Search - christmas-japan

 
 
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Dec 26, 2020

In 2020, kids still say the drollest things

2020 was a year to forget, if only we can u2026
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / WELL SAID
Dec 24, 2019

You've got nothing to lose if you start studying the meanings of 'motomoto'

The word 'motomoto' conveys a sense of 'originally,' but it can also be used to express that you have nothing to lose in a given situation.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHY DID YOU LEAVE JAPAN?
Oct 5, 2019

Popra Nakayama: Diversity works in the U.S.

Not satisfied with just one genre of performance, Popra Nakayama finds the U.S. a great place to branch out into singing, dancing and even martial-arts action film acting.
Japan Times
JAPAN / 2017 NEW YEAR SPECIAL
Jan 1, 2017

A celebration of Japanese traditions

New Year's, or shogatsu in Japan, is a time when people can get a taste of traditional Japan. People generally take the time around the New Year's holidays to relax with their families and engage in traditional activities to remind themselves of their heritage.
Japan Times
CULTURE / CULTURE SMASH
Dec 26, 2014

Sanrio's 'Nutcracker' offers visual experience in 3-D

For anyone raised in the West, the year-end holidays in Japan can be a jarring experience, at least for the uninitiated. Decorated trees, illuminated boulevards and carols in convenience stores coincide with Colonel Sanders statuettes remade into Santa Claus and mini-skirted chorus girls in reindeer...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Nov 15, 2014

Holiday gifts they'll cherish from cover to cover

As the holiday season rolls around, it's time to dash about in a mad panic in search of gifts that say "I've given this one some thought, honest." Or you can just let us do the thinking for you, with gift suggestions from our regular book reviewers — tailor-made for the Japanophile reader.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
Jun 16, 2014

Harassers exploit Gaba's 'man-to-man' lesson format

The first sign that Olivia's Gaba lesson would be anything but ordinary came when her student insisted during the warmup that he didn't like wearing clothes.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / OLD NIC'S NOTEBOOK
Apr 5, 2014

Horses power across time and places

As a wee nipper I'd sometimes be treated to donkey rides on our local beach at Port Talbot in South Wales, but the first time I sat astride a pony was near my home in Neath when I was 8. Around then, the old dairyman occasionally let me join him as he made his daily rounds with his horse-drawn cart collecting...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Feb 19, 2014

Young K-Ballet School dancers get set for the big time

The splendid news about two Japanese high school students' outstanding achievement swept around the world this month.
COMMUNITY
Dec 29, 2013

Orphan of distance? Find time to latch onto some Okinawans this New Year's

Japanese New Year's is a decidedly family affair. If you can't find a family to invite you in from the streets for a bowl of soba, it's important to find the right group of friends — friends who will make a point to gather on a cold New Year's Eve with a fellow orphan of distance. Friends who find themselves, like you, far from their homes and families, caught between two worlds.
Events / KANSAI: WHO & WHAT
Dec 6, 2013

Get rid of ill fortune with boiled white radish

Visitors to Kyoto will get the chance to eat boiled white radish, which is believed to dispel misfortune, this weekend at Senbon Shakado Temple.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Nov 26, 2013

CSS, Makoto Ozone and Shonen Knife get a round of shows in before New Year's

With the year winding down and the holiday season approaching, the concert scene in Japan gets pretty quiet. Although there will be a few international acts headed here in the middle of December, your best shot for a live performance might be checking out local acts before they go into hibernation for...
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Nov 24, 2013

Do New Year's the right way this time

With the yearend rush fast approaching, Dave has a very timely question about Japanese New Year cards:
Located in Patina Osaka, P72 doesn't have a fixed menu, opting instead to rely on whatever is available from local suppliers and its on-site garden to create its innovative plant-based cuisine.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Jul 25, 2025

P72 sows the seeds for a dynamic plant-based cuisine

With an ever-changing menu dictated by what's available from its garden and suppliers, the Osaka-based restaurant injects creativity and spontaneity into its green cuisine.
Nintendo raised its Switch 2 sales forecast, boosting confidence in the console's strong momentum.
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 4, 2025

Nintendo now expects to sell 19 million Switch 2 consoles by March

The company reported an operating profit of ¥88.25 billion and revenue of ¥527.2 billion in the September quarter, both beating a consensus of analyst estimates.
Want a six-pack for the summer? Bryce Morel suggests starting now to look good for next year.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Jul 29, 2023

Bryce Morel: 'Get the healthiest version of yourself possible'

Trouble at the gym? Personal trainer Bryce Morel says ask for help; bodybuilders are nicer than you think.
Due to the small number of priests in the Orthodox Church in Japan, some have to care for as many as five different churches.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Oct 14, 2023

Rev. Stephen Keiichi Uchida: 'Your life has value’

