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April 24, 2024
 

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Manami Okazaki
For Manami Okazaki's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues
Aug 22, 2022
Hong Kong migrants seek to build a new life in Japan
With tens of thousands of residents reportedly leaving the territory following China's security crackdown, some are choosing Japan as their new home.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Oct 26, 2019
Tokyo's Jimbocho neighborhood won't close the chapter on books
Thousands of bibliophiles are expected to descend on Tokyo's Jinbocho neighborhood over the next week or so as the city celebrates the 60th anniversary of its largest secondhand book fair.
Japan Times
CULTURE
Jul 20, 2019
Mane attraction: Coastal parts of Fukushima Prefecture have a long-standing love of horses
Hundreds of armor-clad participants on horseback parade through the streets of Minamisoma, Fukushima Prefecture, during the Soma Nomaoi festival on a typically blistering hot day at the end of July every year.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Jun 30, 2018
Explosions in the sky: Fireworks lie at the heart of summer in Japan
Is Japan "the best" at fireworks?
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Feb 17, 2018
Nagaya nostalgia: The long and the short of Tokyo's famed 'row houses'
Nagaya have been disappearing from downtown Tokyo for many decades, with row upon row of these "long houses" torn down to make way for more comfortable — and profitable — residential complexes and office blocks.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Nov 4, 2017
Sawtelle Japantown: A return to one's roots?
A Los Angeles neighborhood is struggling to preserve its unique cultural identity.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Jul 8, 2017
Living doll: Licca-chan's legacy lives on
As Takaratomy's popular toy celebrates its 50th birthday, we examine how it has evolved over the past five decades to reflect the times.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Feb 11, 2017
Akitas in Japan give a dog a good name
The breed is a fiercely loyal animal that has attracted growing interest from dog lovers in recent years
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Aug 22, 2015
Miyagi's hot-spring valley of the dolls
If local train rides, bucolic vistas, simple family-run ryokans and hot-spring baths overflowing with mineral-rich waters sounds like the perfect getaway, Naruko Onsen village in Miyagi Prefecture should be your next destination.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Mar 21, 2015
Ghostly Japanese shipwrecks at the bottom of Chuuk Lagoon
When most people think of scuba diving, they usually envision colorful coral reefs, turtles and countless schools of fish. At Chuuk Lagoon in the Federated States of Micronesia, however, the star attraction is not the abundance of life that exists beneath the waves, but rather the "ghost fleet" of Imperial Japanese vessels lying at the bottom of the ocean.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Nov 1, 2014
Hello Kitty: still fabulous at 40
Who is only five apples high and has no mouth — yet is one of the country's biggest cultural ambassadors?
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Mar 13, 2012
Celebrating friendship with Japan and 100 years of U.S. hanami
Once an activity for the nobility of the Imperial court in Japan, hanami (cherry-blossom viewing) became a popular tradition among the elite ruling class during the Heian Period (794-1185), and then later, with the encouragement of Tokugawa Yoshimune (1684-1751), among commoners.
Japan Times
CULTURE
Sep 8, 2011
True glimpses of the underworld
Cloaked in mystery and perhaps a certain degree of myth, the yakuza constitute one of the hardest subculture groups in Japan to infiltrate. But when Belgian photographer Anton Kusters and his brother, Malik, saw a gangster walk by as they were drinking at a bar in Tokyo's entertainment district of Kabukicho, they knew they wanted to know more.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
May 5, 2011
The feminine world of photography
Bettina Rheims is an iconic French photographer known for her sensual portraits of women, who range from movie stars, models and musicians to androgynous teens, wives of Russian millionaires and Parisian women whom she finds while "hunting" on the streets. Her subjects are often shot in various states of (un)dress, their portrayal filtered through her fantastic visions.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Feb 18, 2011
Finding the inner strength to be a survivor
