Search - best-of-city-guide

 
Menu
Search
 
July 04, 2025
 

Today's print edition

Home Delivery
Subscribe for more access
506 results
Sort by: Relevance Newest Oldest
After adjusting your search parameters, press Enter on your keyboard or click on the red magnifying glass to run your query again.
Japan Times
LIFE
Jan 22, 2012

What to call baby?

While clearing closets at my parents' house in Nara in December following my mother's death the month before, I came across a large square card in a pile of old documents. A snapshot of a baby looking at a birthday cake was glued in the center of the card, and I recognized that it was me at the time...
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
May 8, 2011

Pedal-power pleasures on Kansai's byways

Spring is the perfect season to explore Kansai by bicycle. Going with the flow along largely flat cycle routes beside the Yodo, Katsura and Kizu rivers, it's possible to chart a comfortable six-day trip — or, in my case, a rather challenging four-day one — between the cities of Osaka, Kyoto and Nara....
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Jul 4, 2010

Amami Oshima: Take a trip to the cloud forest of the imagination

Despite the environmental mistakes of the postwar decades, the violation of a once pristine landscape, a recent trip to Amami Oshima, gave very real cause for hope. Some regions have always, it seems, been in good shape. Flying over the island's green, volcanic hills, I felt as if I were gazing down...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
May 11, 2010

Japan zines: Never mind the bloggers

Koenji is a nice, quiet place in the suburbs, but venturing along its Kitanaka Street one weekend last March, you could not have missed the commotion coming out of Shirouto no Ran No. 12. Crammed inside this small rental space, dozens of people were poring over, discussing and exchanging piles upon piles...
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Sep 6, 2009

Kawasaki's Nihon Minkaen: Traditional folklore in a natural setting

In an article last May 10 introducing the many attractions of Tokyo's neighbor Kawasaki, this writer made a brief reference to the Nihon Minkaen (The Japan Open-Air Folk House Museum) in Tama Ward.
LIFE / Travel
Sep 6, 2009

Kawasaki's Nihon Minkaen: Traditional folklore in a natural setting

In an article last May 10 introducing the many attractions of Tokyo's neighbor Kawasaki, this writer made a brief reference to the Nihon Minkaen (The Japan Open-Air Folk House Museum) in Tama Ward.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WORDS TO LIVE BY
Aug 13, 2009

Fish master Tatsuo Ichikawa

Tatsuo Ichikawa, 69, is an English-speaking volunteer tour guide and an expert on all things fishy in Tokyo's Tsukiji Fish market. He's not only a serious history buff, but also an osakana meister (fish master), whose mission is to educate the public on the health benefits of eating his favorite food....
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WORDS TO LIVE BY
Aug 13, 2009

Fish master Tatsuo Ichikawa

Tatsuo Ichikawa, 69, is an English-speaking volunteer tour guide and an expert on all things fishy in Tokyo's Tsukiji Fish market. He's not only a serious history buff, but also an osakana meister (fish master), whose mission is to educate the public on the health benefits of eating his favorite food....
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
May 24, 2009

Hitching through Japanwith friends at every turn

Second in a two-part series
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Aug 10, 2008

Nanjing now: philosophy, history and Jacuzzis

Nanjing is a bustling city of 7 million, about six times its population before the Japanese rampage of 1937, and looks like many of the other modern, gleaming urbanscapes that have mushroomed up across China.
LIFE / Travel
Oct 18, 2007

A country caught in the grip of a regime

MYANMAR — Rangoon (or Yangon as it is now called) seen from the air seems subdued, at least after brilliant nighttime Bangkok. Just a light here and there, otherwise a carpet of darkness. This extends even down into the new and otherwise imposing "national" airport where the light is so dim that officials...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives
Dec 28, 2006

A lifetime's observations

He saw Ginza when it was a blackened plain but for the bombed-out Mitsukoshi department store, the Hattori Building and a handful of other structures left standing. He observed the city as it was rebuilt, and its people. He observed, and then he wrote.
MULTIMEDIA
Oct 30, 2005

Speaking volumes

Kaori Shoji
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Dec 8, 2004

Film it and they will come

When in Rome, visitors might not necessarily do as the locals do, but many certainly follow the example of Audrey Hepburn's character in "Roman Holiday" by sticking their hands in the "Mouth of Truth" near the church of Santa Maria in Cosmedin, or buying a gelato on the steps of Piazza di Spagna.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Jan 16, 2004

Lost Nambu citadel of the North

With Morioka, you know where you stand from the outset. As the title to the official English guide declares, Morioka is "the castle town of northern Japan."
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / VINELAND
Nov 14, 2003

On the road to wine-country romance

There has always been a friendly rivalry between Napa and Sonoma, California's two premier wine-growing regions. We think of Napa as Kyoto -- containing stunning vistas, but marred by a tour-bus mentality. To paraphrase Gertrude Stein, we sometimes feel "there's no there there." Sonoma, on the other...
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Jun 10, 2003

Finding acting work, reducing phone bills and ditching old stuff

Freighter travel Judi Sullivan's daughter, who lives in Japan, sent her a Lifelines column with an enquiry from reader Lisa Beretta, who wanted info on cargo ships willing to take a passenger to Europe.
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Mar 10, 2002

'Genji': the long and the shorter of it

The Tale of Genji, by Murasaki Shikibu, translated by Royall Tyler. Viking, 2001, 1,174 pp., $60 (cloth) In the February 2002 issue of the monthly journal Eureka, Fusae Kawazoe gives a rundown of translations of Murasaki Shikibu's "The Tale of Genji" -- not only into foreign languages, but into modern...
MULTIMEDIA / SPORTS SCOPE
Mar 1, 2001

