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Otono Kuboki, a Japanese Canadian hair stylist for salon chain Sozo, is a key figure in the company's mission to elevate the viability of Japan's hairdressing industry to foreign residents.
LIFE / Lifestyle
Jan 11, 2025

Can an international makeover help Tokyo salons meet foreign demand?

Sozo Education aims to train Tokyo’s next crop of stylists not just in English vocabulary related to hairdressing but in the diverse needs of foreign hair types.
'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.
Jannik Sinner speaks during a news conference ahead of the Australian Open on Friday in Melbourne.
TENNIS
Jan 10, 2025

Jannik Sinner declares innocence in doping case ahead of Australian Open

Defending Australian Open champion Sinner twice tested positive for traces of the steroid clostebol in March.
Hideki Matsuyama hits his chip shot on the ninth hole during the first round of the Sony Open in Honolulu on Thursday.
MORE SPORTS / Golf
Jan 10, 2025

Six players tied for first-round lead at Sony Open; Hideki Matsuyama 26th

Hideki Matsuyama, who broke the PGA Tour's scoring record in relation to par last week while winning The Sentry, is tied for 26th place.
Yuzuru Hanyu smiles during an interview in his hometown of Sendai in between performances of his latest tour, Ice Story.
MORE SPORTS / Figure skating
Jan 11, 2025

30 minutes with Yuzuru Hanyu

The two-time Olympic champion exited the competitive arena in 2022. His overall career goal — to make spectators say "wow" — has not changed.
Yokohama F. Marinos coach Steve Holland holds a news conference in Yokohama on Saturday.
SOCCER / J. League
Jan 11, 2025

Steve Holland ready to step out of Gareth Southgate's shadow in Japan

The 54-year-old, who will coach Yokohama F. Marinos this season, was the right-hand man to Southgate during their eight years together with England.
American Lindsey Vonn celebrates after finishing sixth in the women's downhill World Cup race on Saturday in St. Anton, Austria.
MORE SPORTS / Alpine skiing
Jan 12, 2025

Lindsey Vonn sixth in downhill return as veteran Federica Brignone wins

Vonn, 0.58 seconds behind after starting 32nd of the 51 starters, raised her arms as if she had won after her exhilarating effort.
Coco Gauff hits a return against Sofia Kenin during the first round of the Australian Open at Melbourne Park on Monday.
TENNIS
Jan 13, 2025

Coco Gauff cruises past Sofia Kenin in first round at Australian Open

The American has been on a scintillating run of form that has made her a major threat to two-time defending champion Aryna Sabalenka at Melbourne Park.
Shunsuke Nakamori pitches at Zozo Marine Stadium last season.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / Sac Bunts
Jan 13, 2025

Marines will need other pitchers to step up after Roki Sasaki departs for MLB

The Marines — if they have not already — will be forced to accept a new reality where their starting rotation is not headed by one of the best young pitchers in the world.
Naomi Osaka in action during her Australian Open first round match against Caroline Garcia in Melbourne on Monday
TENNIS
Jan 14, 2025

Osaka secures win in Australia, but distracted by LA wildfires

The 27-year-old has lived in the U.S. since childhood and has made Los Angeles her home.
Staff Sgt. Akihiro Yamamoto reflects on the Great Hanshin Earthquake while looking at materials at the Ground Self-Defense Force's Itami base in city of Itami, Hyogo Prefecture in December.
JAPAN / Society
Jan 14, 2025

How the SDF has earned trust through disaster relief efforts

Public sentiment toward the SDF was markedly colder during the Great Hanshin Earthquake, service personnel recall.
Britain's Emma Raducanu serves against Russia's Ekaterina Alexandrova during their women's singles match on Day 3 of the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne on Tuesday.
TENNIS
Jan 14, 2025

'Mind of its own': Raducanu advances despite wayward serve

The 22-year-old Briton has dealt with a string of injuries since capturing her only Grand Slam title at the 2021 U.S. Open.
Daniil Medvedev's smashed racket during his first round match against Kasidit Samrej at the Australian Open in Melbourne on Tuesday.
TENNIS
Jan 14, 2025

Medvedev destroys net camera in huge scare against Thai wildcard

The tantrum earned fifth seed Medvedev a code violation for racket abuse and held up play as staff swept up debris.
The entrance gate to Arakura Sengen Shrine in Fujiyoshida, Yamanashi Prefecture, with Mount Fuji in the distance.
JAPAN / History / The Living Past
Jan 15, 2025

From wrath to radiance: Why the 'Manyoshu' feels like paradise lost

While the Bible’s God demands obedience and punishes sin, the 'Manyoshu' radiates innocence, joy and harmony with nature.
Jurgen Klopp, Red Bull's new global head of soccer, is interviewed at a media event in Salzburg, Austria, on Tuesday.
SOCCER
Jan 15, 2025