From Feb. 4 to 27, New York photographer Paule Saviano is exhibiting 22 images from his series of Tokyo and Dresden firebombing survivors in one of the few buildings in Tokyo to survive World War II. The show takes place at the same time as Saviano's exhibition in Dresden, Germany, commemorating the 1945 Feb. 13-14 firebombing of that city.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Feb 19, 2010
DJ Krush spins some tales
After 20 years in the DJ game, DJ Krush is widely acclaimed as the king of Japanese hip-hop, and, as a much sought after turntabilist, his impeccable skills have impressed crowds all over world.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Feb 9, 2010
Watson to whalers: We will never surrender
Despite speaking on a bad line from somewhere off Antarctica, the message from Paul Watson was loud and clear:
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art / ART BRIEF
Jan 22, 2010
'Shinganist Showcase 3 Tokyo'
Tokyo Hipsters Club
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art / ART BRIEF
Jan 22, 2010
'108 Heroes of the Suikoden'
Tokyo Vanilla Gallery
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Mar 28, 2009
From a shady past to helping others
Kabukicho is Tokyo's infamous entertainment district and suburb of sleaze. A heavily populated square of sleepless activity northeast of Shinjuku Station, it is home to a haphazard mix of movie theaters, hostess bars, strip clubs, and seedy nightclubs. An illicit atmosphere permeates the air.
'Sugar Baby Riri' gets nine-year prison term over romance scam
Mai Watanabe, who went by the moniker “Sugar Baby Riri,” dated older men and swindled them out of money by telling them fictitious heartbreaking stories about herself to gain their sympathy.
Japan’s cannabis market growing rapidly amid regulatory shift
The legality of products that contain cannabinoids, a group of substances derived from the cannabis plant, has been somewhat murky in Japan.
An AI star seeks to bring self-driving cars to Japan by 2030
Japanese startup Turing plans to unveil a self-driving car with at least 30 minutes’ driving range next year and develop a fully autonomous car by 2030.
Tokyo issues strong warning on yen intervention as currency dips further
Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki speaks during a meeting with U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and South Korean Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok on the sidelines of IMF and G20 meetings in Washington last week.
The story isn't over for Japan's bookstores
Later this month, author Shogo Imamura will open Honmaru, a bookstore that allows other businesses to rent its shelves. It's part of a wave of ideas Japanese booksellers are trying to compete with online spaces.
A craft beer crawl through Tokyo’s top bars, brewpubs and dives
If all you drink is Asahi, Sapporo and Kirin, you're depriving yourself of some of the best craft beer Tokyo has to offer — and there sure is a lot of it out there.
'Sugar Baby Riri' gets nine-year prison term over romance scam
Mai Watanabe, who went by the moniker “Sugar Baby Riri,” dated older men and swindled them out of money by telling them fictitious heartbreaking stories about herself to gain their sympathy.
Tsukiji 2030s: A stadium, culinary center and transportation hub
A computer-generated image shows redevelopment plans for the former site of the Tsukiji fish market in Tokyo.
Hearing the impact of climate change in Okinawa, one bird call at a time
Toshihiro Kinjo (center), a research support technician at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology, inspects an audio recording device in Ginowan, Okinawa Prefecture, on April 3 as Masako Ogasawara, a research support specialist at OIST, looks on.
Japan’s cannabis market growing rapidly amid regulatory shift
The legality of products that contain cannabinoids, a group of substances derived from the cannabis plant, has been somewhat murky in Japan.

Podcast

From easily navigable train stations to the helpfulness of its municipal staff, Tokyo has earned high praise for its commitment to accessibility for disabled travelers.
[Rebroadcast] Japan is doing better on accessibility than you may think

Longform

Later this month, author Shogo Imamura will open Honmaru, a bookstore that allows other businesses to rent its shelves. It's part of a wave of ideas Japanese booksellers are trying to compete with online spaces.
The story isn't over for Japan's bookstores
By Alex K.T. Martin

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Prize winner Maki Imoto catches light with glass
Prize winner Maki Imoto catches light with glass

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