IOC delegates: the questions they should be asking

The International Olympic Committee has come Japan to check out Osaka's facilities for staging the 2008 Olympics.
LIFE / Travel
Aug 10, 1999

Dive into the dazzling Philippines

Ask scuba divers what attracts them to the sport, and they'll probably tell you that it's the exotic underwater world. A dive in Japan, however, often means endless train rides, big crowds, small spaces and exorbitant sums of money -- all too similar to the everyday world.
JAPAN
Feb 23, 1998

Jury still out on Nagano Olympics

NAGANO -- The pavilions are closed and the Olympic banners have disappeared. The souvenir shops are half-empty and Zenkoji Temple has regained its calm demeanor. The city's infamous traffic jams are back, and the taxis once again form long lines waiting for customers.
Japan Times
PODCAST / deep dive
Mar 23, 2023

The cherry blossoms are here and business is blooming

Kathleen Benoza explains what's at stake during the hanami season, while Thu-Huong Ha and Alyssa I. Smith discuss the science, symbolism and culture of sakura in Japan.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Dec 25, 2022

A year in, Gucci Osteria is Ginza’s sharpest Italian

Chef Antonio Iacovelli's Italian cuisine wins hearts, minds and a Michelin star.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 9, 2022

High school newspapers are a thrifty way to teach civics

Supporting news outlets at schools in low-income communities would have the added benefit of creating a pipeline for minority journalists who have long been underrepresented in the media.
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
Mar 8, 2021

Ten years on from 3/11, do you think you're ready for the 'Big One'?

What if the quake that hit Tohoku 10 years ago happened along the Nankai Trough to the south of Japan? Well, experts are predicting this very scenario.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY
Jul 6, 2020

What’s in a name? Princeton University faces its racist past

U.S. President Woodrow Wilson's image as a promoter of democracy and equality is being replaced with that of a stone-cold racist, extreme even for his time.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / Top 5
Feb 22, 2020

Tokyo's most affordable Michelin-starred restaurants

There's no need to overspend to eat well in Tokyo. Here are The Japan Times' picks of Tokyo's best affordable Michelin restaurants, all under u00a53,000.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / Top 5
Nov 23, 2019

Ramen worth lining up for in Tokyo

Overwhelmed with how many ramen choices there are in Tokyo? Here's The Japan Times' pick of Tokyo's five best — and most innovative — ramen shops.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Jun 23, 2019

A Buddhist priest reflects on growing up on Shiraishi Island during a time of war

Living on an island that was too small to receive direct attacks didn't stop the people living there from having to take extreme measures.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Jan 20, 2019

Be it ever so graying, there's no place like home

On a recent bus trip in Indonesia, I struck up a conversation with the man sitting next to me who told me he was Malaysian but living in Australia, which prompted me to admit that I was American but living in Japan. This seemed to pique his interest as he next said, "I am very interested to see how Japan...
Magnitude 5.5 earthquake jars Tokara Islands amid flurry of seismic activity
A strong quake struck off the Tokara Islands on Thursday afternoon, with the island chain having recorded around 1,000 earthquakes since a burst of seismic activity first began on June 21.
Onosato's yokozuna promotion causes rare quirk in new sumo rankings
Newly promoted yokozuna Onosato holds a copy of the latest banzuke ranking in Anjo, Aichi Prefecture, on Monday.
A prophesied disaster (likely) won’t strike Japan this weekend
A viral manga prediction of a July 5 disaster has gripped Japan with anxiety and triggered an economic impact, but experts warn that while such dates are unreliable, the threat of a massive earthquake remains real. 
Over 900 earthquakes strike Tokara islands in space of two weeks
A screenshot shows many quakes occurring in the Tokara islands over the past 30 days, in this image taken from the U.S. Geological Survey website.
Ghibli’s Isao Takahata exhibit shows how beloved anime is made
“The man who planted Japanese animation” exhibition includes a variety of sketches, drawings and animation cels from Isao Takahata films such as color design for characters by Michiyo Yasuda from "Grave of the Fireflies."
Ghibli’s Isao Takahata exhibit shows how beloved anime is made
“The man who planted Japanese animation” exhibition includes a variety of sketches, drawings and animation cels from Isao Takahata films such as color design for characters by Michiyo Yasuda from "Grave of the Fireflies."
Flag football facing challenges and opportunities ahead
Japan’s women’s flag football team at the 2025 International Bowl in Los Angeles in June. The sport is enjoying continued growth in the country.
From Hokusai’s Great Wave, shinkansen to One Piece: a cultural treasure box for Lego Japan
Michael Ebbesen, general manager of Lego Japan, says Lego bricks based on Japanese culture have a rich global appeal and are sellable around the world.
With farmed fish, RelationFish swims against the tide in fine dining
Chef Hideaki Matsuo (middle) and the staff of Oseto Suisan Fisheries prepare to check on their sustainably farmed fish.
As Southeast Asia heats up, a Japanese cooling giant sees a major opportunity
An employee of Daikin Cambodia explains the use of different tools during an air conditioner installation training session in Phnom Penh. Daikin is one of Japan’s oldest air conditioning companies, but as Japan’s population falls, the firm is keying in on overseas growth.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

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
By Alex K.T. Martin

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Looking ahead to Yokohama’s Green × Expo 2027
Looking ahead to Yokohama’s Green × Expo 2027

SPECIAL SUPPLEMENTS note

Read more

SUPPLEMENTS BINDER