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Japan Times
Philippines report 2019
Jun 12, 2019

Tourism investments boost economic growth in the Philippines

As an archipelago, the Philippines offers a wealth of investment opportunities. Founded on a diverse cultural heritage and ancient traditions, the Philippines has become a leading regional economy offering world-class products and services while continuously attracting foreign investors. By placing significance...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
May 14, 2019

Embracing the Japan of the past through music with Meitei

As the Reiwa Era begins, Japanese music producer Daisuke Fujita, aka Meitei, is looking forward while sticking to the traditions of the past. Fresh from last year's spook-summoning album "Kwaidan," which featured in "Best Albums of 2018" accolades curated by the likes of Pitchfork and Bandcamp, the Hiroshima-based...
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
May 5, 2019

South Korea's booming 'webtoons' put Japan's print manga on notice

Japan has long prided itself on being a manga powerhouse, but intense competition from overseas has left the industry at a crossroads.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
May 4, 2019

'The Forest of Wool and Steel': Music and nature intertwine to paint a portrait of growth — review

Natsu Miyashita's 'The Forest of Wool and Steel' is a mesmerizing reading experience, a slow journey in how one young person renders an occupation into a vocation.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Apr 18, 2019

Kyotographie 2019: It's in the space

The banner image for "Vibe," the seventh edition of the Kyotographie International Photography Festival, is Scotsman Albert Watson's sepia-tinted portrait of Ryuichi Sakamoto, which was used for the musician's 1989 album "Beauty." It's an outrageously self-indulgent image, but so gorgeous, and the album...
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Mar 23, 2019

Flower power: A Tokyo florist's decision to close his shop amid a shrinking market affects a wider community

It's 2:30 a.m. and dark outside. Tsuyoshi Hirasawa can see his breath in the February chill as he turns the key in the ignition of his white Honda minivan. The large hands gripping the steering wheel are rough and leathery from years of working with water, soil and the stems and branches of plants he...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Regional voices: Chubu
Mar 11, 2019

Have Japan's yuru-kyara reached critical mass? Minds behind the mascots discuss

Over the past few decades, towns, cities and prefectures throughout Japan have been churning out mascots to represent and promote themselves, resulting in an annual contest, the Yuru-kyara Grand Prix, that has come to symbolize their popularity.
COMMUNITY / Voices / FOREIGN AGENDA
Feb 17, 2019

Whitewashing racial bias: The ball's in Japan's court

In what felt something like a case of deja vu from last year's Masatoshi Hamada blackface fiasco, Japan welcomed in 2019 with yet another racially insensitive controversy, this time in the form of an ad from food company Nissin.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Feb 12, 2019

'Kinkakuji': Staging a Japanese classic with a German twist

A new opera based on the quintessentially Japanese novel "Kinkakuji" is set to open in Tokyo following a premiere held not in Kyoto, where the famed golden pavilion of its title is to be found, but at the Opera National du Rhin in Strasbourg, France.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society / GENERATIONAL CHANGE
Feb 10, 2019

Japanese makeup guru on crusade to revamp men's grooming habits

As a university student, Hiroki Takahashi could barely step outside his home without a surgical mask on. Even when he did venture out, he was terrified of the fluorescent lighting ubiquitous in convenience stores and trains that ruthlessly illuminated what he was desperately trying to hide — a mass...
Japan Times
SATOYAMA CONSORTIUM
Dec 16, 2018

Castle, roses symbols of Fukuyama's revival

Fukuyama is the second-largest city in Hiroshima Prefecture with a population of approximately 470,000. It is located on the sunny coastal side of the Chugoku region, facing the Seto Inland Sea with the Chugoku mountain range in the background. It has served as a key point of traffic for both marine...
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Science & Health
Dec 10, 2018

Bug business: Cockroaches corralled by the millions in China to crunch waste

In the near pitch-dark, you can hear them before you see them — millions of cockroaches scuttling and fluttering across stacks of wooden boards as they devour food scraps by the ton in a novel form of urban waste disposal.
Japan Times
Figure Skating / ICE TIME
Dec 4, 2018

Moved by Hanyu: A fan's story of love for the skating legend

Two-time Olympic champion Yuzuru Hanyu's impact on the Japanese public during his career has been profound. This is irrefutable.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Oct 10, 2018

