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COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Jan 19, 2013

So many small things Japan should be proud of

The new Tokyo Skytree has enjoyed immense popularity and is being credited for giving Japanese people hope for the future. Yes, having with the tallest tower (634 meters) and the second tallest structure in the world, we are all filled with a renewed sense of confirmation that — taller is better!
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / OUR MAN IN TOKYO
Dec 25, 2012

Finns eagerly embracing things Japanese: envoy

Santa Claus, Moomin, contemporary design and saunas may be the things that come to mind when Japanese think of Finland. What may be less widely known is that the two countries have been strengthening cultural and educational ties in recent years.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Nov 2, 2012

'3/11 made Japanese treasure the simple and normal things in life'

The notion of a crowd-funded film — whose production is financed by money solicited from potential fans online — has begun to gain a bit of traction, but when it comes to crowd-sourced films, Ridley Scott and his production company Scott Free seem to be one step ahead of everyone else. Their 2011...
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Oct 6, 2012

Teaching compassion for all living things

As the distinguished gaijin on the island (ie: the only foreigner here), the Shiraishi Island Elementary school asked me to come and give a speech to third- and fourth-year students. All four of them.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHEN EAST MARRIES WEST
Jun 30, 2012

Where the wild things aren't

"I have this idea to get rich quick," says this friend. Like me, he is underwhelmed by his Japanese income. Unlike me, he still has dreams. He also has my attention. For we all want to get rich and "quick" is by far the preferred method. But then he says . . .
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Apr 20, 2012

L'As: New French restaurant does things differently

It is always a pleasure to discover a great new restaurant — and even more so when "new" means a lot more than just "recently opened." L'As is a small place with a young crew and a location that is easy to overlook. But since opening in early February in the backstreets of Minami-Aoyama, it's been...
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
May 13, 2011

Giants skipper Hara shakes things up in series finale against BayStars

It's been a decade since Michihiro Ogasawara last hit in the leadoff spot and nearly four years since Norihito Kaneto started and won a game at home.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Apr 16, 2011

Earthquake relief: Little people doing big things

Prime Minister Naoto Kan took out nearly a full-page ad in the International Herald Tribune last week to thank the international community for their kizuna (bond of friendship), regarding Japan's earthquake and tsunami disaster on March 11. It was a stirring tribute to those who have come together to...
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Sep 25, 2010

The off-season and other things that go off

Now that the summer is officially over, and we've entered the off-season in the Seto Inland Sea, you're probably thinking there is not much to do here on these sun-kissed islands. Actually, you'd be surprised.
Japan Times
LIFE
Jul 26, 2009

China vets shock archivist with 'horrible things they did'

In 1999, Sinitirou Kumagai dropped out of university, got on his motorbike and set out to begin what he now calls his "life work" — traveling from one end of Japan to the other to record the testimonies of former soldiers stationed in China between the 1930s and the end of World War II in 1945.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHEN EAST MARRIES WEST
Aug 18, 2007

Some things never change

In the last edition of this column, I sewed together a few of the major changes I have seen in Japan since first arriving here close to 30 years ago.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / VIEWS FROM THE STREET
Jan 10, 2006

What are the best and worst things about Japan?

Constantine Von Frogstein Intern, 29 I hate that the people don't lift their feet when they walk. The sound! I hate the sound! The vending machines are the best things about Japan. I don't care much about beer or cigarettes, but the corn soup is cool.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Jan 29, 2005

All good things come to those who wait

Judy Ishizu holds up her latest English textbook, "Sekando Raifu no Eikaiwa" ("Second Life English Conversation"), and can scarcely contain her enthusiasm. "It's a dream come true to be in print. This is not my first book, however, but the fifth. To date the second -- "Eigo de Imi . Kangae wo Ieru Hyogen"...
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Jun 13, 2004

Things as they are, not how they seem

HAIKU ACTIVITIES: Asian Arts and Crafts for Creative Kids, by Patricia Donegan, illustrations by Masturzh Jeffrey. Boston, Tokyo: Tuttle Publishing, 64 pp., 2003, $9.95 (cloth). Though intended for young readers, this is a clear explication from which those of any age may learn. Indeed, the mature reader...
COMMUNITY
Dec 21, 2002

