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Caeleb Dressel dives into the pool during the U.S. Olympic swimming trials in Indianapolis, Indiana, on Thursday.
OLYMPICS / Swimming
Jun 23, 2024

Resurgent Caeleb Dressel has new take on young swimming rivals

Dressel's five golds at the pandemic-delayed Tokyo Games included individual triumphs in the 50 and 100 free and the 100 butterfly.
Sanfrecce have attracted more than 25,000 fans to each of their J. League games at the spectacular Edion Peace Wing Hiroshima since it opened in February.
SOCCER / J. League
Jun 23, 2024

Sanfrecce feeling right at home at shiny new stadium in Hiroshima

The soccer club's new home has helped the team attract more than 25,000 fans to each J1 game in the baseball-mad city.
Amy Yang walks off the green on the 15th hole during the third round of the Women's PGA Championship in Sammamish, Washington, on Saturday.
MORE SPORTS / Golf
Jun 23, 2024

Eyeing first major, Amy Yang grabs two-shot lead at Women's PGA

Miyu Yamashita of Japan and Lauren Hartlage are tied for second heading into the final round of the major tournament.
Kiyoshie Saruwaka, 74, a member of Ara Style Senior — Japan's only breakdancing club made up of older citizens — practices a move known as "chair freeze" in Tokyo on April 26.
OLYMPICS / Breakdancing
Jun 30, 2024

Inspired by Olympics debut, Japan's seniors blaze breakdancing trail

Ara Style Senior is Japan's only breaking club made up of older citizens.
Simone Manuel, seen on at the U.S. trials in Indianapolis on June 18, won the 50-meter freestyle on Sunday.
OLYMPICS
Jun 24, 2024

Simone Manuel wins 50-meter freestyle race at U.S. trials

Manuel said she's focused on getting faster and having some fun with her U.S. teammates.
An injured man is brought into the al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah, in the central Gaza Strip, following the Israeli bombardment of a residential apartment on June 8.
WORLD
Jun 27, 2024

U.S. health workers describe dire conditions at Gaza's hospitals

A lack of supplies meant many had to make agonizing decisions on who would live and who would die.
Tadej Pogacar (left) rides behind rival Jonas Vingegaard and Vingegaard's teammate Sepp Kuss during the Tour de France in July last year.
MORE SPORTS / Cycling
Jun 27, 2024

Tour de France favorite Pogacar says he has 'never felt so good on a bike'

The Slovenian is seeking to become the first cyclist since Marco Pantani in 1998 to win both the Giro d'Italia and Tour de France in the same season.
Yuta Orisaka strips things back on his latest album, “Jumon,” though it still features a few explosive moments.
CULTURE / Music
Jun 28, 2024

Yuta Orisaka's folk style is far more than a throwback

The singer-songwriter wanted to make songs his grandmother could enjoy, but that doesn't mean he'll skimp on the electronic touches.
Ryosuke Kunisawa hopes his "concept brewpub" serves as a focal point to an image change for the salaryman epicenter that is the Shimbashi neighborhood.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Jun 30, 2024

Craft beer, craftsmanship and a family of reinvention

On the first two floors of his family’s slender eight-story building, Kunisawa launched the Kunisawa Brewing Company, Shimbashi's first beer brewery, in May 2022.
Kamekichi Fujiwara has been making 'New York-style' pizza in Tokyo's Kichijoji neighborhood since 1967.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Jun 30, 2024

At Tony’s Pizza, ‘New York style’ is a state of mind

In 1967, Kamekichi Fujiwara made his first pizza layered with Dutch edam, mozzarella from Germany and Danish Maribo — and it’s what Tony’s Pizza still serves today.
While Japan may not have a large market for English-language publications, there's still hope to grow your career overseas while living here.
COMMUNITY / How-tos
Jul 1, 2024

How to make it as an English-language author in Japan

Some writers find career stability in teaching, while others find that the culture and vibrance of this country inspires their imaginations.
Fawn Weaver's book “Love and Whiskey,” out this month, is an engrossing narrative tracking the author's discovery of the truth behind one of the most popular whiskey brands in the world.
CULTURE / Books
Jun 30, 2024

‘Love and Whiskey’: A tale of how an obsession delivered a woman from grief

Through Fawn Weaver’s efforts, bracketed within a personal tragedy, the true story of how Jack Daniel learned how to make whiskey from a Black slave comes to life.
Horror artist Junji Ito adds just a dash of comedy to his work, though he aims for it to be understated. “If it’s truly a horror story, the humor must be restrained and more veiled,” he says.
CULTURE / Art
Jun 29, 2024

Fear still matters to Junji Ito

Currently on view at Tokyo's Setagaya Literary Museum is an extensive collection of the horror master's work, the first large-scale exhibition of it's kind in Japan.
An image of U.S. President Joe Biden is displayed as his Republican challenger, former U.S. President Donald Trump, holds a campaign event, in Chesapeake, Virginia, on Friday.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 29, 2024

Fearful and doubting Biden, Democrats face an uncertain path forward

Some began to reconsider their support after his rough debate showing, but there was no agreement on how, or whether, to urge him to step off the ticket.
Iga Swiatek during her quarterfinal match against Ukraine's Elina Svitolina at last year's Wimbledon.
TENNIS
Jun 29, 2024

