan and what he's learned from growing and leading multinational firms.
Japan had hoped to progress to the knockout phase of the Rugby World Cup on international soil for the first time.
MORE SPORTS / Rugby
Oct 10, 2023
Japanese rugby faces murky future following World Cup exit
The 2019 Rugby World Cup, and all that it promised, feels like a long time ago after the Brave Blossoms' pool-stage exit in France.
The Brave Blossoms leave the pitch after their loss to Argentina at the Rugby World Cup in Nantes, France, on Sunday.
MORE SPORTS / Rugby
Oct 9, 2023
Japan shows heart in bittersweet finale at Rugby World Cup
Japan's hopes at the Rugby World Cup were dashed in a thrilling match against Argentina.
Steve Kemme's "The Outsider" offers insight into Lafcadio Hearn's prodigious talent with the pen and the development of his style over the course of his career.
CULTURE / Books
Oct 8, 2023
'The Outsider' brings out colorful personality of one of history’s great Japanophiles
A new biography on Lafcadio Hearn charts the course of the writer’s 54-year life and shows how his years in Cincinnati and Japan were formative periods.
Japan fullback Lomano Lemeki breaks free from Samoa's Ben Lam during their Pool D match at the Rugby World Cup in Toulouse, France, on Sept. 28.
MORE SPORTS / Rugby
Oct 7, 2023
Brave Blossoms braced for climactic showdown against Argentina
The winner of the match will advance to the Rugby World Cup quarterfinals.
Japan's Kotaro Matsushima attempts to avoid being tackled by Samoa's Ed Fidow during their match at the Rugby World Cup in Toulouse, France, on Thursday.
MORE SPORTS / Rugby
Sep 29, 2023
Japan keeps quarterfinal hopes alive with win over Samoa at World Cup
Japan will now face Argentina in Nantes on Oct. 8 with the winner likely moving on to the last eight.
The Brave Blossoms train at Ernest-Wallon Stadium in Toulouse, France, ahead of their Rugby World Cup game against Samoa on Tuesday.
MORE SPORTS / Rugby
Sep 27, 2023
Stakes high for Brave Blossoms as crucial Samoa clash looms
The scene is now set for the tussle in Toulouse, a city where rugby is baked into every terracotta tile and coral-colored shopfront.
England's Ellis Genge (center) is tackled by Japan's Craig Millar (left) and Tomoki Osada during their match at the Rugby World Cup in Nice, France, on Sunday.
MORE SPORTS / Rugby
Sep 18, 2023
Japan fails to keep up with England at Rugby World Cup
Japan fell to its first loss of the 2023 Rugby World Cup on Sunday, going down 34-12 to England in Pool D in front of 30,500 at Stade de Nice.
Japan's Asaeli Ai Valu (left) and Atsushi Sakate celebrate with a Japanese flag after defeating Chile in their opening game of the Rugby World Cup in Toulouse, France, on Sept. 10.
MORE SPORTS / Rugby
Sep 16, 2023
Giant-slaying Japan turns attention to England at Rugby World Cup
Japan will have another chance to take down a rugby powerhouse when it meets England at the World Cup.
Japan center Ryoto Nakamura (left) breaks through to score the team's fifth try during its 2023 Rugby World Cup Pool D opener against Chile in Toulouse, France, on Sunday.
MORE SPORTS / Rugby
Sep 10, 2023
Japan opens Rugby World Cup campaign with bonus-point win over Chile
The South American debutant put on a strong showing, but was undone by errors and eventually overwhelmed by the 2019 quarterfinalist.
Native Englander Paul Christie now spends most of his time rebuilding declining communities across the rural stretches of southwest Japan.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives
Aug 29, 2023
One tour company’s mission to ‘revive a small corner of Japan’
Launched in 2007, the “Community Project” was devised to reinvigorate two neighboring valleys on the Kunisaki Peninsula.
Director Dean Johnson wanted to strip back the staging of “Once – In Concert” in a way that honored the film. The production had a limited run at the London Palladium earlier this year and Johnson notes the Tokyu Orb Theater has a similar set up.
CULTURE / Stage
Jul 31, 2023
'Once' speaks the universal languages of music and love
Award-winning Irish theatrical production brings its dry wit and catchy songs to Tokyo for a midsummer musical experience.
Japan Times
Events / Stage
Jul 11, 2023
'Once' comes to Tokyo speaking the universal languages of music and love
Award-winning Irish theatrical production brings its dry wit and catchy songs to Tokyo for a midsummer musical experience.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Science & Health
Jun 25, 2023
Colorful snow algae is blooming in Japan's alpine areas. What does this mean for climate change?
Scientists race to Mount Gassan to see how the algae might affect the natural balance in vulnerable ecosystems and potentially perpetuate warming.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Mar 16, 2023
Memories, melancholy and all that jazz
Jazz enthusiasts James Catchpole and Philip Arneill set out to capture a time capsule of Japan's fading haunts with 'Tokyo Jazz Joints,' a photobook featuring 120 cafes and bars.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Mar 12, 2023
Reina Iizuka: ‘Rugby and football are basically cousins’
She was the first woman to play university-level men's tackle football in Canada and now Reina Iizuka has come to Japan and joined a rugby squad.
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 / Our Lives
Nov 20, 2022
A father pens a message to his son on the climate crisis: ‘I tried my best’
Coming to terms with the fact that Japan isn't at the same stage as other communities are when it comes to information on the environment, Simon Whalley pivots to education.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / How-tos
Sep 19, 2022
Run for your life — and a sense of community — with these international clubs
Internationalized groups are as much about camaraderie as they are exercise, but the effects of physical activity can work wonders on both your physical and mental health.
Japan Times
LIFE
Sep 3, 2022
Where eco-friendly diets falter, 'climatarianism' thrives
Environmentally friendly diets usually eliminate resource-intensive foods, but there might be a better way to ration your pantry's impact on the Earth.

Longform

Historically, kabuki was considered the entertainment of the merchant and peasant classes, a far cry from how it is regarded today.
For Japan's oldest kabuki theater, the show must go on