World of Gorgles and other prehysterical things

Any visitor this weekend to the Hirabayashi coffee shop opposite Yokosuka's Shioiri Station in Kanagawa Prefecture might be excused for thinking they had wandered onto another planet. They would be right. Until Monday, it is Clara Birnbaum's world: her World of the Gorgles.
BASEBALL / MLB
Nov 20, 2002

Giambi sees big things ahead for 'Godzilla'

As hard as it is to imagine a Japanese ballplayer batting in the heart of the order for the New York Yankees, Jason Giambi won't second-guess Hideki Matsui's potential.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art / NEW ART SEEN
Aug 28, 2002

All things in the universe, and some

The very idea of a comprehensive retrospective of Tadanori Yokoo's work is a daunting one. How to bring together an oeuvre that spans almost a half-century and is, by turns, strident, nationalistic, homoerotic, funny and cosmic; that is both representational and abstract; that comprises posters, photographs,...
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Nov 10, 2001

Exotic Japan found in mundane things

I had just purchased a sweat shirt at the Gap, picked up some shampoo at the Body Shop and ordered pizza from Pizza Hut when I received an e-mail saying: "You live in Japan? How exotic!"
SPORTS / SPORTS SCOPE
Jan 13, 2000

Things that make you go PING

If I asked my mother how I could get more out of my golf clubs, she would probably reply: "Buy bigger ones so you can hit the ball easier" or "Ooh! Those orange ones look nice."
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Apr 25, 2023

Neil Hartmann: 'When you are out of your comfort zone, you look at things differently'

Neil Hartmann came to Japan as a teenager and got an education in music and Japanese by being Hokkaido’s first English-speaking radio DJ.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Sep 25, 2022

Ray Masaki: ‘Being earnest and not overdoing things — that’s what resonates’

Ray Masaki moved from America to Japan to gain a better understanding of his heritage. Today, he continues to navigate his cultural identity both in his design work and his own life.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Jun 26, 2022

Five things to know about the International Criminal Court

The International Criminal Court based in the Dutch city of The Hague is investigating alleged war crimes in Ukraine.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 5, 2022

Omicron is turning out to be a weak vaccine

Unvaccinated people who got COVID-19 last winter have little protection from reinfection, and even vaccinated people might be vulnerable after only a few months.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / Sac Bunts
May 9, 2022

Red-hot Hotaka Yamakawa back in swing of things for Lions

Hotaka Yamakawa has gotten off to a hot start for Seibu after two difficult seasons at the plate.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 14, 2022

Japan must find better ways to nurture its future superstars

Japanese baseball star Roki Sasaki threw a perfect game, but the old ways of doing things could have ruined him before he started.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Mar 26, 2022

Central League pitchers get into swing of things at plate

Pitchers are still batting in the Central League, unlike in MLB, and they looked good on the first weekend of the season.
Japan Times
WORLD
Mar 14, 2022

‘Things will only get worse.’ Putin’s war sends Russians into exile.

Tens of thousands of Russians have fled to Istanbul since Russia invaded Ukraine last month — outraged about what they see as a criminal war.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Dec 28, 2021

COVID-19, diversity and art were among the things we were talking about in 2021

Paralympics announcer Jason Hancock said it best, 'I feel our generation has the ability to bring a fully inclusive Japan closer to reality.'
COMMENTARY / Japan / Perspectives
Nov 8, 2021

What Japan needs to change to better prepare for the next pandemic

COVID-19 won't be the last deadly contagion to strike Japan. Here are six things the government can do right now to ensure it can respond better when the next crisis strikes.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 4, 2021

Joe Manchin tells Democrats what they need to hear

If the best that other Democrats can do is accuse Joe Manchin of being 'the new Mitch McConnell,” they may as well give up.

Longform

In 2020, 38% of all households were single-person. That figure is projected to rise to 44.3% by 2050.
The rise of AI companionship in a lonely Japan