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JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Nov 30, 2019

Taro Yamamoto blurs the popular line on climate change

Climate change is not much of a social issue in Japan. Even in the wake of three recent weather-related disasters, there has been little discussion across the political spectrum that climate change contributed to them. In Europe and the United States, left-leaning groups demand action to mitigate the...
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Nov 27, 2019

More content needed to satisfy sumo's overseas fans

Sumo's popularity abroad has increased massively over the past few years.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHY DID YOU LEAVE JAPAN?
Nov 23, 2019

Akira Isogawa: Australia's darling of fashion

'I understand how such rules are necessary and help Japan to function as efficiently as it does. But I'm a rule breaker, and that's permitted here in Australia. It's a real relief.' — Akira Isogawa, fashion designer
Reader Mail
Nov 22, 2019

Take the initiative, working moms

Fifteen minutes to go. ... I checked my watch quickly and sped up filtering work in the spreadsheet.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Nov 9, 2019

Back to 'The Factory' in a new era of meaningless work

Hiroko Oyamada's award-winning debut novel, "The Factory," measures out in terse detail an indictment of contemporary work culture. Set in modern Japan where the norms of underpay and overwork are well-known, the novella evokes the worst of the Silicon Valley-type tech campuses and asks the question:...
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / ON: GAMES
Nov 3, 2019

Hideo Kojima unleashes his latest

Hideo Kojima's much anticipated Death Stranding, the latest in the Persona series and a sneak preview of Nintendo's new Tokyo store
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Oct 26, 2019

Mieko Watanabe is ready for any challenge

Architectural designer Mieko Watanabe on how she designs an inviting hotel space, the challenges of owning her own firm and how everyone can be a little more eco-friendly at home.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Oct 24, 2019

Ang Lee: The filmmaker decades ahead of his time

Filmmaker Ang Lee has dedicated himself to filming in high-resolution and 3D, techniques that most cinemas are not yet equipped to handle
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / FOREIGN AGENDA
Oct 20, 2019

Linguistic ignorance can be bliss

When it was revealed that Pico Iyer knew only a 'smattering' of Japanese despite living in Japan for 25 years, some were critical. However, could there be artistic benefits to not being fluent?
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Sep 25, 2019

Carl Stone: Plugging into the sounds of the changing city

A resident of Japan for 20 years, Carl Stone has established himself in the local electronic music scene, performing with domestic and visiting musicians
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design
Aug 25, 2019

The changing face of fashion in Japan

Collaborations, ethical statements and flashback trends — is Japanese fashion going through an identity crisis?
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Aug 6, 2019

'What Do You See When You Look at Pictures?': Reading between the brushstrokes

'What Do You See When You Look at Pictures?,' the current exhibition at the Tochigi Prefectural Museum of Fine Arts, presents itself as an exercise in visual literacy and is full of thoughtful provocations.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jul 30, 2019

A Japanese trailblazer who wore stilettos

Businesswoman Yoshida Haruno dedicated her life to promoting leadership roles for women in the public and private sectors.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / G20 Osaka Summit Special
Jun 27, 2019

Food hub boasts traditional flavors, open-minded spirit

When a city's being is inextricably linked to the maxim, "To eat oneself into ruin" (kuidaore), it's a foregone conclusion that the city is serious about its food. Such is the case of Osaka, Japan's second-largest city and gateway to the Kansai region.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHY DID YOU LEAVE JAPAN?
Jun 15, 2019

Koichi Takada: The natural shift into biometric architecture

Koichi Takada grew up a stone's throw from the scenic banks of Japan's Tama River, learning to appreciate the beauty of nature, something that now resonates in the work of his architectural company in Australia.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jun 14, 2019

Why paternity leave should be mandatory

Behind the declining child population and the lingering income gap between Japanese men and women is the fact that husbands and wives do not take part in raising their children together.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jun 11, 2019

Breaking down the barriers of animation with Hiroyuki Imaishi

One does not tune into an anime directed by Hiroyuki Imaishi for subtlety.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
May 25, 2019

Rebekah Wilson-Lye: Raising a glass to the wonders of sake

One of Japan's emerging leaders in the sake world talks about the delight of discovering Japan's renowned beverage.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
May 18, 2019

'Cutting Back': The collected wisdom of an aesthetic pruner

Breezy, frequently humorous and self-scolding, Leslie Buck's 'Cutting Back: My Apprenticeship in the Gardens of Kyoto' is a poignant look at the storied Japanese world of professional gardening.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
May 5, 2019

South Korea's booming 'webtoons' put Japan's print manga on notice

Japan has long prided itself on being a manga powerhouse, but intense competition from overseas has left the industry at a crossroads.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
May 4, 2019

Hiyori: Oden crosses over to wine country

Few restaurants capture the Shinsen neighborhood feel better than Hiyori. Looking in from street level, you can tell that it's easygoing and convivial, the sort of place where you drop in for a quick drink, strike up conversation with your neighbors and end up staying the rest of the evening.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Apr 30, 2019

Motohiko Katano: Tied to shibori dyeing

A pioneer of shibori textile dyeing, Motohiko Katano created striking modern designs and fascinating tessellations of motifs that seemed to defy the capricious nature of resist dyeing.
Japan Times
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Apr 28, 2019

San Diego-area synagogue shooting leaves one worshipper dead, three wounded

A gunman walked into a San Diego-area synagogue crowded with Sabbath worshippers on Saturday and opened fire with an assault-style rifle, killing one woman inside and wounding three others in a hate crime carried out on the last day of Passover, authorities said.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Apr 27, 2019

Konbi: Offering a refined take on the classic konbini sandwich

Of the many konbini (convenience store) classics available on store shelves — from onigiri rice balls to ready-to-eat paper cups of fried chicken — you can't go wrong with the quintessential konbini sandwich.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Apr 23, 2019

First, there was Matsumura Goshun

The recent focus on the vibrant idiosyncratic works of the Edo Period (1603-1868) eccentric painters has left the achievements more traditional masters in neglect. 'Road to Shijo School' at the Otani Memorial Art Museum, Nishinomiya City, is a welcome reparative.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Mar 19, 2019

Yubari International Fantastic Film Festival offers a world of fascination

Held annually from 1990, save for 2007 when its host town was facing financial difficulties, the Yubari International Fantastic Film Festival has become a little corner of Hokkaido where for four days in March the cinematically weird and wonderful can flourish.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Feb 16, 2019

Are press activities being undermined in Japan?

The Foreign Ministry ordered freelance journalist Kosuke Tsuneoka to surrender his passport after he tried to leave Japan on Feb. 2 for Yemen, which is in the midst of a civil war. The ostensible reason for the order is that Tsuneoka in January attempted to travel to Yemen through Oman, which refused...
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design
Feb 12, 2019

Plastic fantastic: Examining the obsession over Japan's soft vinyl toys

It's a cold afternoon in mid-January and, inside a factory operated by Maruyama Toys in a quiet residential area in Tokyo's Katsushika Ward, Cory Privitera is making sofubi (soft vinyl toys).

Longform

Mount Fuji is considered one of Japan's most iconic symbols and is a major draw for tourists. It's still a mountain, though, and potential hikers need to properly prepare for any climb.
What it takes to save lives on Mount Fuji