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Kazuyuki and Yuki Shimamoto are the executive chef and head patissier chef at Mimi’s Restaurant and Bar in Hakuba, Nagano Prefecture.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Feb 10, 2024

Kazuyuki and Yuki Shimamoto: 'When you make things you love, you naturally just get better at it'

A culinary couple share their thoughts on a career in the kitchen and how they approach life in one of Japan's major tourist towns.
In the quest for immortality, some researchers believe mind uploading will be our ticket to an eternal existence.
PODCAST / deep dive
Feb 8, 2024

Japan’s take on immortality; problems in Palworld

As scientists and technologists attempt to tackle the problem of aging and death, we discuss Japanese ideas about immortality.
Shiki Nakayama at a snow-covered baseball field in Asahikawa, Hokkaido, last month. Nakayama grew up watching her older brother’s exploits on the diamond and first picked up a bat and ball in elementary school.
BASEBALL
Feb 9, 2024

Meet the Gen Zer in Japan who is forging a path for girls in baseball

For 16-year-old Shiki Nakayama, it's no big deal that she's the only girl on her high school baseball team.
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy passes under pressure from Green Bay Packers defensive end Karl Brooks during a playoff game on Jan. 20.
MORE SPORTS / Football
Feb 9, 2024

From 'Mr. Irrelevant' to 'Mr. Right': Purdy plots Super Bowl ambush

Purdy is on the brink of history as he leads the 49ers into Sunday's Super Bowl showdown against the defending champion Kansas City Chiefs.
Seoul may be a cosmetic surgery mecca, but Tokyo has its fair share of high-quality clinics as well.
COMMUNITY / How-tos
Feb 12, 2024

A wrinkles-and-all guide to cosmetic surgery in Japan

Japan is uniquely positioned between two opposing hot spots of the beauty industry: Seoul and Tokyo.
Israeli history teacher Meir Baruchin
WORLD / Society
Feb 9, 2024

Pressure piled on Israelis who speak up for Palestinians

Israeli schoolteacher Meir Baruchin has paid a high price for denouncing the war in Gaza: being let go from his teaching job and even being detained.
MORE SPORTS
Feb 9, 2024

Football fans embrace 'Taylor Swift effect' before Super Bowl

Pop superstar Taylor Swift is no distraction to the upcoming Super Bowl — she's an enhancement, excited fans in Las Vegas said Wednesday.
Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes will be vying for his third Super Bowl title when Kansas City faces San Francisco in Las Vegas on Sunday.
MORE SPORTS
Feb 9, 2024

Chiefs and 49ers ready for another Super Bowl showdown

The same two teams met in the Super Bowl four years ago.
Seiji Ozawa shows his humorous side during a photo shoot with The Japan Times in 2017. The influential conductor died Feb. 6.
CULTURE / Music
Feb 10, 2024

The story behind my favorite photo of Seiji Ozawa

A lot of photography comes down to luck and reflexes. Once you get that magic shot, though, it can stay with you forever.
Naomi Osaka speaks during a news conference at the Australian Open in Melbourne on Jan. 12.
TENNIS
Feb 11, 2024

Naomi Osaka explains why she’s investing in women’s sports

Osaka, one of the world's most marketable athletes, plans to stay involved in the world of sports even after her tennis career ends.
Naomi Osaka hits a return against Danielle Collins during their match at the Abu Dhabi Open on Feb. 6.
TENNIS
Feb 12, 2024

Naomi Osaka remains optimistic despite string of losses after return

Osaka will face Caroline Garcia in the first round of the Qatar Open on Monday.
Human rights activists hold placards during a demonstration outside the Russian Embassy in Kathmandu on Feb. 5. Nepali mercenaries are fighting for Russia in Ukraine, lured to kill far from their Himalayan homeland by promises of a passport and cash, but wounded returnees warn anyone tempted to join the war: "Do not come."
WORLD / Politics
Feb 12, 2024

'There to die': Nepali mercenaries fight for Russia in Ukraine

While Nepali soldiers-for-hire can earn nearly double what they make at home, conditions are brutal and many are killed or wounded.
Naomi Osaka hits a return against Caroline Garcia during their match at the Qatar WTA Open in Doha on Monday.
TENNIS
Feb 13, 2024

Osaka beats Garcia in Qatar to avenge Australian Open loss

This was former world No. 1 Osaka's second win from the five matches she has played since returning last month.
Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant driver Fernando Alonso (front) during the Formula One Las Vegas Grand Prix on Nov. 18
MORE SPORTS / Auto Racing
Feb 13, 2024

Alonso says he is 'attractive' to other F1 teams

Fernando Alonso said he is "attractive" to other Formula One teams but denied any contact with Mercedes, after Lewis Hamilton announced he was quitting to drive for Ferrari in 2025.
Experimentation seemed to be a driving force throughout conductor Seiji Ozawa’s life as he pushed the boundaries of what a Japanese artist could achieve with classical music to magnificent heights.
CULTURE / Music
Feb 13, 2024

Seiji Ozawa’s boundless experiment

The influential conductor was not only a man of extraordinary talent, his warm character had the power to unite people as one.
Singer Crystal Kay reunites with producer Taku Takahashi for her single “That Girl,” which dips into the sounds of the 2000s as well as the modern thump of Jersey Club, a high-energy American style of dance music.
CULTURE / Music
Feb 16, 2024

