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Japan Times
WORLD
Apr 11, 2022

The mysterious man who built (and then lost) Little Tokyo

The cluster of these Japanese-style businesses on Stuyvesant Street came together organically over many years. Japan Village emerged nearly all at once.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Nov 11, 2021

‘We Couldn't Become Adults’: A loving look back at brighter days

Yoshihiro Mori's film about broken dreams and lost love meticulously recreates Tokyo as it was in the 1990s, and its two leads deliver finely nuanced performances.
Japan Times
LIFE / Longform
Jul 6, 2021

In search of Japan's lost wolves: Primal howl

In the first installation of a five-part series, we track a four-legged enigma that some believe might still be roaming the nation's mountains and forests.
Japan Times
Special Supplements / Work from Home Special
May 25, 2020

‘New normal,’ new perspectives

Getting used to life at home? For many around the world, staying at home 24/7 has become the new normal. For Japan, a country known for its corporate warriors who demonstrate dedication through spending most of their time in the workplace, the coronavirus pandemic could transform the nation's corporate world.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Mar 29, 2020

Tax incentives needed to promote recurrent education

There are no countries in the world that do not wish for eternal prosperity. Nothing can ensure such prosperity except education of their people. Many people may take that to mean school education for children and youth. However, what will be far more important going forward will be recurrent education,...
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
LIFE / Travel
Feb 22, 2019

Morioka: Crafts, poetry and Tohoku’s bleak nature

Though Kenji Miyazawa was little-known in his lifetime, since his death he has been heralded as one of the most important Japanese poets of the early 20th century and one of Iwate Prefecture's most treasured sons. Miyazawa lived in and around Morioka for much of his life and, even now, there remain whispers of him throughout the city.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Feb 12, 2019

Crossing 70 years of Katsushika Hokusai

Featuring an astounding 480 prints, spanning the entire 70 years of Katushika Hokusai's career, the new Hokusai exhibition at the Mori Arts Center Gallery is a great overview for ukiyo-e fans.
JAPAN
Nov 7, 2018

Japanese buzzwords of 2018 nominees reflect myriad influences and issues

Thirty candidates for buzzword of the year, announced Wednesday, highlight the numerous scandals that rocked Japan's amateur sports, the brutal summer of natural disasters as well as the country's response to the worldwide #MeToo movement against sexual harassment.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle / CHILD'S PLAY
Oct 7, 2018

Art classes can help boost your kids' creativity

Take your kids to an art class and let their imaginations run wild.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / THE HIGH GROUNDS
Aug 11, 2018

Tokyo cafes serve up coffee with a side of cyclo-tourism

Although Tokyo's nascent cycling tourism sector is ostensibly aimed at inbound tourists, 'cycle cafes' are designed to create sustainable communities by combining coffee and culture.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Oct 27, 2017

Northern exposure: Discovering silence in Okinawa

Learning to relax beyond Nago in the southern archipelago.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Aug 17, 2017

For the sake of productivity, put a woman in charge

A shift from long hours to efficient, goal-oriented work is exactly the right medicine for white-collar Japan
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Jul 23, 2016

Is the eel industry on the slippery slope to extinction?

Dwindling domestic population threatens a centuries-old tradition.
U.S. President Joe Biden greets his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, in Woodside, California, on Nov. 15 during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Dec 19, 2023

Thaw in U.S.-China ties driven by domestic issues

There were no breakthroughs in Biden-Xi summit. But since then, there has been a lowering of tension and a rare sense of stability in the relationship.
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Dec 28, 2023

Who will grab the spotlight at sumo's first tourney of 2024?

Ozeki Kirishima has his sights set on the ultimate promotion, while debutant Onosato is looking to impress in his highly anticipated debut.
Military-style dog tags worn on neckchains have become a symbol of solidarity with Israeli hostages held in Gaza.
WORLD / Politics
Jan 15, 2024

Israeli dog tags become symbol of solidarity with hostages

The assault by Hamas on southern Israel on Oct. 7 caused the worst loss of Jewish life in one day since the Holocaust and the deadliest day in Israel's 75-year history.
Imanaga pumps his fist after closing out the seventh inning against the Cardinals on Saturday at Wrigley Field in Chicago.
BASEBALL / MLB
Jun 16, 2024

Shota Imanaga is becoming a star for the Cubs. How did MLB not see this coming?

