For Yoshiaki Miura's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
What's done is done. But what if a historic negotiation over the surrender of Edo Castle between Saigo Takamori, who led the Imperial forces during the fall of Edo, and Katsu Kaishu, the shogunate's army minister, had fallen through 150 years ago? The surrender ...
Every day, the towering full-scale Unicorn Gundam statue in Tokyo's Odaiba waterfront district undergoes a transformation, eliciting shouts of joy from visitors young and old, many trying to snap good photos with their smartphones. The 19.7-meter, 49-ton statue of a mobile robot from the popular ...
A new Tokyo Bay samurai-themed cruise ship fashioned after those used by feudal lords back in the Edo Period (1603-1868) promises tourists visiting the nation's capital an interesting contrast between modernity and tradition. The Atakemaru, which is 49.7 meters long and 486 tons in weight, ...
Although the Tokyo Metropolitan Government and Tsukiji's fish merchants are wrangling over the planned transfer of the site in Chuo Ward to the Toyosu district in Koto Ward a few kilometers southeast, there is still a portion of the world-famous market that will remain ...
With Russian President Vladimir Putin set to visit Japan next week, expectations are growing as to whether progress will be made on a territorial row that has been a thorn in bilateral ties. But strolling through the streets of Tokyo, a few Russia-linked buildings and ...
Talk about revolutionary. Ricoh's Theta S camera shoots 360 degrees and turns out head-spinning spherical images when paired with an image-processing app. The camera, which has two lenses, can be hand-held or triggered by remote control. It turns well-known Tokyo tourist sites into scenes of ...
It's like a midsummer night's dream. In mid-July, Yasukuni Shrine in central Tokyo was lit up in orange by 30,000 lanterns lining the approach to the annual Mitama Matsuri festival, creating a nostalgic atmosphere. The festival's location, often a point of diplomatic contention with neighboring countries ...
One bright Saturday afternoon in the fresh green of spring, priests led a bride and groom toward a wedding hall at Meiji Jingu, a renowned shrine in Tokyo's Shibuya Ward. The Shinto shrine is dedicated to the souls of Emperor Meiji and his wife, Empress ...
A five-minute walk from Miyanosaka Station on the Tokyu Setagaya Line, Gotokuji Temple in Tokyo's Setagaya Ward offers a fun sight for visitors. By a path leading to the main temple sit a huge number of bright white cat figures placed around a statue of ...
Nakano Broadway turns 50 this year. The shopping complex in Tokyo's busy Nakano district remains popular with enthusiasts of pop culture, boasting dozens of manga, anime and collectors' shops. The scruffy but vibrant building, housing some 300 shops and restaurants across its five floors, sits ...
