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Tomoko Arima
For Tomoko Arima's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jun 12, 2014
Sweet jobs offered to athletes with star power
An increasing number of companies are converting top athletes into full-time employees once they retire because they "have mental toughness and pursue success at any cost."
Japan Times
JAPAN
May 1, 2014
Workplaces not yet up to global standards
In the spring of 2012, a major Japanese information technology company put a young Iranian man on its payroll in what was supposedly a worthy example of a new Japan embracing globalization.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 21, 2014
Top talent turn part-timers after childbirth
Many women quit professional-level jobs when starting families, only to find it extremely difficult to return to similar work later on. Through staffing companies, however, opportunities are expanding — albeit as part-timers — as small and midsize firms hire such mothers for their expertise.
JAPAN
Dec 12, 2013
Shut-ins use a 'university' to get out
They call their gatherings "hikikomori university" — sessions that allow people who as a rule have little contact with others to share their difficulties with social interaction and learn ways to cope.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Oct 1, 2013
Baby showers, treats for moms-to-be all the rage
Baby showers, a mainly American tradition of holding special parties for expectant mothers to celebrate the imminent arrival of their babies, are gradually gaining popularity in Japan.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Aug 30, 2013
Male hairdressers struggle in 'charisma boom' wake
Male hairdressers are having trouble surviving amid the so-called charisma boom their industry gave rise to around 2000.
JAPAN
Mar 22, 2013
College students get global outlook in dorm life
With calls growing for universities in Japan to generate graduates well-prepared for the era of globalization, an increasing number of them are establishing "international dormitories" where Japanese students live together with foreign students.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 4, 2013
Male beauty therapists, nail artists growing in number
Once the exclusive preserve of women, beauty parlors, nail salons and cosmetics retailers nationwide are seeing an uptick in the number of male staff.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Oct 30, 2012
More firms add autumn initiation for non-April hires
In Japan, initiation ceremonies for new employees are traditionally held in April, the start of the fiscal and school years, when freshly minted graduates hired through the mainstream recruitment process begin their new jobs.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Oct 22, 2009
Strained budgets mean finding new ways to save on weddings
As the economic slump drags on, young people are finding creative ways to have their dream wedding at more down-to-earth prices.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Oct 22, 2009
Budget inns start going up-market to lure guests
Budget hotels, once known as places with narrow baths and beds, are transforming themselves by installing outdoor bathtubs, high-grade furniture and other distinctive services.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Aug 22, 2009
Bubble economy salarymen tagged as burdens on society
Men who were aggressively recruited by firms during the bubble economy in the latter half of the 1980s through the early '90s are now being scorned as "burdens" on society — a sharp contrast to their vigorous female peers, who are called "arafo," short for around 40.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jul 16, 2009
'Herbivorous men' are new consumer kings
Japan's newly dominant consumer is likely to be in his 20s to 30s, favors cosmetics over deluxe cars and enjoys eating sweets with his parents at home rather than treating his girlfriend to fancy eateries.

Longform

High-end tourism is becoming more about the kinds of experiences that Japan's lesser-known places can provide.
Can Japan lure the jet-set class off the beaten path?