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Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Nov 3, 2018

From vulnerability to violence, Yukiko Motoya enchants with ‘The Lonesome Bodybuilder’

Like a bouquet of exotic flowers, the stories in 'The Lonesome Bodybuilder' are varied and full of surprise, starting out with mundane situations and then turning strange in a way that feels uniquely Japanese.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / BACKSTREET STORIES
Nov 2, 2018

Playing cat and mouse in the alleyways of Harajuku

Although most people familiar with Tokyo's Harajuku area have explored — or at least heard of — the uber-trendy and fashion-focused Cat Street, the smaller and quieter road that runs above it is full of its own unique mishmash of history, food and fashion.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 2, 2018

Japanese towns that thrive on once-abundant squid suffer as numbers decline at alarming rate

Takashi Odajima picked up a cracked and faded photograph and dusted it off with his sleeve. He smiled a little sadly at the image from long ago, back when he was a baby boy.
Japan Times
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Nov 2, 2018

Appearing to swagger, Pittsburgh synagogue massacre suspect pleads not guilty

Appearing defiant and swaggering, the man charged with killing 11 worshipers in a Pittsburgh synagogue, pleaded not guilty on Thursday in a federal court as the Jewish community buried three more of the dead.
Japan Times
Rugby
Nov 1, 2018

Steve Hansen names second-string squad to face Brave Blossoms

New Zealand head coach Steve Hansen on Thursday told his new-look All Blacks to "trust your instincts" after naming his team for Saturday's test against Japan.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Oct 30, 2018

At death's door: The attraction of living in homes with ghastly pasts

Television sets inexplicably turn on and off. Visitors who enter his room complain of sudden migraines. Rapping sounds keep him awake at night, and psychics warn he is being stalked by ghostly apparitions.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
Oct 28, 2018

Indian women in Japan struggle to find their niche

After following their husbands to Japan, educated Indian women face obstacles tracking down work that matches their qualifications.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Oct 28, 2018

Duchamp and Japan: No rest for the urinal

If you want someone to blame for Banksy's stunt of shredding "Girl With Balloon" after selling it for $1.4 million at auction, your prime suspect currently has a major retrospective at the Tokyo National Museum.
JAPAN / History / Defining the Heisei Era
Oct 27, 2018

Defining the Heisei Era: When anime and manga went global

The Heisei Era commenced after two gods fell in rapid succession. The first, Emperor Hirohito, was no longer officially a god, having repudiated his quasi-divine status under the terms of Japan's surrender in World War II, but he remained god-like in stature. His January death in 1989 at age 87 signaled...
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Society / FOCUS
Oct 22, 2018

Women live in fear as spycam epidemic takes hold in South Korea

South Korea is in the grip of a spycam epidemic, with covert footage of sex, nudity and urination posted online in what amounts to a "social death penalty" for thousands of women forced to live with a pornographic shadow.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Internationalization of Japanese Universities
Oct 22, 2018

Timing ripe for pursuing higher education in Japan

There they go, gliding through conversations in flawless Japanese with ease, catching the locals' jokes, even making their own. It all seemed so effortless for them and there I was, struggling away trying to string together a semi-coherent sentence. Just as I had aligned all that tricky grammar into...
JAPAN / Internationalization of Japanese Universities
Oct 22, 2018

Voices from 10 students and recent graduates

In an increasingly globalized world, going abroad for higher education is becoming more common. Here, 10 students and recent graduates of Japanese universities share their experiences with English-heavy degree programs.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / ADOPT ME!
Oct 21, 2018

Unstoppable: a calico cat named Leggy

Leggy is petite at 3 kg, but perfectly healthy, and the lack of one of her hind legs does not hinder her.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHY DID YOU LEAVE JAPAN?
Oct 20, 2018

Building a career in toy design, brick by brick

When The Lego Group announced that it was shutting down its design operations in Japan, it offered a new opportunitity for designer Junya Suzuki — relocation to Billund in Denmark, the birthplace of Lego and the company's global headquarters.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 20, 2018

Is 'Hothouse Earth' avoidable?

The only way to balance growth and sustainability is through structural and societal transformation on a global scale.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design
Oct 19, 2018

Designart Tokyo 2018 looks beyond 2021

Designart, Tokyo's annual festival encompassing all creative genres, is a cornucopia of design-related presentations and exhibitions within galleries, shops and event spaces. Celebrating its second iteration at a larger scale this year, the festival has its eyes set on the future: beyond 2021 to be precise....
EDITORIALS
Oct 18, 2018

China must not be free to suppress its Muslim minority

Beijing is pursuing an extraordinary and outrageous policy in its far western province of Xinjiang.
BUSINESS
Oct 18, 2018

U.K. shadow finance minister commits Brexit gaffe by longing for 'united' Ireland

Asked for his Brexit solution to avoid a hard border on the island of Ireland, a leading member of the U.K.'s main opposition party dropped a bombshell.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 16, 2018

An AI wake-up call from ancient Greece

Those warning about artificial intelligence's dangers are right to invoke Pandora and her jar of miseries.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 16, 2018

Dying of loneliness, despite all our social media 'friends'

How can America fix its epidemic of loneliness?
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design
Oct 14, 2018

Good Design Awards go beyond industrial design

There's no shortage of transformative ideas in Japan, particularly in the field of design. This year's Good Design Awards showcased many surprising examples of innovation from Japan and abroad.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Oct 13, 2018

Can female surgeons dismantle stereotypes in Japan?

The long-running American TV series "Grey's Anatomy" is popular because of the way it mixes standard medical drama with mushy romantic intrigue, but another part of its appeal is the makeup of its characters. The drama takes place in the surgical department of a Seattle hospital, and half the doctors...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Oct 13, 2018

Italy's first sushi chef on risk, reward and personal sacrifice

Minoru 'Shiro' Hirasawa served the country's first sushi over 40 years ago.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Oct 13, 2018

Mountain High: Junko Tabei's adventures at the top of the world

Junko Tabei was a pioneering alpinist who dramatically changed the landscape of mountaineering around the world. Previously available only in Japanese, excerpts of her writing have been translated and compiled into 'Honouring High Places,' a beautifully illustrated retrospective.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Oct 13, 2018

Junko Naito: Living and working a la mode

As Amazon Fashion Week Tokyo kicks in, PR veteran Junko Naito talks about her life in style
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Oct 13, 2018

Politics and cinema intermingle at Busan International Film Festival

The 23rd edition of the Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) opened Oct. 4 as Typhoon Kong-rey approached the South Korean port city. When the storm peaked on Saturday morning, some public events were cancelled, but the screenings continued and were still packed with press, industry people and, most...
CULTURE / TV & Streaming
Oct 11, 2018

Anpanman: Is the children's superhero the best thing since sliced bread?

Illustrator Takashi Yanase's beaming cartoon character celebrates the 30th anniversary of 'Soreike! Anpanman' on Nippon TV.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Oct 10, 2018

Haru Nemuri's rapping and roaring speaks to the zeitgeist of 2018

Haruna Kimishima knew her music had found an audience overseas when her Twitter DMs began to fill up with English.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 10, 2018

The end of coal could be closer than it looks

Despite a pessimistic forecast, it's possible to meet consumption-cut targets on the current path.
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...

Longform

Bear attacks have dominated Japanese news headlines in recent months, with 13 people so far having been killed by the animals.
Japan’s bears have been on their killing spree for more than 100 years