Search - 2013

 
 
CULTURE / CULTURE SMASH
Jan 21, 2017

Japanese folklore meets anime in Kyoto

The colors were jarring. Beneath the vermillion torii gates of Kyoto's Shimogamo Shrine and surrounded by the olive broadleaves of Tadasu Forest was a pool of furry, bright yellow ponchos, decorated with the brown facial features, rounded ears and bulbous oblong tails of the tanuki, or Japanese raccoon...
Japan Times
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Jan 21, 2017

Stress mounts as fees fall in Japan for home deliveries

The rise of online retailers has led to a race to the bottom for home delivery firms desperate to hold on to the huge amount of business these shopping sites provide.
EDITORIALS
Jan 21, 2017

Relief for Minamata victims

The government has done a poor job of identifying and providing relief to victims of Minamata disease.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 21, 2017

Toshiba stuck with billions in unsold gas on top of nuclear troubles

Toshiba Corp. is seeking help from a large buyer of liquefied natural gas to avoid billions in potential losses if it can't sell American gas it holds.
ASIA PACIFIC / Crime & Legal
Jan 21, 2017

U.S. asks South Korea to arrest brother of former U.N. chief Ban

The U.S. government has asked South Korea to arrest a brother of former U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on charges that he engaged in a bribery scheme to carry out the sale of a Vietnamese building complex, a U.S. prosecutor said on Friday.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jan 20, 2017

Global salary gaps hindering automakers' efforts to lure IT workers

Headhunter Casey Abel spent four months trying to hire a data center architect for a Japanese automaker, including five meetings with the client — one with the top executive. In the end, the IT specialist joined an e-commerce company abroad for significantly more money.
CULTURE / Books
Jan 20, 2017

Sumito Yamashita claims 156th Akutagawa Prize

The 156th Akutagawa Prize was awarded to 50-year-old author Sumito Yamashita for his book "Shinsekai (New World)," which explores his teenage experiences, the selection committee of the prestigious literary award announced Thursday.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 20, 2017

Confidant says Emperor told him he wants abdication option codified for future monarchs

Mototsugu Akashi, an 83-year-old retiree in Tokyo, received a call at around 10 p.m. on July 21 at home from the most unexpected, unlikely caller: Emperor Akihito.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 20, 2017

Record 9.4 million foreign tourists visited Osaka in 2016

Over 9.4 million foreign tourists visited Osaka last year, the largest number ever, Osaka tourism authorities announced earlier this week.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Jan 20, 2017

Fortress Washington braces for anti-Trump protests and biker allies ready to step in

Washington turned into a virtual fortress on Thursday ahead of Donald Trump's presidential inauguration, with police ready to step in to separate protesters from Trump supporters at any sign of unrest during the festivities.
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Jan 19, 2017

Thief makes €15 million jewelry heist in Cannes

A robber brandishing a pistol and a grenade stole diamonds worth €15 million ($16 million) on Wednesday in the French Riviera town of Cannes and calmly escaped on foot, a regional prosecutor said.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jan 18, 2017

Trump's options for weakening dollar extend far beyond tweeting

Donald Trump may have a point: the dollar is indeed strong. Judging from the Federal Reserve's own trade-weighted dollar index, the U.S. currency is now around 7 percent above its four-decade average.
Japan Times
Figure Skating / ICE TIME
Jan 17, 2017

Hiwatashi aims for top-eight finish at U.S. nationals

Reigning American junior champion Tomoki Hiwatashi will compete in the senior U.S. nationals for the first time this week when he takes the ice at Kansas City's Sprint Center.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / DAVOS SPECIAL 2017
Jan 17, 2017

A taste of high-quality Japanese food and drink

Davos participants again this year will have a chance to taste and experience the finest the world of Japanese gastronomy has to offer at the Central Sporthotel Davos on Jan. 18.
BUSINESS / DAVOS SPECIAL 2017
Jan 17, 2017

Ancient seat of Japan's warrior culture

The origin of Japan's ruling class extends into the mists of ancient history, far before the country was unified after a period of civil wars and well into the first millennium A.D.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 15, 2017

As Trump era looms, Beijing fortifies the South China Sea

Since last year's surprising election of Donald Trump, Beijing has looked to up the stakes and increase its leverage in the disputed South China Sea. This past December, China seized a U.S. Navy unmanned underwater vehicle near the Philippines. The seizure was made outside of Beijing's expansive and...
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 15, 2017

Dangerous uncertainty surrounds Taiwan Strait

The world's most dangerous flash point got much more dangerous last Wednesday when China sent its lone aircraft carrier into the Taiwan Strait and Taiwan scrambled fighter jets in response. This is how accidental wars start: provocation and counter-provocation in an environment with too much uncertainty....
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle / CHILD'S PLAY
Jan 14, 2017

Don't let winter stop you from going out

It's the coldest part of the year in Japan. Combine frigid weather with cramped apartments, rambunctious kids and a dose of cabin fever and you have a parent's recipe for frustration. However, in Tokyo there are countless options for indoor family fun, and with the season in mind, I've created a list...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Jan 14, 2017

Mishima and the maze of sexuality in modern Japan

In June 1948, novelist Osamu Dazai committed suicide. The 38-year-old, who had just completed his masterpiece, "No Longer Human," and whose fame was peaking, jumped into Tokyo's Tamagawa Canal with his mistress, Tomie Yamazaki, and drowned.
Japan Times
WORLD
Jan 14, 2017

Assad linked to Syrian chemical attacks for first time

International investigators have said for the first time that they suspect President Bashar Assad and his brother are responsible for the use of chemical weapons in the Syrian conflict, according to a document seen by Reuters.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KANPAI CULTURE
Jan 13, 2017

Ginza sushi restaurant tests Champagne pairing

Nothing says "festive" like Champagne, that most elegant of elixirs. The drink's life-affirming effervescence makes it a natural choice for New Year's celebrations, but Champagne pairs so well with many of my favorite foods that I drink it far more often than once a year — with everything from raw...
CULTURE / Film
Jan 11, 2017

'The Neon Demon': Demonically arty — in a good way

With "The Neon Demon," director Nicolas Winding Refn seems to have come to the end of a trilogy that began with "Drive" (2011) and continued through "Only God Forgives" (2013). The idea seems to be to take genre-flick styles — car action, revenge and horror — and unravel them to the point where they...

Longform

Japan's growing ranks of centenarians are redefining what it means to live in a super-aging society.
What comes after 100?