'Every Day a Good Day': The wonder of tea with Kirin Kiki

I attended my first tea ceremony decades ago, as part of a company orientation. Kneeling on the floor, I sat in the formal seiza position, stumbled through the motions and sipped the thick green tea. Just as the pain in my legs was reaching a crescendo, I bowed to my host and hobbled out. I had next...
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design
Oct 7, 2018

The artisans helping preserve the luster of Kishu lacquerware

The future of Kishu lacquerware will depend on young artisans finding the balance between tradition and modernization. But the value of the art lies not only in its beauty, but in the sacrifice and commitment of the artisans who dedicate their lives to carrying on a tradition.
BUSINESS
Oct 7, 2018

China crack down on luxury goods at customs alarms investors, makers of high-end goods

Social media reports that China is cracking down on travelers returning home with suitcases full of luxury goods have alarmed investors in companies ranging from Shiseido Co. to France's LVMH and Kering SA.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies / IDEAS IN ACTION
Oct 5, 2018

Company stumbles upon new software to build healthy work environment

Haruki Atarashi never thought his company's flagship software, Recog, which fosters communication between employees within companies, would ever evolve beyond just an internal project.
Reader Mail
Sep 21, 2018

Will Japan ever truly accept 'half-Japanese'?

Regarding tennis star Naomi Osaka, when will Japan begin to see all of its citizens as truly Japanese? The expression "hāfu" means one is only half Japanese with all the subtle layers of negative or racist connotations attached.
Reader Mail
Sep 21, 2018

Trump despises democracy

The Sept. 9 article "Trump orders Russia probe docs declassified" confirms one glaring fact: Donald Trump despises democracy and the rule of law. He barks like Mussolini while he bumbles like Mr. Bean.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Sep 14, 2018

Stoke the flames of tradition on Shimane’s ‘Iron Road’

Shimane Prefecture is an under-discovered wealth of history, natural beauty and high-quality artisan crafts — such as katana-quality steel. On this drive-yourself adventure step straight into Irontown and immerse yourself in the history and culture of tatara steel production.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / ADOPT ME!
Sep 2, 2018

Glam girl: a white cat named Sarah

Sarah has a lot going for her. In addition to her beauty, she's full of energy, bubbly, vivacious, loves toys, people and chasing things.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Aug 29, 2018

How one Hokkaido town curbed population decline in graying Japan

In early August, as much of the country suffered through some of its hottest temperatures on record, a small town in Hokkaido welcomed visitors from around the world to an annual photography festival that celebrated the outdoors.
Japan Times
JAPAN / History / THE LIVING PAST
Aug 18, 2018

Heian literature: Is all fair in love and no war?

There's nothing quite like Japan's Heian Period (794-1185). Almost four centuries of peace and a governing aristocracy of culture set it apart.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / ESSENTIAL READING FOR JAPANOPHILES
Aug 11, 2018

Kenzaburo Oe's 'Nip the Buds, Shoot the Kids' condemns wartime cruelty

Oe's first novel, published in 1958 when he was only 23, tells of a group of school children evacuated to a remote village to escape wartime bombing raids, only to be cut off and abandoned when plague breaks out.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
May 19, 2018

Mount Fuji is the gift to writers that keeps on giving

'Mountain/Home: New Translations from Japan' shows Mount Fuji from a variety of literary angles in this comprehensive anthology of translations.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / The Big Questions
May 13, 2018

CEO's eye for opportunity forged from global career

For IHG ANA Hotels Group Japan CEO Hans Heijligers, Japan's efforts in the men's 4u00d7100-meter relay during the 2016 Olympics speak volumes about Japanese character.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
May 8, 2018

Keishi Nagatsuka navigates cultural differences in bringing play about capital punishment to Japan

For casual fans of film, the name Martin McDonagh only became familiar after the movie he wrote, directed and produced, "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri," became the talk of this year's awards season.

Longform

Sumadori Bar on Shibuya Ward's main Center Gai street targets young customers who prefer low-alcohol drinks or abstain altogether.
Rethinking that second drink: Japan’s Gen Z gets ‘sober curious’