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Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / ESSENTIAL READING FOR JAPANOPHILES
Jul 11, 2021

‘Tea Life, Tea Mind’: Celebrating the simple act of serving tea

Green tea began in China as a medicinal brew, and grew in Japan into an aid to wakefulness and meditation for Zen monks. In time, the ceremony of its preparation became a mode of refinement for a social elite versed in introspection and aesthetics. In the modern age, however, few Japanese have the time...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / ADOPT ME!
Feb 7, 2021

Cumin the dog is starting to learn how wonderful life can be

He may look adorably goofy, with huge ears and a terribly skinny frame, but there has been nothing to smile about in Cumin's life until recently. At the tender age of 2 he has already had a rough time in life, but he's at ARK now and his gentle heart remains as strong as ever.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jan 27, 2021

‘A Family’: This sentimental ode to yakuza life ignores reality

Michihito Fujii's yakuza film waxes nostalgic about the old-school days of gangsterdom with soggy sentimentality.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Dec 24, 2020

Fables inspired by life in lockdown resonate with Japanese readers

Barry Yourgrau's struggle to cope with life during the COVID-19 pandemic inspired a burst of creative writing, which culminated in a book of short stories that became a hit in Japan.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Nov 28, 2020

A job for life, or not? A class divide deepens in Japan.

Recent court rulings threaten to further entrench the long-standing divide between so-called regular workers and the growing ranks of nonregular workers, many of whom are women.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Nov 21, 2020

Masters of their craft: Foreign apprentices reveal their life-changing experiences in Japan

You don't master traditional Japanese crafts, says Japanese lacquerware artist Suzanne Ross, “they master you.”
BUSINESS
Nov 4, 2020

As Japan moves to revive its countryside, pandemic drives many out of cities

In September, 30,644 people moved out of Tokyo, up 12.5% year-on-year, while the number moving in fell 11.7% to 27,006, data showed.
'Dorayaki' (red bean paste-filled pancakes) are humble treats with delicate sweetness — and the two Tokyo shops who may have created the treat are similarly light-handed in the way they pursue their claims as the originator of the morsel.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Jan 12, 2025

‘Dorayaki’ creators say flavors trump the dessert’s murky origins

More modern than you may think, filled ‘dorayaki’ pancakes have a past almost as sweet as the treat itself.
Pan-roasted baby beets, carrots, turnips and orange may be an otherwise American dish, but Sonoko Sakai's addition of lemon-miso yogurt turns it into a 'wafū' (Japanese style) marvel.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Jan 12, 2025

The case for Japan-ifying everything you cook

“Wafu Cooking: Everyday Recipes with Japanese Style” coins the term “wafuing” — shorthand for bringing Japanese flavors into anything and everything.
Yellowtail caught during the coldest period of the year is delicious enough — but paired with a classic method of marinade and pan-searing, it's divine.
LIFE / Food & Drink / Washoku Essentials
Jan 29, 2025

For two weeks only, cold-water yellowtail can give you chills

According to Japan’s hyperseasonal calendar, January brings with it the chance for yellowtail at the peak of flavor.
Smoke from the Palisades Fire rises over the Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu, California,  on Jan. 7.
WORLD / Science & Health
Jan 29, 2025

Scientists race to gauge Los Angeles fires’ impact on ocean life

The more than 15,000 structures that burned in the Los Angeles fires released carcinogenic clouds of ash that blew far out to sea.
The Osaka District Court sentenced former hospital employee Tomoya Yanagimoto, 28, to life in prison on Tuesday for raping and injuring 10 girls between the ages of 8 and 12 over a six-year period from March 2016.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Feb 19, 2025

Osaka court jails former hospital employee for life for raping 10 girls

Tomoya Yanagimoto, 28, raped and injured the girls — who were 8 to 12 years of age — between March 2016 and May 2022.
Laborers at a shipyard on the outskirts of Dhaka. Worker deaths, injuries and exposure to hazardous substances are common in the ship-breaking industry, as is environmental harm with toxic chemicals seeping into the beach and water, harming marine life.
ENVIRONMENT / Sustainability
Feb 19, 2025

Shipyards of Bangladesh brace as heavy emitting ships near end of life

Worker deaths and environmental harm are common in yards where vessels that have supplied richer nations are dismantled for scraps that can be used in manufacturing.
Tokoro Ruins Museum Director Yuuki Nakamura says that 'most Japanese people don’t know' the history of the Okhotsk culture, but he and others are betting that travelers might be intrigued enough to visit and find out more.
LIFE / Travel
Feb 22, 2025

Bear skulls and pit dwellings: Hokkaido aims to sell ancient history

The Okhostk culture thrived in northern Hokkaido from the fifth to ninth centuries and may have provided the Ainu with some of their best-known rituals.
Efrat Machikawa (center) and others protest in white near the Knesset in Jerusalem on Feb. 14, advocating for the safe return of hostages held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
JAPAN / Society
Feb 24, 2025

