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Japan Times
LIFE
Nov 28, 2022

Beauty over brains: Japan’s skin-deep university pageants

The contests perpetuate a culture that often places women in rigid gender roles, and have seen some contestants face abuse and harassment from organizers.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies / Regional Voices: Tohoku
Nov 28, 2022

10 years in making, Tohoku regional banks taking on new challenges

Human resource development and smartphone apps are among the initiatives being adopted by financial institutions in the region.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Nov 24, 2022

Japanese firms re-imagine offices to make them hubs of communication

Whether staffers are mostly working remotely or in person, firms have a similar concept in mind — that the office should be a place to strengthen networks within the organization.
Japan Times
ESG CONSORTIUM
Nov 24, 2022

Tender wagyu, other delicacies hail from clean lands of Tottori

Among many delicacies in Japan, Tottori Wagyu beef and its history is worth learning to make one’s gastronomic life rich. Tottori Gov. Shinji Hirai and Shinsuke Nakajima, Executive Managing Director and Executive Chef of New Otani Co., Ltd. talked about the charms of the wagyu as well as other produce...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Nov 24, 2022

‘She Is Me, I Am Her’: A masterful portrayal of pandemic life

Actor Nahana delivers powerful performances as four different characters in Mayu Nakamura's omnibus film about the loneliness of the pandemic.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Kyushu
Nov 21, 2022

Prized marbled wagyu at crossroads as industry shifts focus to fat quality

With the graying of the population and increasing health consciousness, a growing number of consumers are preferring lean meat.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Hokkaido
Nov 21, 2022

Hokkaido zoos and aquariums struggle to cope as feed and energy prices rise

The facilities are unable to reduce the amount of feed or fuel they use without impacting animal welfare.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Nov 21, 2022

Twitter turmoil and staff exodus aggravate security concerns

Twitter devolved into what campaigners described as a cesspit of falsehoods and hate speech after recent layoffs cut half the company's 7,500 staff.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Nov 20, 2022

Merged with surf and jungle, Okinawa’s holiest sites survive

Where Shinto integrates nature into its holy sites, the caves, trees and shoreline sacred to Okinawa's indigenous religion can often seem untouched by human hands.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital
Nov 17, 2022

How to prepare for life after Twitter

Don't delete your Twitter account just yet. Elon Musk's takeover can teach us valuable lessons about our relationship with social networks.
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Nov 16, 2022

The return of K-pop and a cartoon cameo dot this year's 'Kohaku' lineup

The 73rd edition of NHK's annual musical extravaganza will see domestic acts such as Ryokuoushoku Shakai, Aimer, Be:First and JO1, as well as South Korean groups, take the stage.
Japan Times
PODCAST / deep dive
Nov 16, 2022

Samurai Blues: The J. League, the World Cup and Japan’s place in global soccer

Sports writer Dan Orlowitz joins the show to catch us up on where Japan stands in the global soccer landscape and the controversies swirling around the host nation of Qatar.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 16, 2022

The world finds itself on the cusp of a new era

The world has entered a new period of turbulence, and it remains to be seen what new rules and institutions will emerge from it.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Nov 16, 2022

Before the blowup, Wall Street heavyweights went to bat for FTX

Trading firms, think tanks and professors all supported FTX's plans to shake up the derivatives industry.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 15, 2022

Toyota to unveil new Prius as hybrids lose luster to battery EVs

Even though the gas-sipping hatchback paved the way for Teslas and other fully electric vehicles, it's the less-hip option these days.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Tohoku
Nov 14, 2022

Tohoku fruit producers look to overseas markets for growth

With Aomori marketing its apples in India, and Yamagata pears breaking into East Asia, the products are seen as being key to increased exports.
Japan Times
JAPAN / History / Regional Voices: Hiroshima
Nov 14, 2022

Newly found papers show lives of German prisoners of war in Hiroshima

Researchers say the records — rediscovered a century after the facility closed — are first-class materials that depict the character of the POWs and how they interacted with Japanese people.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Nov 11, 2022

'By the Window' offers a cinematic lesson in taking your time

Director Rikiya Imaizumi throws convention aside to focus on complex characters that audiences can relate to in his new film, which won the Audience Award at the recent Tokyo International Film Festival.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Nov 9, 2022

Leaving Twitter? Alternative social media sites are ready

Since Elon Musk bought Twitter, there's been no shortage of users threatening to quit and go elsewhere. But where else will they find social media satisfaction?
Japan Times
TENNIS
Nov 8, 2022

Caroline Garcia outguns Aryna Sabalenka in Texas to win WTA Finals

Garcia was ranked outside the top 70 in mid-June, but has since won four titles, made the semifinals of the U.S. Open and will now rise to a career-high No. 4.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Nov 8, 2022

Is China about to end 'COVID zero'? Here’s what we know right now

Having committed so much of his legacy to his 'COVID zero' policy, exiting from it will require Chinese President Xi Jinping to signal clearly that victory is in sight.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Nov 8, 2022

As yen tumbles and prices rise, gadget-loving Japan seeks out secondhand iPhones

The Japanese currency's fall to a 32-year low against the dollar has squeezed consumers and accelerated a broader spending shift in the world's No.3 economy
Japan Times
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Kyushu
Nov 7, 2022

‘Plastic-free’: Fukuoka man's monthlong project highlights wider waste issue

A Fukuoka man has shared his quest to buy products in reusable containers to avoid single-use plastic.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Okinawa
Nov 7, 2022

Okinawa’s shima-dōfu makers fight to preserve their tradition

The people who make the products are having to contend with rising soybean prices and strengthened food hygiene rules.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Nov 3, 2022

‘Your Lovely Smile’: A sincere tribute to indie cinemas

In Kah Wai Lim's drama about a struggling director who wanders around Japan pitching his films to independent theaters, Hirobumi Watanabe plays a version of himself with heart and humor.
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Fukushima
Oct 31, 2022

Fukushima firms work to address low rate of fathers taking paternity leave

The reluctance of fathers to use paternity leave is said to be attributable to the absence of working environments where it is seen favorably and the difficulty of securing staff for cover.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies / Regional voices: Chubu
Oct 31, 2022

40 years on, Suzuki aims to recover 50% market share in India

With about 3,400 new car dealers throughout the country, the firm boasts the largest sales network in the industry in India.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Oct 31, 2022

Musk says Twitter will revise how it verifies users

Users would have to subscribe to Twitter Blue at $4.99 a month or lose their 'verified' badges if the project moves forward, according to one report.

Longform

Juzo Itami’s “Tampopo” was released Nov. 23, 1985, and though it wasn’t a hit at the time, it has gained a cult following in the years since.
Eat, slurp, love: 'Tampopo' turns 40