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July 12, 2025
 

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Jason Jenkins

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Jason Jenkins
Jason spent 13 years in Tokyo writing about cameras, parenting and the arts. In 2013 he left to travel, homeschooling his kids in Spain, Mexico and Southeast Asia before moving back to Japan in 2019.
Two people try to take a selfie under the illuminated cherry blossoms in Kyoto’s Gion district last year.
PODCAST / deep dive
Mar 25, 2024
Sakura stories revisited: Getting in the mood for hanami
We are revisiting some past content on the science, economics and culture of cherry blossom season.
Japan Times
PODCAST / deep dive
Apr 20, 2023
[Rebroadcast] How making alcohol from trees could give rural Japan a buzz
Check out this podcast from November that explores how some Japanese companies are trying to make alcohol from old trees.
Japan Times
PODCAST / deep dive
Apr 13, 2023
Noma Kyoto: The focus — and future? — of the culinary world
Noma is one of the best restaurants in the world and earlier this year it moved its entire staff to Kyoto to create a pop-up that is currently the hottest ticket in the country. Our food critic joins the podcast to talk more about this culinary experience, which ends in May.
Japan Times
PODCAST / deep dive
Mar 23, 2023
The cherry blossoms are here and business is blooming
Kathleen Benoza explains what's at stake during the hanami season, while Thu-Huong Ha and Alyssa I. Smith discuss the science, symbolism and culture of sakura in Japan.
Japan Times
PODCAST / deep dive
Mar 2, 2023
Infinity and beyond: Yayoi Kusama’s next evolution
Culture critic Thu-Huong Ha joins the podcast to explain Yayoi Kusama’s latest stage of evolution.
Japan Times
PODCAST / deep dive
Feb 15, 2023
Living with disaster: Building the cities of the future
We speak to professor Hitoshi Abe, an architect who has some ideas on how to start designing our cities to better deal with such inevitable disasters.
Japan Times
PODCAST / deep dive
Feb 1, 2023
The sword, the shield and the new face of Japan's military
As 2022 wrapped up, the Japanese government let forth a flurry of defense policy announcements. Those were followed by a five-nation tour by Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, and talk of a tax hike to pay for it all. Gabriel Dominguez joins the podcast this week to try to help us make sense of it all.
Japan Times
PODCAST / deep dive
Jan 25, 2023
Japan on a plate: Our food critic reveals his favorite spots
Food writer Robbie Swinnerton has been covering Tokyo’s culinary scene for decades, so for this week’s episode we asked him to pick out a few standout meals from last year.
Japan Times
PODCAST / deep dive
Nov 30, 2022
How making alcohol from trees could give rural Japan a buzz
Alex K.T. Martin joins us to talk about the science — and sustainable process — behind the process that may bring cedar, oak and sakura to your next cocktail session.
Japan Times
PODCAST / deep dive
Nov 16, 2022
Samurai Blues: The J. League, the World Cup and Japan’s place in global soccer
Sports writer Dan Orlowitz joins the show to catch us up on where Japan stands in the global soccer landscape and the controversies swirling around the host nation of Qatar.
Japan Times
PODCAST / deep dive
Oct 26, 2022
Japanese pop culture in China: It’s complicated.
Japan and China recently celebrated 50 years of relations and, since then, Japanese art, film and music has had a major impact on Chinese society. Recently, however, the Chinese market has become increasingly difficult to navigate.
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
OLYMPICS
Aug 10, 2021
A first time for everything: The many ways history was made at Tokyo 2020
Plenty of records were broken and a number of new sports were introduced. But beyond the more obvious first, there was a dizzying array of accomplishments and milestones.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
May 7, 2021
Japan's premier art collective teamLab celebrates 20 years with a spot of tea and a Miami bash
Marking 20 years, teamLab has a lot to be proud of when it comes to making an impact on the international art scene. The collective's success was not a foregone conclusion, however.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle / CHILD'S PLAY
Mar 23, 2020
Teens can sharpen their cooking skills with Japanese recipes
When older kids become a little reluctant to hang out with the parents, enticing them out with food often works, and what better way than with a cooking class, where everyone can eat the results of an educational day out.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle / CHILD'S PLAY
Jan 13, 2020
Picture the fun at a manga museum
Built into a repurposed elementary school, the Kyoto International Manga Museum, one of the most impressive manga repositories in the world, will keep kids entertained for hours.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle / CHILD'S PLAY
Nov 18, 2019
All aboard the Kyoto Railway Museum
Few countries have embraced rail travel like Japan, so it's no surprise that one of the best train museums in the world is found here: the kid-friendly Kyoto Railway Museum.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle / CHILD'S PLAY
Sep 15, 2019
Fantastic beasts and where to learn about them
'Regnum Imaginarium: Realm of the Marvelous and Uncanny' at Osaka's National Museum of Ethnology delves into the worlds of mermaids, unicorns, werewolves and giants. What more could a kid enjoy?
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle / CHILD'S PLAY
Jul 14, 2019
H.C. Andersen Park: Once upon a time, in a land not so far away
Take the kids on a fairy-tale trip to H.C. Andersen Park in Chiba Prefecture, where Denmark's most celebrated writer lives on in playgrounds, workshops and recreations of Danish village life.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle / CHILD'S PLAY
May 19, 2019
Race to Motegi for outdoor fun and games
Racecars, zip lines and the great outdoors — a visit to Twin Ring Motegi tracks in Tochigi Prefecture will keep the kids racing around in excitement.
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.
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.
Air India crash report to offer peek into last seconds
Members of the Indian Army's engineering arm prepare to remove the wreckage of an Air India aircraft in Ahmedabad on June 14.
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.
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.
NGOs condemn rise in anti-immigrant rhetoric ahead of Upper House vote
Sanseito head Sohei Kamiya holds a board that reads "Japanese First" in Tokyo on July 2. In a joint statement on Tuesday, eight human rights nongovernmental organizations described the far-right party's stance as "hate speech."
Japanese dancers find a home abroad at Houston Ballet
“Giselle” lead Yuriko Kajiya (center), performing with Connor Walsh as Albrecht, is one of six Japanese dancers at Houston Ballet.
From the Abes to the Ohtanis: How siblings shape athletic development
Olympic judoka Uta Abe (second from left) and Hifumi Abe (second from right) with their brother Yuichiro (center) and their parents. “I’m always consciously trying to be a good older brother,” Yuichiro said.

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

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Looking ahead to Yokohama’s Green × Expo 2027
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