Swiatek looks for Wimbledon breakthrough as rivals face fitness woes

Fresh from her fourth French Open title, the 23-year-old will head to the All England Club primed to go past the quarterfinals for the first time.
Hiroyuki Fujita hits a shot during the second round of the U.S. Senior Open Championship at Newport Country Club in Rhode Island on Friday.
BASEBALL / Golf
Jun 30, 2024

Hiroyuki Fujita leads by two shots at U.S. Senior Open

The Japanese golfer sits at 14-under 196, two shots ahead of Steve Stricker and three in front of Australian Richard Green.
Lakers forward Rui Hachimura will be a key part of Japan's Olympic ambitions this summer.
BASKETBALL
Jul 1, 2024

Japan’s basketball stars set sights on glory at Paris Games

Some think Akatsuki Japan is sending the best team it has ever assembled to the Olympics.
Naomi Osaka in action during her Wimbledon women's singles first round match against Diane Parry in Wimbledon, London, on Monday. Osaka won the match 6-1, 1-6, 6-4.
TENNIS
Jul 2, 2024

Osaka wins first match at Wimbledon since 2018

The player recovered from a break down in the final set to defeat Diane Parry of France.
"Khaing," a former teacher with the Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM), sits in a restaurant where she works after fleeing from Myanmar to Thailand to avoid conscription by Myanmar's military junta, in Bangkok on June 4.
ASIA PACIFIC
Jul 2, 2024

'Can't go back': Myanmar conscription exiles struggle in Thailand

Myanmar's junta says it wants to enlist 5,000 people a month aged between 18 and 35, but details are vague.
Merih Demiral scores his team's second goal during Turkey's win over Austria on Tuesday in Leipzig, Germany.
SOCCER
Jul 3, 2024

It took soul to beat Austria, says Turkey manager Vincenzo Montella

Merih Demiral struck in each half for Turkey in a 2-1 full-throttle victory that had pundits raving that it was the tournament's best game so far.
Lakers second round draft pick Bronny James is introduced at a news conference in El Segundo, California, on Tuesday.
BASKETBALL
Jul 3, 2024

Bronny James ready for pressure after 'surreal' Lakers move

The 19-year-old former University of Southern California player was chosen by the Lakers last week with the 55th pick in the NBA draft.
R-Shitei (left) and DJ Matsunaga have scored the biggest hit of the year so far in Japan with “Bling-Bang-Bang-Born.” The track is inspired by the Jersey club style of music, right down to the squeaky chair sample.
CULTURE / Music
Jul 3, 2024

Is Creepy Nuts' catchy, rapid-fire 'Bling-Bang-Bang-Born' the song of the year?

The fast-paced ode to a style called Jersey club is everywhere in Tokyo, and it may just be the rap duo's key to international success.
Naomi Osaka reacts after losing a point against Emma Navarro during the second round of Wimbledon, in London on Wednesday.
TENNIS
Jul 4, 2024

Naomi Osaka focuses on Olympics after Wimbledon exit

The Japanese superstar, playing at the All England Club for the first time since 2019, went down 6-4, 6-1 in her second-round match on Centre Court in less than an hour.
A man holds new 10,000 yen bills at a Saitama Resona Bank branch in Saitama Prefecture on Wednesday.
JAPAN
Jul 4, 2024

People flock to get new banknotes in areas linked to new bills

The ¥10,000, ¥5,000 and ¥1,000 notes have been redesigned for the first time in 20 years.
Japan's Tatsuru Saito competes during the 2022 world championship in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
OLYMPICS / Judo
Jul 4, 2024

Japan's Tatsuru Saito aims to emulate late father with judo Olympic gold

Hitoshi Saito was a judo great who triumphed at consecutive Olympics in 1984 and 1988 at over 95 kilograms.
You can often see generations of families enjoying performances together at Fuji Rock Festival.
PODCAST / deep dive
Jul 4, 2024

Japan’s summer music festivals are feeling the heat in more ways than one

Summer music festivals are back, but for how long? Climate change is putting the heat on our favorite outdoor entertainment.
After losing her family to a plane accident, Suzie (played by Rashida Jones) receives a posthumous gift from her husband in the form of a robot named Sunny (voiced by Joanna Sotomura).
CULTURE / TV & Streaming
Jul 5, 2024

Rashida Jones uncovers an AI-fueled mystery in the AppleTV+ series 'Sunny'

Set in Kyoto, the story about a woman dealing with grief and an unexpected robot companion is a departure from the actor's comedic repertoire.
Essentially ramen broken down into a few constituent parts, 'tsukemen' was the creation of a Tokyo chef in 1961.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Jul 7, 2024

How Tokyo’s ‘deconstructed ramen’ became a national favorite

Like other twists on quintessential Japanese dishes, ‘tsukemen’ has a decidedly more modern origin than you might think.
Asuka was one of Japan's earliest imperial capitals before the court eventually decamped for other locales.
LIFE / Travel
Jul 6, 2024

Cycling through Asuka, the forgotten capital of ancient Japan

During the Yamato Period (300-710), this village was one of the earliest capitals of the nascent Yamato state, even meriting its own aptly named Asuka Period (552-645).
American Gregorio Narvasa has gone from baking cookies in his spare to time to working with major Tokyo companies from his new Koenji shop.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives
Jul 7, 2024

Koenji gets a new cookie shop. Its owner gets a community.

After several years of sharing his creations at pop-up events scattered across Tokyo, Gregorio Narvasa opened a physical bake shop in Koenji on April 20 of this year.

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