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Pele is one pup you'll want on your team

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Pele is one pup you'll want on your team

Regular readers of The Japan Times may remember Pele. This handsome dog was featured here more than three years ago when he was just a pup at 1 year old. Sadly, he's still sitting in the shelter waiting for the right person to come ...

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Hello, proofreaders: Prime Minister Shinzo Abe speaks at the ribbon cutting for the new National Stadium in Tokyo. In the background, a sign reads "Hello, Our Stadium."

Why English translation needs the native touch

by Rochelle Kopp

When Japan's new National Stadium was unveiled last month, visitors were greeted with several examples of oddly worded English on the signage there: "Hello, Our Stadium," "Joho no Mori" and "Please Push the Under Button," were but some of the phrases. Given that the stadium is intended to put ...

On the spot: The most important thing to remember in your interactions with the police is to remember to remain calm in order to avoid escalating tensions.

Once upon a time … in Azabu Juban

by Austin Freeman

I was leaving my apartment a few days before Halloween and had made it no farther than a few steps before I was beckoned. "Sumimasen" ("Excuse me"), came the call from two on-duty cops. I was just running out for some ice cream, but now I'd have to go through an all-too-familiar song and dance of...

Smart shopping: Writer William Lang is in the market for a new bag.

How my local Japanese supermarket killed ‘Methuselah’

by William Lang

I can recall reading about a pre-industrial community that had the custom of throwing all of its rubbish on the ground at the back of its members' homes. This was fine as long as they were chucking out scraps of food, or wooden or plant-based material. However, they got access to cheap plastic...

The full monty: Osakan Rie Gomita could have trouble landing an ALT job in Japan with this irezumi ensemble.

Think before you ink if you work with kids

by Louise George Kittaka

Reader PP is arriving in Japan soon to begin a stint as an assistant language teacher (ALT). He writes: "I am very interested in getting an irezumi (traditional tattoo) in Japan. Are there any artists that will tattoo a foreigner? If so, who and where? My interviewer for the teaching position tri...

Check republic: If you are stopped by the police in Japan as part of an ID check, it's important to know what rights you are afforded.

Remain calm when stopped by the police in Japan

by Debito Arudou

Visible minorities in Japan are in a tough spot in a country where the police have a lot of arbitrary power and few enforceable checks (as we've been witnessing recently with the Carlos Ghosn case). As a result, we are facing two decades of police-promoted narratives of "the foreigner" as a visa ...