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Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
May 20, 2016

Sincere: The return of a chef at the top of his game

Congratulatory bouquets were arrayed in profusion outside the entrance to Sincere last month, marking its opening in the quiet residential backstreets north of Harajuku. Sometimes those auspicious flowers — sent by well-wishers at the start of any new venture — can seem like mere ritual gestures...
JAPAN / Politics
May 19, 2016

Japan's Democratic Party reveals new logo to cries of plagiarism and indecency

The main opposition Democratic Party on Thursday unveiled what it calls a “vibrant” new logo that was then assailed by renewed claims of plagiarism and cries of obscenity.
ASIA PACIFIC
May 19, 2016

Chinese jets intercept U.S. military spy plane in an 'unsafe' manner

The Pentagon was investigating the "unsafe" intercept Tuesday of a U.S. spy plane by two Chinese fighter jets in the South China Sea, the Department of Defense said Wednesday.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
May 18, 2016

Giving voice to foreign talent via the spoken word

Tokyo's English poetry scene gets a shot in the arm with a lively event night and new journal.
JAPAN / CHUBU CONNECTION
May 16, 2016

Mie temple dog consoles bereaved families with novel trick

A chief priest of Chodenji, an ancient temple in Matsusaka, Mie Prefecture, has found a novel way to cheer up bereaved family members after a funeral using his pet dog.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
May 15, 2016

China slams 'hyped-up' Pentagon report on state of its military

Beijing lambasted the U.S. Defense Department on Sunday over its annual report on the state of China's military, calling it a "hyped-up" move that "deliberately distorted the nation's defense policies."
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
May 15, 2016

Yoshimi explores his city on 'Tokyo Restricted Area'

One of the classic cliches about Tokyo is that it's a city where the past and the future intermingle, one where ancient shrines sit steps away from neon-soaked shopping districts. Long-running musician Yoshimi Hishida explores this very idea on "Tokyo Restricted Area," but in a way far more abrasive...
Japan Times
JAPAN / FUKUSHIMA FILE
May 15, 2016

Fukushima river fish business plots revival after spotless tests

River fish distributor Yoshida Suisan in the town of Miyakoji, Fukushima Prefecture, is back in business shipping char, trout and rainbow trout for the first time in five years since the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake kicked off the core meltdowns at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KANPAI CULTURE
May 13, 2016

A toast to the arranged marriage of Champagne and 'kaiseki'

I didn't protest when my friend Katrine suggested — apropos of nothing — that we order a bottle of Champagne one afternoon last week. The marvelously warm and sunny weather, combined with the fact that I had finally begun to recover from a debilitating cold, provided justification for the extravagance....
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film / Wide Angle
May 11, 2016

Big issues in film short 'World of Tomorrow'

Given the limited options for theatrical release, short films are generally condemned to the purgatory of YouTube, which makes the case of "World of Tomorrow" especially striking. Since premiering at last year's Sundance Film Festival, where it won the Short Film Grand Jury Prize, this 16-minute animation...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
May 10, 2016

The Medici loved trinkets of power

For over three centuries the Medici family dominated Renaissance Florence and much of its economic, political and cultural life. In the arts, the wealthy family is largely remembered for its patronage of painting, sculpture and grand architecture, but a new exhibition at the Tokyo Metropolitan Teien...
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
May 10, 2016

U.S. sails warship near Chinese-claimed reef in South China Sea

A U.S. navy warship sailed close to a disputed reef in the South China Sea on Tuesday, a U.S. Department of Defense official said, prompting anger in Beijing which denounced the patrol as illegal and a threat to peace and stability.
Japan Times
JAPAN / CHUBU CONNECTION
May 9, 2016

Aichi town residents setting up mini libraries to get locals reading, chatting

Higashiura Town Central Library in Aichi Prefecture is working with local residents to build mini libraries in the town so that residents have more opportunities to read books. Through it, the effort aims to nurture a stronger community.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech / ADVANCES IN PROGRESS
May 8, 2016

Solid-state technology juicing next wave of lithium-ion batteries

In an increasingly digital society, acquiring power to keep our smartphones, laptop computers and electric vehicles running is becoming essential to stay in communication and to get around.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
May 7, 2016

Paying for a can of peaches shows North Korean currency escaping regime's grip

For a country that trumpets the success of its economic system and the power of its local currency, it is very difficult as a foreigner in North Korea to buy anything with it.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / DESSERT WATCH
May 6, 2016

Mister Donut masters the croissant-muffin hybrid

Although it hasn't nabbed the same headlines as the Cronut, the Cruffin — a croissant-muffin hybrid invented by Australian baker Kate Reid in 2013 — has achieved modest success in the U.S. Bakery chain Mister Donut has brought the fusion food to Japan (thankfully, they left the clunky "Cruffin"...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
May 3, 2016

Hakuin's picture of Zen Buddhism

Zen, traced to the ancient teachings of the Buddha Shakyamuni, took root in China via India around 1,500 years ago through the first Zen patriarch, Bodhidharma. Spread there by the priest Linji Yixuan (Rinzai Gigen, died 867), it was transmitted to Japan in the Kamakura Period (1185-1333) and patronized...
COMMENTARY / World
May 2, 2016

Playing by the rules in the South China Sea

In making maintenance of a 'rules-based global order' a core strategic priority, Australia's new defense white paper adopts language not often found at the heart of national defense charters.
JAPAN / CHUBU CONNECTION
May 2, 2016

Over 80% of non-Japanese residents aware of 'Big One' threat, but not all prepared: survey

A recent survey by the Nagoya Municipal Government revealed that more than 80 percent of foreign residents in the city are aware of the risks of a Nankai mega-thrust earthquake and the devastation it would bring to the area.
ASIA PACIFIC
May 1, 2016

China's new tactic in disputed waters: playing by the rules

The professionalism displayed by China's navy in some of the world's most contested seas is masking an underlying challenge to the existing order in the East China Sea and South China Sea that must be resisted, according to a report by an Australian security think tank.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Apr 30, 2016

Hakone in hot water: Romance, gimlets and raunchy 'onsen'

"I think they're having an affair," murmurs my companion, the ever-observant Megumi. She nods at a middle-aged couple sitting next to us on the "Romance Car," the limited express train that links Tokyo and the hot-spring resort of Hakone, Kanagawa Prefecture.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KONBINI WATCH
Apr 29, 2016

FamilyMart gives a healthy twist to the tiramisu

For those who want to have their cake and eat it too — without feeling guilty — FamilyMart's new soy berry tiramisu is here to help.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 29, 2016

In quake-prone Japan, Kumamoto temblors stir worry of 'Tokyo X Day'

There's nothing comical about this manga: office building windows shatter, trains derail and cars plunge from buckling bridges. It all happens at 4:35 p.m. on a day dubbed "Tokyo's X Day."
LIFE / Travel / HOTELS & RESTAURANTS
Apr 28, 2016

Celebrating Children's Day with cake; enjoying a taste of Paris in Tokyo; everything is peachy in Yokohama

Celebrating Children's Day with cake

Longform

After pandemic-era border regulations eased, Indian migrants began returning to Japan. Their population now stands at more than 50,000 across the country.
How remote work is rewriting the migrant experience in Japan