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Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Aug 7, 2017

J-pop duo Scott & Rivers on writing Japanese lyrics

When American musician Scott Murphy first came to Japan in 2001, he could only say a few phrases in Japanese.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 7, 2017

In alliance-happy auto industry, go-it-alone Honda the odd carmaker out

Honda Motor Co.'s go-it-alone strategy looks increasingly risky as the alliance-happy auto industry scales up to cope with the soaring investment needed for self-driving vehicles, electrified powertrains, connected-car technologies and artificial intelligence.
Japan Times
JAPAN / CHUBU CONNECTION
Aug 7, 2017

Aichi police proudly displaying trumpet from 1964 Tokyo Olympics

One of the trumpets that was used to play the fanfare during the opening ceremony of the 1964 Tokyo Olympics and given to the Aichi Prefectural Police is being displayed in their headquarters in Naka Ward, Nagoya, ahead of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Aug 5, 2017

Is this the end of the road for vintage cars in Japan?

Few are aware that Japan is a Mecca for classic car enthusiasts worldwide. Boasting a world-class national road network of blacktop roads, bridges and tunnels, the country is the perfect place to cruise around in a 1950s Rolls-Royce limousine or a 1970s Nissan Skyline GT-R, which fans dubbed "Hakosuka"...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KONBINI WATCH
Aug 5, 2017

Black Seafood Cup Noodle: A cosmetic change at best

Japanese netizens have noticed something strange about Nissin's latest special edition of it's venerable Cup Noodle brand.
Japan Times
JAPAN / History / JAPAN TIMES GONE BY
Aug 5, 2017

Japan Times 1967: 'Iconic Ginza streetcars are on their way out'

The streetcars that have tootled along Ginza, Tokyo's most glamorous shopping center for the past 56 years, will bow out by the end of the year.
Japan Times
CULTURE / TV & Streaming
Aug 2, 2017

Winter has finally come for Isaac Hempstead Wright

It's Monday night and the newly opened Brew La La craft beer bar in Tokyo's Shinbashi neighborhood is hopping. As the clock strikes 8 p.m., however, the 60 or so people gathered there fall silent. "Game of Thrones" is on.
Japan Times
JAPAN / CHUBU CONNECTION
Jul 31, 2017

Nagoya University team to use aircraft to gauge potency of supertyphoons

In a first for Japanese researchers, a team led by professor Kazuhisa Tsuboki from the Institute for Space-Earth Environmental Research at Nagoya University will use aircraft to observe supertyphoons directly. Supertyphoons have become a growing problem in recent years due to global warming.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Jul 30, 2017

Southeast Asian art gets its biggest showing in Japan

A few years ago, at the press conference for Taiwanese artist Lee Mingwei's solo show at the Mori Art Museum (MAM), Fumio Nanjo, the museum director, talked about the direction the museum would be taking from then on; they were no longer so interested in "the West" and were aiming to focus more on Asia....
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Jul 29, 2017

Tokyo's hotel bars a cut above when it comes to lunch

Some bars, it turns out, have split personalities. In the evening they are a place to relax with a drink and chat with friends. But a few transform in the day, taking on new atmospheres and giving entirely different impressions.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / DESSERT WATCH
Jul 29, 2017

Pikachu Choco Banana McFlurry: Celebrating 'Pokemon Go' with a sugar infusion

This weekend marks the one-year anniversary of the arrival of "Pokemon Go" in Japan. There is no shortage of ways to celebrate this milestone, ranging from visiting one of the city's Pokemon Centers to pick up some merch to trying out the smartphone app's latest features ... assuming the network doesn't...
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / HOOP SCOOP
Jul 29, 2017

Documentary on former hoop star Neumann's life provides a cautionary tale

Hoop aficionados from Harlem to Hokkaido can appreciate the details of a good global basketball odyssey.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Jul 28, 2017

Britain to send warship to South China Sea for freedom of navigation exercises next year

Britain plans to send a warship to the disputed South China Sea next year to conduct freedom of navigation exercises, Defence Minister Michael Fallon said on Thursday, a move likely to anger Beijing.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jul 26, 2017

Figuring out who to watch at this year's Fuji Rock Festival

The 2017 edition of Fuji Rock Festival boasts one of the more eclectic lineups the long-running gathering has had in recent years. The headliners tell the tale: Cartoon rockers Gorillaz share the same font size as electronic pop star Bjork and dance music weirdo Aphex Twin. Dig deeper and you'll find...
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / FOCUS
Jul 26, 2017

Normalizing the North Korean threat with malls and tourism at South Korean city beside the DMZ

A half-hour's drive north of Seoul, along a highway lined with barbed wire, lie two shopping malls the size of several stadiums, a stone's throw from the world's most militarized border.
Japan Times
JAPAN / CHUBU CONNECTION
Jul 24, 2017

Man travels by wheelchair through Japan, propelled by the kindness of strangers

Tokyo resident Yusuke Terada, who has trouble walking due to cerebral palsy, recently launched a project called Helpush, where he travels throughout Japan with the assistance of strangers who help push his wheelchair.
LIFE / Style & Design
Jul 23, 2017

Is Japanese fashion ready to make a point?

A Ha-Ha 2015 runway show included models in wheelchairs
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / Tools of the Japanese Kitchen
Jul 22, 2017

The circular evolution and history of Japanese rice cookers

Cooking rice, the staple grain of the Japanese diet for hundreds of years, used to be a laborious process. A dedicated heavy cast iron or earthenware pot placed on a wood-burning stove called a kamado was used for the purpose, and managing the heat to cook the rice properly required both skill and long...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Jul 22, 2017

Try checking into a love hotel for a good night's sleep

Around the end of each year's rainy season in July, it's common for the media to run articles on the subject of sleep. Hot weather is not the only factor that makes Japan less conducive to sleeping in summer. Since daylight savings is not practiced, the sun rises before 5 a.m., affecting many people's...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Jul 22, 2017

'Tokyo Geek's Guide': Mapping the epicenter of 'otaku' culture

Anyone on the lookout for "weird Japan" culture, take note.
Japan Times
JAPAN / CHUBU CONNECTION
Jul 18, 2017

Nagoya assembly creates day care room for nursing mom among ranks

The Nagoya Municipal Assembly has created a private day care room for one of its members with a 1-year-old son, the first such facility among governments in the Tokai region and a rarity in other parts of Japan as well.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 16, 2017

One year after the South China Sea ruling, a deceiving calm

China's basic position remains unchanged, and the ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration is at risk of falling into irrelevance.

Longform

Visitors walk past Sou Fujimoto's Grand Ring, which has been recognized as the largest wooden structure in the world.
Can a World Expo still matter? Japan is about to find out.