Crystal Kay's star sparkles anew with Gen Z fans

The singer marks the 25th anniversary of her debut in J-pop with new single, "That Girl."
Established in December 2021 in the middle of the pandemic-fuelled gaming craze, Sega Sapporo Studio is remarkable for growing amid a recent slump in the industry.
LIFE / Digital
Feb 17, 2024

Sega developers say new Sapporo studios lead to better lives

Aside from quality-of-life benefits that come from living outside a major metropolis, Sapporo also has a history of game development.
Virgilio Martinez (left) and Santiago Fernandez, head chef at Tokyo's Maz, are finding massive success bringing elevated Latin American cuisine to Japanese diners.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Feb 18, 2024

At two-starred Maz, ‘the experience extends beyond the meal’

“We see Maz as a kind of ‘culture house’ for Latin America in Japan,” says head chef Santiago Fernandez.
Naomi Osaka hits a return against Karolina Pliskova during their quarterfinal match at the Qatar Open in Doha on Thursday.
TENNIS
Feb 16, 2024

Naomi Osaka falls against Karolina Pliskova in Qatar Open quarterfinals

Osaka went down 7-6 (8-6), 7-6 (7-5) after saving three match points.
Japanese author Banana Yoshimoto came onto the scene in 1987 with “Kitchin.” In it, her main character talks about the comfort she finds in her kitchen.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Feb 16, 2024

Take your first dive into Japanese literature from the comfort of your kitchen

There are levels to understanding Japanese literature. First there's basic comprehension, but after that you can take time to appreciate the wordplay.
At the Akan International Crane Center, just north of the city of Kushiro proper, visitors can see the majestic red-crowned crane — a symbol of Hokkaido.
JAPAN / Society / Longform
Feb 17, 2024

Faces of the north: A Hokkaido town grapples with depopulation

Residents of Kushiro face an issue that more and more communities in Japan are having to deal with. The city may be young, but it's rich with tradition.
Israel's Anastasia Gorbenko waves on the podium after earning silver in the women's 400-meter individual medey at the 2024 World Aquatics Championships in Doha on Wednesday.
MORE SPORTS / Swimming
Feb 19, 2024

Israeli swimmer booed at world championships

Anastasia Gorbenko shrugged off boos from the crowd at the world swimming championships in Doha on Sunday.
Western Conference forward LeBron James dunks during the first half of the NBA All-Star Game in Indianapolis, Indiana, on Sunday. James said he hopes to finish his career with he Lakers.
BASKETBALL / NBA
Feb 19, 2024

LeBron James hoping to end career with Lakers

LeBron James has not formulated a plan for his retirement, but is looking forward to the Paris Olympics this summer and wants to finish his career with the Los Angeles Lakers, the four-time NBA champion said Sunday.
BASEBALL / MLB
Feb 19, 2024

Dodgers hurler Yoshinobu Yamamoto will be tough code to crack for MLB hitters

His mix of power, stuff and command have some wondering if the 25-year-old right-hander is already the best pitcher on the planet.
During a time in which Western acts have seen their place of prominence in the Japanese market drop in favor of K-pop, Swift is a notable exception.
CULTURE / Music
Feb 22, 2024

What makes a Taylor Swift show worth flying in for?

Swifties say the pop star's concerts provide camaraderie and a sense of validation.
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.
Being invited as a guest chef to luxury hotels provides me with an opportunity to showcase my cooking to as many customers in a single day.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Feb 25, 2024

Grace Choy: A few thoughts on being a guest chef

The key as a guest chef is standardization — how to maintain the quality of the food while serving hundreds of diners a day.
After stints working in New Zealand and Germany, Yoshitada Katsuki opened his winery in his home prefecture of Miyazaki in order to work with grapes his own way.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Feb 24, 2024

Despite ‘inhospitable’ Miyazaki, Katsuki Wines stays au naturel

For pest control, Yoshitada Katsuki applies to vines a solution of vinegar, sugar and local shōchū that he jokes “lets bugs get drunk before dying.”
Director of the Akan International Crane Center, Miyuki Kawase, says tourism is incredibly helpful for the birds, but the people who come to take pictures of the birds have to remember they are still wild animals.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Feb 24, 2024

Miyuki Kawase: ‘Experience, whether happy, sad or painful, makes you grow’

The director of the Akan International Crane Center in Hokkaido tells us how she found herself in a career centered around the symbolic white birds.
Sanfrecce will play its first regular-season match against Urawa on Friday at the brand-new Edion Peace Wing Hiroshima.
SOCCER / J. League
Feb 22, 2024

The J. League is back with a top flight that's bigger than ever

Hiroshima has eyes on the title as the club raises the curtain at a new stadium, but Urawa will be looking to spoil the party starting Friday.

Longform

A small shrine perched atop rocks braves the waves hitting the shoreline during a storm in Shimoda, Shizuoka Prefecture. The area is under threat of a possible 31-meter-high tsunami if an earthquake strikes the nearby Nankai Trough.
If the 'Big One' hits, this city could face a 31-meter-high tsunami