Klopp excited about Red Bull role as he dismisses return to management

Klopp insisted he was happy to be away from the daily grind of club management after more than two decades working in a dugout.
Zheng Qinwen reacts after a point against Germany's Laura Siegemund during their second round match at the Australian Open on Wednesday.
TENNIS
Jan 15, 2025

'Queen Wen' deposed in huge shock at Australian Open

The normally ice cool Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen got hot under the collar as she was sent packing 7-6 (3), 6-3 by the world No. 97.
Naomi Osaka hits a return during her second round win over Karolina Muchova on Wednesday at the Australian Open in Melbourne.
TENNIS
Jan 15, 2025

Osaka gets 'revenge' on Muchova in Australian Open fightback

The Japanese star, who won in Melbourne in 2019 and 2021, dropped the first set against 20th seed Karolina Muchova before winning 1-6, 6-1, 6-3.
Arsenal's  Leandro Trossard celebrates after scoring against Tottenham during their match in London on Wednesday.
SOCCER
Jan 16, 2025

Confident Mikel Arteta says Arsenal back in Premier League title race

Desperately needing a win to close the gap on Liverpool at the top of the table, Arteta's side staged a stirring rally after Son Heung-min's early opener for Tottenham.
Bristol's Ilona Maher poses for selfies with fans after a match in Bristol, Britain, on Jan. 5.
MORE SPORTS
Jan 16, 2025

Ilona Maher urges rugby to do more to grow game ahead of Women's Rugby World Cup

Maher urged rugby to break free from its self-imposed shackles.
Iga Swiatek hits a return against Rebecca Sramkova during their match at the Australian Open at Melbourne Park on Thursday.
TENNIS
Jan 16, 2025

Dominant Iga Swiatek sets up clash against Emma Raducanu at Australian Open

Swiatek will face former U.S. Open champion Emma Raducanu, who beat Amanda Anisimova, for a place in the last 16.
It's taken Takuma Watanabe little time to establish himself as one of New York's hottest bartenders.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Jan 16, 2025

From Tokyo to Manhattan, Takuma Watanabe stirs up a stiff drink

Tokyo native Takuma Watanabe offers a formidable addition to New York’s pantheon of cocktail bars.
"A Very Asian Guide to Japanese Food" is the first edition of the Asia-centric series to focus on rice balls, fermented soybeans and other Japanese staples.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Jan 19, 2025

For kids, Japanese food ‘is a doorway to exploration’

Begun as a response to Asian-directed violence during the pandemic, the “Very Asian” series of cookbooks-slash-cultural primers turns its gaze toward Japan.
For some time away from Tokyo's suffocating urban sameness, Yamagata Prefecture is home to a soothing array of natural abundance.
LIFE / Travel
Jan 18, 2025

For tourists in search of seasonal sights, Yamagata makes its case

Japan’s much-lauded four seasons aren’t felt as much in Tokyo as they are in the full, rural vistas of Yamagata Prefecture.
Naomi Osaka is off to a strong start to the season and defeated Karolina Muchova on Wednesday to reach the third round of the Australian Open.
TENNIS
Jan 16, 2025

Naomi Osaka's Australian Open and the rediscovery of a tennis superpower

Osaka will play her first third-round match at a Grand Slam event since the 2022 Australian Open.
From the mid-2000s onward, Ryuichi Sakamoto created a number of installation works, often in collaboration with Shiro Takatani, of multimedia art collective Dumb Type.
CULTURE / Art
Jan 17, 2025

A slow dive into ‘a moment and an eternity’ with Ryuichi Sakamoto

New exhibition “Seeing Sound, Hearing Time” is the first comprehensive overview of the musician’s installation work presented in Japan.
What does the year hold for Japan? Make your own predictions using some key phrases.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Jan 17, 2025

Let’s make some predictions about what will happen in the year ahead

The start of the new year comes with expectations as to how the following months will unfold. Learn how to respond to what others predict.
Sunflowers grow in an empty plot of land in 1995 in Kobe where a home once stood before being destroyed by the Great Hanshin Earthquake.
JAPAN
Jan 17, 2025

30 years after the Kobe earthquake, sunflowers serve as a ray of hope

The sunflowers that grew in an empty plot of land in Kobe became the topic of picture books and textbooks.
Children pray for the victims of the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake during an early morning ceremony to mark the 30th anniversary of the quake, in Kobe on Friday.
JAPAN / Society
Jan 17, 2025

30th anniversary of Hanshin quake marked with desire to pass on lessons

Hyogo Prefecture is also calling on the central government to pick Kansai as the base of a new disaster relief agency currently in the works.
U.S. President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden walk across the South Lawn of the White House in Washington in August 2022, after returning from a trip to Kentucky.
WORLD / Politics
Jan 18, 2025

How Biden’s inner circle protected a faltering president

“Your biggest issue is the perception of age,” Mike Donilon, the president’s longtime strategist, told him in 2022, according to people who heard him.

Longform

Ichiro Suzuki, one of the most iconic players in NPB and MLB history, was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame with 99.7% of the vote.
With Hall of Fame induction, Ichiro makes himself heard loud and clear