Rev. Stephen Keiichi Uchida serves as a priest in the Orthodox Church in Japan and leads three churches in rural Kushiro, Hokkaido.
While non-Japanese readers have in recent years been spoiled for choice when it comes to Japanese literature in translation, there is still a wealth of notable works that translators would love to see rendered into English.
CULTURE / Books
Dec 20, 2023

A wish list of hidden gems for Japanese literature lovers

Eight translators reveal their top Japanese books that English readers have yet to enjoy.
What's old in Tokyo libations is new again at Heiwa Doburoku Kabutocho Brewery, where sake's cloudy, rustic predecessor takes center stage.
LIFE / Food & Drink / Kanpai Culture
Dec 24, 2023

At 2023’s close, Tokyo bars enter a new golden age

This year’s cocktail trends offer a spirit-forward reflection on the past as well as glimpses of the future.
Sudanese refugees fleeing the conflict in the country's Darfur region cross the border into Chad in August.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 23, 2024

Humanitarian catastrophes and the world's forgotten conflicts

Tragically, there are global catastrophes that, by virtue of their longevity and their distance from us, have fallen out of sight.
Durian Lollobrigida and his co-hosts — actors Megumi and Chiaki Horan, singer Thelma Aoyama and former “Terrace House” panelist Yoshimi Tokui — offer in-studio commentary on the contestants’ footage in Netflix’s new reality dating show, “The Boyfriend.”
CULTURE / TV & Streaming
Jul 13, 2024

'The Boyfriend' host Durian Lollobrigida puts a face to queer joy

Involvement in Netflix's new reality dating show is just the latest success in the Japanese drag queen's rise.
One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
PODCAST / deep dive
Jul 22, 2024

Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Homeless influencers, fantasy boyfriends and bubble-era bars — Kabukicho seems to have it all.
Miho Nakayama rose to stardom in 1985 after the release of her first single “C,” which established her popularity as an idol.
CULTURE
Dec 9, 2024

Miho Nakayama, known for 'Love Letter' and her music, dies at 54

Nakayama had a solo Christmas show scheduled in Osaka on Friday, but had canceled the show in the morning, citing health reasons.
The central Hokkaido city of Asahikawa made headlines this year when one of its suburbs was named as the best place to live in Japan — a ranking earned in part due to the community's many outstanding restaurants and cafes.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Dec 28, 2024

How Hokkaido quietly became a culinary treasure trove in 2024

Food trucks, morsels with cutesy cues from nature and more helped Japan’s northernmost island have a stellar year.
Naoya Inoue will fight Kim Ye-joon on Jan. 24 after his original opponent, Sam Goodman, withdrew from the bout due to injury.
MORE SPORTS / Boxing
Jan 11, 2025

Inoue to fight Kim after Goodman pulls out with injury

The 32-year-old Kim, ranked No. 11 by the WBO, has 21 wins and two defeats with 13 knockouts and two draws.
Undisputed super bantamweight champion Naoya Inoue celebrates after defeating Kim Ye-joon in their title fight at Ariake Arena on Friday.
MORE SPORTS / Boxing
Jan 24, 2025

Naoya 'Monster' Inoue retains undisputed title with 4th-round knockout

Promoter Bob Arum announced after the fight that Inoue will fight in Las Vegas this spring.
While Valentine’s Day in the West is traditionally associated with men giving flowers to women, in Japan the day has typically involved women giving gifts of chocolate to men.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Feb 14, 2025

A sweet Japanese Valentine's Day tradition is nearly dead

The custom of giri-choco, loosely meaning "obligatory chocolate,” was once commonplace in offices around the country.
Karuizawa Distillers, which runs Komoro Distillery in Nagano Prefecture, has teamed up with the city of Furano and real estate developer Seibu Group to open a whisky distillery in Furano.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Jul 4, 2025

Beyond the lavender fields in Furano, a whisky distillery emerges

The region has teamed up with Karuizawa Distillers and property developer Seibu Group to build a state-of-the-art facility to make single malts.
A view of the city skyline in Shanghai. Threats to the global economic order have come at a furious pace during U.S. President Donald Trump's first eight months in office, but the global economy has kept growing.
BUSINESS / Economy / ANALYSIS
Sep 19, 2025

Global economy takes Trump shocks in stride, for now

While many players worry that things could still unravel given the right spark, it is a far cry from the most dour predictions early in Trump's term.
London-based Ukranian photographer Varvara Uhlik shows a juxtaposition of childlike innocence and uncertainty in “Sunshine, How Are You?” exhibited at “Seeeu.”
CULTURE / Art
Oct 31, 2025

First European Photography Month in Tokyo

With over two decades of photo festivals in Europe under its belt, the European Photography Month’s Tokyo excursion brings timely topics and aesthetic innovation in the art form.

Longform

Once smoky, male-dominated spaces, today's net cafes, like Kaikatsu Club, are working to make their operations more attractive to women customers.
The second life of Japan's net cafes