The terror, the protests and the reunion: Efrat Machikawa's life since the Israel-Hamas war

The family of Machikawa's uncle, 80-year-old Gadi Moses, taken hostage from southern Israel by Hamas in their October 2023 attack, waited nearly 500 days for him to return home.
The luxury Seven Stars in Kyushu train trades the hyper-efficiency of typical rail travel in Japan for a slower, more decadent version.
LIFE / Travel
Mar 1, 2025

Aboard Japan’s most luxurious train, the journey is the destination

For those with yen to burn, the Seven Stars in Kyushu is one of the most luxurious ways to experience some of southern Japan’s best hidden gems.
The Marugame Genichiro-Inokuma Museum of Contemporary Art is just one of many hidden art and architectural gems across the Kagawa coast.
LIFE / Travel
Mar 15, 2025

‘Resorts for the spirit’: Touring Kagawa’s art and architecture

The seaside cities of Takamatsu and Marugame are home to a heritage of beauty, from the monolithic to the modern.
People inspect the debris of a collapsed building in Mandalay, Myanmar, on Friday after an earthquake.
ASIA PACIFIC
Apr 1, 2025

Signs of life detected in quake-hit Bangkok skyscraper as overall death toll tops 2,000

Civil war in Myanmar is complicating efforts to reach those injured by the country's biggest quake in a century.
While Unzen Onsen's "hells" can be visually striking, locals describe them and their effects as "a source of emotional healing."
LIFE / Travel
Apr 12, 2025

Heaven from hells: The sulfuric pleasure of Unzen Onsen

Located deep within Kyushu’s Shimabara Peninsula, this hot spring town offers dramatic scenery worth the effort it takes to get there.
"Hachimitsu umeboshi" (pickled plums sweetened with honey), with their sweet-sour flavor, work as an excellent alternative to classic jam toppings for thumbprint cookies.
LIFE / Food & Drink / The Recipe Box
Apr 20, 2025

Thumbprint cookies with a tangy Japanese filling

Replace jam with pickled honey plums for a sweet-sour topping in your cookies.
The site of a cave-in incident in Yashio, Saitama Prefecture, on Jan. 30
JAPAN
Apr 28, 2025

Over 20% of Japan's water pipes are past their service life

The proportion of pipes in operation for over 40 years is expected to reach around 70% by fiscal 2042.
Dangami House is a 180-year-old former samurai residence of the Kato clan, who ruled over Ozu, Ehime Prefecture, until the Meiji Restoration.
JAPAN / Society / Longform
May 5, 2025

A house, a legacy and the quiet work of restoration in rural Japan

How one artist is using history, culture and community spirit to revive a fading samurai legacy — and possibly reshape rural Japan’s future.
The Hokkaido East Trail links some of the northern prefecture's most striking national parks and landscapes.
LIFE / Travel
May 24, 2025

In search of untouched Japan? Meet Hokkaido’s newest hiking trail.

The 410-kilometer Hokkaido East Trail links three national parks as it winds through marshland, calderas and more.
Yoshinobu Tsutsui (left), who is expected to become the new Keidanren chairman, speaks during a news conference in Tokyo on March 25, as the current chairman, Masakazu Tokura, looks on.
BUSINESS / FOCUS
May 23, 2025

Keidanren to install first leader from financial sector

The post of Keidanren chairman has traditionally been held by leaders from the manufacturing sector.
Charisma was overweight when she arrived at ARK, but has slimmed down to 8 kilograms.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / ADOPT ME!
May 29, 2025

This charming Shiba enjoys life’s simple pleasures

Charisma loves soft toys, snoozing in her favorite spot and getting a nice massage.
Kyoko Miura presenting a kamishibai picture story about her escape back to Japan from former Manchuria as a young girl after the end of the war, on June 27 in the city of Higashimatsushima, Miyagi Prefecture.
JAPAN
Jul 31, 2025

A girl’s life during wartime, told one picture at a time

Kyoko Miura heads a civic group based in the city of Higashimatsushima, Miyagi Prefecture, that is working on passing down stories of World War II to future generations.
Participants take part in the Pride March in Amsterdam on July 26.
WORLD / Society
Aug 4, 2025

Going Dutch: LGBTQ+ Americans find Trump-free life in Netherlands

In the face of rolled back rights, some LGBTQ+ people have voted with their feet.
A fish washes up on Glenelg Beach on July 13 in Adelaide, Australia. A toxic algal bloom has washed up dead and dying sea creatures along the South Australian coastline since mid March and was first detected on the state’s Fleurieu Peninsula and Kangaroo Island.
ENVIRONMENT / Wildlife
Aug 6, 2025

Toxic algae bloom off South Australia devastates marine life and tourism

The algal bloom, first detected in March, spans an area 4,500 square kilometers and has been aggravated by rising ocean temperatures.

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