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Jordan Allen
For Jordan Allen's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
Runners fill the street in front of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building at the start of the 2023 Tokyo Marathon.
COMMUNITY / Voices / FOREIGN AGENDA
Mar 25, 2024
Medals, jewelry and veggies: Japan’s race prizes run the gamut
Japan's marathons try everything to offer runners experiences they can’t get elsewhere.
A general election must take place in the U.K. by late January 2025, which means plenty of time for expats abroad to register and vote.
COMMUNITY / Issues / The Foreign Element
Feb 26, 2024
As more U.K. expats get the vote, Japan’s ballot box stays closed
As of Jan. 16, Brits abroad — including the more than 17,000 in Japan — are able to register to vote regardless of how long they have lived overseas.
It doesn't snow everywhere in Japan, but when it does, it falls in blankets that must be cleared away, sometimes through unexpected means.
COMMUNITY / Voices / FOREIGN AGENDA
Feb 4, 2024
Rural Japan’s snow removal solutions range from cute to curious
Outside of Tokyo, cities that get a significant volume of snow tend to have better ways of dealing with it than the capital.
Cars drive past a damaged road, in the aftermath of an earthquake, in Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture.
PODCAST / deep dive
Jan 18, 2024
Japan rings in 2024 with an unwelcome disaster
Join us for the first episode of 2024 as we recap the massive New Year’s Day earthquake and its impact on the people of Ishikawa Prefecture.
Who should foot the bill when it comes to making sure Japan's new ¥500 coin can actually be used as widely as the old one?
COMMUNITY / Voices / FOREIGN AGENDA
Jan 15, 2024
All ¥500 coins that glitter are not gold
Twenty years on and the ¥2,000 note can almost certainly still be described as a “novelty" — what if the new ¥500 coin is destined for the same fate?
A damaged sake store in the town of Himi, Toyama Prefecture, following a major earthquake on Monday
JAPAN / First person
Jan 4, 2024
How Japan's violent New Year's quake felt in Toyama
What it feels like to be near a quake that shifts a house left and right, forward and backward.
A look into what used to be the Koyamacho neighborhood in Tokyo's Minato Ward may reveal what Japan stands to lose from not protecting its recent past.
COMMUNITY / Voices / FOREIGN AGENDA
Dec 25, 2023
Mita facelift paves over another slice of Tokyo history
The death of Koyamacho shows that Japan needs to begin preserving some parts of its modern history for future generations.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Remembering 3/11
Mar 9, 2021
'I still have dreams about it': Volunteers reflect on 3/11 aftermath
Ten years on from the disaster, expats who gave their time to help the victims have found the experience has stuck with them.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
May 23, 2020
Fifty years of Doraemon, and still there are lessons to be learned
The original “Doraemon” comics, published in 1970, are not only a great read, but a fun resource for learning Japanese.
Japan Times
CULTURE / TV & Streaming
May 21, 2020
‘Conan, The Boy in Future’: Finding joy in a post-apocalyptic anime classic
For the past three weeks, my partner and I have stayed up Sunday past midnight to watch NHK’s remastered rerun of “Conan, The Boy in Future” (“Mirai Shonen Konan”). For me, it has been a chance to watch something new and delve deeper into the work of the legendary animator, Hayao Miyazaki. For my partner, and other Japanese viewers like her, it’s more of an emotional experience.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Mar 17, 2020
Tame Impala and The Strokes set to headline Fuji Rock 2020
With the festival set to the be held in late August, all eyes will be on whether the COVID-19 situation improves before then.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Feb 22, 2020
‘33⅓ Japan’ has nerdy but accessible tales of albums and artists
With the '33u2153 Japan' series, music aficionados bring classic Japanese albums and artists to life in nerdy, but accessible, prose.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Feb 10, 2020
Makeup artist Kazu Hiro wins second Oscar for work on 'Bombshell'
Makeup artist Kazu Hiro on Monday picked up an Oscar for best makeup and hairstyling at the 92nd Academy Awards in Los Angeles.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Feb 7, 2020
Pixies: 'We're weird enough and we're catchy enough'
As the Pixies prepare for three live shows in Japan, guitarist Joey Santiago speaks of his love for the band's latest album, and his love of Denny's chopsticks.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jan 30, 2020
Stiff Little Fingers' 'Inflammable Material' is still the definitive political punk album 40 years later
Stiff Little Fingers bring 'Inflammable Material' to Tokyo for two shows, letting fans hear the album, which deals with Northern Ireland's 'troubles,' in its entirety.
Japan Times
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / Wide Angle
Dec 27, 2019
Pucker up for this year's 'Kohaku,' and brace yourself for a kiss to remember
NHK's 'Kohaku Uta Gassen' New Year's Eve television song contest is embracing something a little different this year, with an international metal crossover act.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Sep 5, 2019
Manic Street Preachers bring best-selling album to Japan, 20 years on
Welsh rockers Manic Street Preachers prepare for two dates in Tokyo at which their 1998 hit album 'This Is My Truth Tell Me Yours' will be played in full
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Sep 4, 2019
Ogre You Asshole's album 'New Kind of Man' proves the band is more than just a quirky name
The new album from Ogre You Asshole draws on funk, beach rhythms and '90s video game soundtracks to deliver a chilled-out, laid-back long player
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jul 25, 2019
Fuji Rock to livestream festival acts
Fuji Rock will livestream a selection of the bands and singers performing at this year's festival, event organizers have announced.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jun 17, 2019
Review: Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra at Zepp DiverCity Tokyo
You know when you go to a gig, and it just exceeds all expectations? Well, my night with Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra did just that and landed in my all-time top three.

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?