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Though not wild about other cats (nor impressed at all by dogs), Jewel’s love of people has helped her bear the drastic upheaval in her life.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives
Feb 26, 2024

A purr like a symphony

Jewel's purr rises in a slow crescendo that’s almost lyrical — pure music to a cat lover’s ears.
The low proportion of women in paid employment in India is a matter of serious concern and policymakers should focus more on generating demand for female labor
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 25, 2024

Are social norms really the main cause of low female employment?

The proportion of women in paid work remains very low in India, despite the economy experiencing high rates of growth and rapid poverty reduction.
Takuya Usami, the curator at Mantenboshi, a stargazing observatory in Noto, Ishikawa Prefecture, said that a survey by the Environment Ministry had ranked the Noto region as among the best places in Japan for stargazing.
JAPAN / Society
Feb 29, 2024

Stargazing observatory in quake-hit Noto looks forward to reopening

“I want to show everyone little by little the beauty of the starry sky, one of Noto’s attractions," a curator at the observatory said.
“True View of Mount Asama” by Ike Taiga
CULTURE
Mar 1, 2024

Ike Taiga's revolutionary act of capturing natural beauty

Idemitsu Museum of Arts showcases the Edo Period painter's realistic landscapes at the first retrospective of his work in Tokyo in 13 years.
Several U.S. lawmakers along with TikTok creators hold a news conference to voice their opposition to the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act in Washington on Tuesday.
COMMENTARY
Mar 13, 2024

America’s TikTok addiction isn’t just China’s fault

If you’ve spent time on the platform, you will know how addictive TikTok is. With 170 million users, at least one in three Americans have accessed it.
Wakana Nukui has been described as having a knack for storytelling and vividly sharing her vision with those around her.
BUSINESS / WOMEN AT WORK
Mar 24, 2024

A social entrepreneur who is determined to lift Cambodian women's status

Wakana Nukui has fostered new talent in design while opening shops dedicated to local products.
Mary Ann Eduarte at her home in Montalban, Rizal, the Philippines.
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Mar 15, 2024

Cancer patients in the Philippines falling for alternative 'cures'

The trend was fueled by the COVID-19 pandemic, when health care systems were overwhelmed and many were too scared to visit a hospital.
Yuji Takahashi says there is a culture of passing down good furniture for generations in places like northern Europe. He wants such practice to be the norm in Japan as well.
JAPAN / Society / Regional Voices: Hiroshima
Mar 25, 2024

Craftsman’s works spreads nationwide through furniture with no nails

Yuji Takahashi uses a traditional technique called "sashimono," by which grooves are carved and joints fitted together.
Customers make a toast at an eatery in Tokyo. Many view Japan’s economy as being on the rise, and that of regional powerhouse China as declining. But how accurate is this narrative?
COMMENTARY / Japan
Mar 18, 2024

Japan is back, China is over. The trouble with narratives.

The idea that Japan and China's roles have flipped, with the former on the rise and the latter in decline, obfuscates important facts and trends.
JAPAN / Society
Mar 20, 2024

Princess Aiko set to work with Red Cross following Gakushuin graduation

The princess studied for four years in the Department of Japanese Language and Literature, writing her thesis on a noted 12th-century poet.
Artisan Suzanne Ross says Japanese lacquerware is a "treasure that belongs to the world."
JAPAN / Society
Mar 20, 2024

Wajima artisan’s livelihood, four decades in the making, upended by disaster

Lacquerware artist Suzanne Ross' life was upended by a massive earthquake. Now, she's determined to keep her craft alive.
High-end tourism is becoming more about the kinds of experiences that Japan's lesser-known places can provide.
LIFE / Travel / Longform
Mar 25, 2024

Can Japan lure the jet-set class off the beaten path?

High-end travelers are looking for sustainability, wellness and adventure when they head abroad. Japan hopes to deliver in places other than Tokyo.
Directed and co-written by Sunao Katabuchi, animated film “In This Corner of the World” depicts the beauty of nature and the horrors of war with equal potency.
CULTURE / Film
Mar 27, 2024

Films that give the Japanese perspective of the atomic bomb

Movies about the nation's darkest days — in genres such as dramas, fantasies and anime — offer another side to Christopher Nolan's 'Oppenheimer' story.
Joel Vaudreuil's "When Adam Changes" won the grand prix at this year's Niigata International Animation Film Festival, the largest festival devoted to feature-length animation in Asia.
CULTURE / Film / CULTURE SMASH
Mar 28, 2024

Niigata film festival showcases cutting-edge overseas talent

The six-day event dedicated to feature-length animation presented a lineup of stories that were psychologically rich and emotionally dark.
Beijing-based Chinese influencer Chang Feifei has taken on many jobs to promote travel destinations in Japan, including from Universal Studios Japan and the Hankyu and Hanshin department stores.
BUSINESS / FOCUS
Mar 28, 2024

Influencers — Japan’s secret weapon to promote niche tourism spots

Followers' trust in — and reliance on — social media for travel info, even when the content is sponsored, is a key factor.
According to Yano Research Institute, Japan's supplements market grew about 30% in the span of three years.
BUSINESS
Mar 29, 2024

Supplements market in Japan showing steady growth

Improved health awareness sparked by COVID-19 is a major factor fueling the growth, market research firms say.
Activist investor Oasis Management says shares in Kao have the potential to rise by more than 70% from recent levels.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 4, 2024

Kao shares jump as activist investor Oasis calls for improved performance

Kao has "significantly underperformed” its competitors in sales growth, margins, return on equity and stock performance, Oasis said in a statement.
Yayoi Kusama’s “Pumpkin,” once the victim of high waves that dragged it into the sea, sits at the end of a pier on the south side of Naoshima.
CULTURE / Art / Longform
Apr 6, 2024

Why is the most exciting art in Japan so hard to get to?

