For Mai Iida's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
For Akio Sato, whose electronic components company and home were decimated in the massive Tohoku tsunami seven years ago, starting a fashion business that would one day receive an Imperial endorsement was all but impossible to imagine. The magnitude 9.0 earthquake and ensuing tsunami destroyed ...
For Ryuichi Kumakura, a 70-year-old cut-glass artisan, finding young workers eager to learn and preserve the traditional Japanese craft is the least of his troubles — showing them how to engrave exquisite pieces of glassware with precision is what matters most. Having a decent "business ...
Six years after tsunami ravaged Rikuzentakata in Iwate Prefecture, the coastal city is moving to rebuild tourism with a unique home-stay program. The minpaku (private lodging) program, organized by tourism promotion organization Marugoto Rikuzentakata, enables visitors to get a taste of the daily lives of ...
An exhibition in downtown Tokyo is offering unique opportunities to experience washoku (Japanese cuisine) using the five senses in interactive digital displays that allow visitors to follow the scent of soup stock and actually taste traditional dishes. "The Mysterious Restaurant of the Food God" highlights ...
For Kenichi Nakamura, the third-generation heir of a nearly century-old kimono business, the market for the traditional Japanese garment, currently a sixth of its peak, is full of hidden potential. The 62-year-old president of Tokyo Yamaki Co. believes recycling is key to turning around the ...
The first documentary film about the famed Tsukiji fish market was released in Tokyo on Saturday, depicting the everyday lives of unsung seafood professionals, amidst an imbroglio over the site's planned relocation. "Tsukiji Wonderland" has been released at a time when the wholesale fish market ...
Scientists are looking to put a new kind of dog into the fight to rescue survivors of future disasters: a canine strapped into a high-tech vest that will allow it to function somewhat like a robot. The combination of a dog's acute sense of smell ...
After more than a decade developing what it considers the world's first synthetic spider thread, Japanese biomaterial company Spiber Inc. is close to going to market with its first product — a gold-colored outer jacket woven from the material. But the launch, planned for 2016, ...
For Japanese high school student Takumi Masaka, traveling to New York City to play the role of a Syrian diplomat at a simulation of a United Nations conference was a life-altering experience that opened his eyes to differing worldviews. Masaka, 17, is one of a ...
As this year marks 70 years since the end of World War II, Emperor Akihito plans to fulfill his long-held desire to visit Palau next week, a decade after infrastructure issues ruined his previous plans. Before the Emperor and Empress Michiko visited Saipan in 2005 ...