Shota Imanaga, who is an early candidate for the Cy Young Award, has quickly established himself as a dynamic presence who pitches with passion and style.
Japan's men's and women's gymnastics teams pose for photos during a news conference to announce the team's uniforms for the 2024 Games.
OLYMPICS / Gymnastics
Jun 24, 2024

Leotard vs. unitard debate in gymnastics still raging ahead of Paris Olympics

The German gymnastics team took a stand against sexualization in the sport in 2021, but heading into Paris, the leotard is still very much in vogue in Japan and abroad.
Honoka Hayashi in action during a match against Great Britain at the Tokyo Olympics, in Sapporo on July 24, 2021. Hayashi’s clinical passing, acute understanding of the game and high work-rate make her an embodiment of Nadeshiko soccer principles.
OLYMPICS
Jul 24, 2024

Nadeshiko Japan’s Honoka Hayashi ready to settle the score at Paris Games

Lauded for her intricate passing and soccer intelligence, Hayashi has adjusted her game to fit the demanding nature of elite leagues over the course of her career.
The Hengshan Calligraphy Art Center (HCAC) aims to serve as a base for calligraphy research and education and function as a hub for calligraphy art in Asia.
CULTURE / Art
Jul 25, 2024

In uncertain times, Taiwanese art flourishes

New museums and a lively creative scene reflect an evolving, forward-looking society.
A collage made of undated handout pictures released by the Yamagata University Institute of Nasca shows 10 of 303 new geoglyphs discovered by scientists at the university in Japan.
JAPAN / Science & Health / Longform
Oct 21, 2024

The Japanese researcher uncovering the mystery of Peru’s Nazca Lines

Masato Sakai has dedicated his career to the collection of desert etchings. AI is starting to make his work much easier.
Onosato pushes out Hoshoryu during the Autumn Grand Sumo Tournament in Tokyo last month.
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Oct 30, 2024

Onosato hogs spotlight, but there are big changes in latest sumo ranks

With his name writ large as ozeki on the latest banzuke, sumo’s hottest ticket took another step toward what looks like a procession to yokozuna.
Kotozakura speaks during a news conference in Fukuoka on Monday
SUMO
Nov 25, 2024

Kotozakura unburdened by weight of history after claiming first title

Sumo's top-ranked ozeki has won his first Emperor’s Cup.
MLB Hall of Famer Rickey Henderson after throwing out the ceremonial first pitch before a game between the Mariners and the Athletics in Seattle on Sept. 29.
BASEBALL / MLB
Dec 22, 2024

Rickey Henderson, baseball’s flamboyant ‘Man of Steal,’ dies at 65

Henderson holds the MLB career record for stolen bases with 1,406 — a mark unlikely to be swiped from him anytime soon, or perhaps ever.
Rahm Emanuel professes that the biggest thing he has brought to the U.S.-Japan relationship might be a fresh injection of vitality.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 9, 2025

Emanuel leaves reform legacy amid historic shifts in U.S.-Japan alliance

The departing U.S. ambassador arguably oversaw the most consequential shift in the U.S.-Japan alliance in decades.
Kaz Shiomi is looking forward to the Osaka Expo this year, which will be held from April 13 to Oct. 13.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Jan 10, 2025

Kaz Shiomi: ‘I want to show people … how to color outside the lines’

Producing toys under her kiko+ & gg* brand, the business owner hopes to encourage children to find their own unique paths in life.
The film to beat for the Niigata International Animation Film Festival’s top prize seems to be Kiyotaka Oshiyama’s “Look Back,” one of the two Japanese features in competition.
CULTURE / Film
Mar 20, 2025

Indie films vie for views at Niigata animation festival

From Satoshi Kon tributes to indie gems, this year's Niigata International Animation Film Festival continues its dedication to feature-length animation.
Rengo President Tomoko Yoshino speaks at a Democratic Party for the People convention in Sumida Ward, Tokyo, on Feb. 11.
BUSINESS / WOMEN AT WORK
Apr 6, 2025

Breaking with tradition: From the shop floor to fighting for millions

Tomoko Yoshino has rubbed shoulders with political heavyweights and business leaders as the first female leader of Rengo.
Students practice dance during a project activity at Hotei Junior High School in Konan, Aichi Prefecture.
JAPAN / Regional voices: Chubu
Apr 28, 2025

'Voluntary' school clubs face reform amid excessive burdens

Club activities have long been a standard part of junior high and high school life in Japan, but some schools now struggle to form teams.

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