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Japan Times
JAPAN / History / THE LIVING PAST
May 20, 2017

Hokkaido's ancient place in the modern world

"Even the birds do not fly to Ezo," went a popular 19th-century saying about Japan's northernmost island. "Ezo" means "land of barbarians." Settlement tamed it into "Hokkaido" — "north sea road." But it was a rough passage.
CULTURE / Stage
Mar 21, 2017

Modern dramatist's 'dark and gorgeous' kabuki tests famed brothers

Life and death are major themes for artists, and for dramatists no less.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Mar 1, 2017

Trump's first address to joint session of U.S. Congress

Remarks as prepared for delivery and released by the White House.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Dec 31, 2016

Misuzu Kaneko: A deeper empathy for the natural world

In her brief life, Japanese poet Misuzu Kaneko (1903-1930) produced a body of work with themes that are every bit as relevant today as when she first put pen to paper nearly 100 years ago. Ostensibly a writer of poems for children, Kaneko's work reveals a deep respect for the environment and an awareness...
BASKETBALL / NBA / NBA REPORT
Nov 8, 2016

Looking back at Magic Johnson's stunning HIV announcement 25 years later

Sports is fun, and sports is games. But it can often be so much more than just fun and games, the toy store of the real world. Sometimes it can be the leader of society, and not just its weather vane, not the remnant Of the public's conventional wisdom but the leader in societal change for the better....
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / FOREIGN AGENDA
Nov 6, 2016

On the trail of team Trump in Tokyo

A reporter stalks that elusive breed of American in Japan: the Trump supporter.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Sep 24, 2016

Shizuoka: Where writers go to hide from the world

Ask a Japanese person which part of Japan they most associate with writer Lafcadio Hearn and they are likely to instantly respond: Matsue, a seaside town in Shimane Prefecture.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / PHOTO ESSAY
Sep 17, 2016

The Nagano village that modernity forgot

There is no hot water in Odairajuku, no gas-powered stoves, no fridges and — most importantly — no internet. The nearest supermarket is an hour away by car, and so is the nearest place to get a signal on your phone. But what this tiny village in southern Nagano Prefecture does offer is something...
CULTURE / Books
Sep 17, 2016

Okinawan chronicles: 10 books that show the many faces of Japan's 'island paradise'

Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 4, 2016

Rise and fall of Middle Eastern health systems

Much of the progress in Arab countries in recent decades appears to have been reversed by the political unrest and civil wars afflicting the region.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Jun 25, 2016

A confused, senile future awaits Japan

Confucius said: "When your parents are alive, serve them according to ritual. When they die, bury them according to ritual, make sacrifices to them according to ritual."
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Jun 25, 2016

Gary Snyder: Asia's heavy toll on nature

Enter the mind of American poet and scholar Gary Snyder and watch as time pulls back, perspectives shift and an epoch passes in a single blink. His newest book of prose, "The Great Clod," is a series of essays on Asia's ecological history, combining culture and politics in a way that is, unsurprisingly,...
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / JAPAN TIMES BLOGROLL
May 24, 2016

OkanoTV

In a light-hearted yet informative way, YouTuber Chris Okano (known online as OkanoTV) gives viewers insight into many aspects of Japanese society and culture — from the usual guide videos to humorous takes on the more more left-field aspects of this country.
CULTURE / Books
Apr 30, 2016

Black Illumination: the abyss of Keiji Nishitani

I've always felt there are basically two kinds of philosophers: those who begin in wonder and those who begin in despair. Though the philosopher Keiji Nishitani (1900-90) was arguably the latter kind, he struggled throughout his life to see the world with wonder.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / FOREIGN AGENDA
Apr 6, 2016

'No One's Perfect' writer Ototake couldn't live up to the 'Supercrip' media ideal

Hirotada Otatake's 'inappropriate relationships' are indefensible. But even more disappointing was the way the media presented Ototake and the story.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Mar 21, 2016

Ise Jingu: telling Japan's story to the rest of the world

Ise Shrine can offer world leaders a valuable message when they gather there in May.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Mar 6, 2016

Aging, indebted Japan debates right to 'die with dignity'

Retired airline employee Tarou Tanzawa said he hadn't thought much about his own death until his 84-year-old mother was diagnosed with malignant lymphoma and decided against costly and invasive life-prolonging treatment.
COMMUNITY / Voices / FOREIGN AGENDA
Mar 6, 2016

Immigration: the missing piece in the Tohoku recovery puzzle?

Entrepreneurship, reconstruction and tourism still may not be enough to save rapidly depopulating Onagawa.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Feb 13, 2016

One slip can sink a salaryman's career

'I've always been shy," says Kazuo. "Face-to-face communication never came easily to me." At 48, he's been out of work five years. He lives with his mother, who's close to 80 — mostly off her pension. A typical day — typical not only of him, says the weekly Spa!, but of an increasing number of middle-aged...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / BLACK EYE
Jan 17, 2016

'Being black can be more fun than being gay'

A look at the experience of two black men in the LGBT community in Tokyo, a 'minority of a minority of a minority.'
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / David Bowie in Japan
Jan 14, 2016

Like some cat from Japan: A tribute to David Bowie

The late David Bowie's appreciation of Japan and its culture was strong. Following his recent death, The Japan Times asked five people who share that connection with the country, and who witnessed the decade-spanning trajectory of this starman, to recall what his sound and vision meant to them.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Dec 30, 2015

Fortuitous move to bullpen led Barnette to majors

The last game pitcher Tony Barnette ever started for the Tokyo Yakult Swallows came against the Chunichi Dragons on March 8, 2011, during spring training. Barnette had already had one life-altering moment that spring — he'd proposed to now-wife Hillary before leaving Arizona for Japan — and, though...
COMMUNITY / Voices / FOREIGN AGENDA
Dec 23, 2015

On a Christmas visit, expat thoughts turn to 'going home'

Reconnecting with home can be a cause for reflection: Where have I been, and where am I going? Is there another life to return to?
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 14, 2015

Putting a price tag on U.S. gun violence

Would the economic benefit of stricter gun control in the U.S. outweigh the economic cost?
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Nov 7, 2015

Heart of darkness: Nostalgic Tokyo disappearing amid construction boom

The Shinagawa neighborhood of Musashi-Koyama — a vibrant maze of tiny alleyways that once housed dozens of small eateries, tapas restaurants and bars — is now a virtual ghost town.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Science & Health / NATURAL SELECTIONS
Sep 19, 2015

How grandma drives human evolution

Speak to professionals from various disciplines and you will notice something funny: Even when they are off duty, they tend to view the world through the lens of their professional background. For example, a psychiatrist at a dinner party might pause to think a bit about the possible neuroses of the...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Sep 12, 2015

Isao Takahata's stark world of reality

Having survived a devastating U.S. air raid on his hometown in World War II, film director Isao Takahata has firsthand experience of the horrors of war. It's perhaps not surprising, therefore, that he staunchly opposes Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's attempt to push controversial security bills through the...

Longform

Members of the nonprofit group Japan Youth Memorial Association search for the remains of dead soldiers in a cave in Okinawa Prefecture in February.
The long search for Japan’s lost soldiers