Japan has a unique movement of public art projects and festivals that are a slog to get to — by design. A writer examines the country's “inconvenient art."
Summer averages in eastern Hokkaido float in the high teens and low 20s, not necessitating widespread air conditioning usage in homes and businesses.
LIFE / Travel
Apr 12, 2024

Fear the impending heat? Escape to Kushiro, the land of no summer.

A once mighty fishing port, Kushiro now aims to capture the hearts of tourists seeking escape from sweltering urban jungles for a misty paradise.
The legality of products that contain cannabinoids, a group of substances derived from the cannabis plant, has been somewhat murky in Japan.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Apr 21, 2024

Japan’s cannabis market growing rapidly amid regulatory shift

Robust sales of products using CBD, a compound found in marijuana, are attributed to rising demand for products that offer relaxation and stress relief.
The start of the 2023 edition of the Mount Fuji 100
MORE SPORTS
Apr 23, 2024

Iconic Mount Fuji 100 enters new era with World Trail Majors

The race — perhaps now more than ever — is a bucket list event for countless runners around the world.
The inhabitants of a tranquil mountain village see their local environment threatened by Tokyoites with plans to build a glamping site in “Evil Does Not Exist.”
CULTURE / Film
Apr 25, 2024

‘Evil Does Not Exist’ builds its dramatic tension to perfection

Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s nuanced drama deftly meditates on humanity’s complex relationship with nature.
Naomi Osaka hits a shot against Greet Minnen during the first round of the Madrid Open on Wednesday.
TENNIS
Apr 25, 2024

Naomi Osaka cruises in first round in Madrid for first win on clay since 2022

The former world No. 1 grew up playing on hard courts in the United States and has mostly struggled on the red dirt over the years.
Specializing in gastronomy-themed tours, Arigato Travel, founded and directed by Anne Kyle, was once a one-woman operation. Today, it counts more than 100 employees.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Apr 26, 2024

Anne Kyle: 'People want to know what life actually is like here’

The founder and CEO of Arigato Travel grew her business from a one-woman operation to a national outfit of more than 100 employees in a matter of years.
Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako speak to evacuees at a shelter in Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, in March.
JAPAN
May 1, 2024

Emperor Naruhito marks five years since enthronement

The emperor's first five years on the throne were largely overshadowed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Lucio is still a bit on the shy side when it comes to humans. Cats are no problem, however.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / ADOPT ME!
May 6, 2024

Lucio the cat's eyes are bound to charm

His eyes a deep blue, little tufts of fur on the tips of his ears, it's hard not to spend hours staring at this sweet little kitten.
Much like other hot spots across Okinawa, Onna has diligently strived to captivate both domestic and international tourists, while at the same time grappling with the environmental strain induced by the influx of visitors.
ENVIRONMENT / Sustainability / OUR PLANET
May 5, 2024

As visitors surge, Japan seeks ways to make tourism eco-friendly

A record tourism boom has raised concerns over the enormous stress visitors put on the environment.
Mikuni Minato is not a town that has recently fallen on hard times — it's been that way for a century.
LIFE / Travel
May 7, 2024

48 hours in Mikuni Minato, Japan’s port town that time forgot

A trip to Mikuni Minato may not appeal to the average tourist, but well-traveled residents will find it fascinating.
Andrei Belousov has been described as a tough-talking and professional government insider who once led a campaign to wring more money out of big business for the state, proving he had sharp enough elbows to navigate the system.
WORLD / Politics / ANALYSIS
May 14, 2024

Surprise pick as Russia’s defense minister is tough-talking economist and Putin ally

Andrei Belousov's appointment as defense chief suggests to many that President Vladimir Putin is reshaping Russia for a long war in Ukraine.
In 2023, Bryan Eastlake (left) began a three-year contract with the local Takahama tourism association to write, post photos and otherwise promote the small town in northern Kyoto Prefecture to a wider audience.
COMMUNITY / Issues / The Foreign Element
May 20, 2024

The new vanguard of rural revitalization efforts in Japan

Currently, the Regional Revitalization Corps has around 200 foreign residents working in different industries around the country.

Longform

A sinkhole in Yashio, which emerged in January, was triggered by a ruptured, aging sewer pipe. Authorities worry that similar sections of infrastructure across the country are also at risk of corrosion.
That sinking feeling: Japan’s aging sewers are an infrastructure time bomb