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Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Jun 17, 2022

Hong Kong bars and patrons find ways around new COVID test rule

There was widespread disbelief that the new approach was likely to have an impact on the case counts, which have increased nearly fourfold to more than 1,000 a day since May.
JAPAN
Jul 13, 2021

Japan's top COVID-19 official faces calls to quit over pressure on private sector

Yasutoshi Nishimura had said the government would pressure banks and liquor retailers to rein in restaurants that are flouting alcohol guidelines amid a COVID-19 state of emergency.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
Jun 21, 2020

Pandemic leaves Indian cooks in Japan dependent on bosses and the state

When your life revolves around your work, a shutdown makes things extra hard.
JAPAN
Jun 2, 2020

Osaka introduces QR contact tracing system as bars and restaurants reopen

Users who scan the code at establishments will be notified if another patron is later found to have become infected.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Apr 4, 2020

In Tokyo, self-isolation doesn’t mean you can’t eat well

Self-isolating doesn't have to mean you can't eat well. It also doesn't mean you can't eat food prepared by your favorite restaurants. In fact, if we want to see those restaurants back in action once the worst is over, it is essential that we keep up our patronage, to carry them through this crunch time.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Feb 25, 2020

Coronavirus fears force Asia's 50 Best Restaurant Awards to go online only

This year's Asia's 50 Best Restaurant Awards, set to be hosted in Kyushu's Saga Prefecture from March 22-24, have been forced to go online only due to fears surrounding coronavirus (COVID-19), restricted travel across Asia and the Japanese government's advice to limit large-scale events.
Chef Harutomo Hagi's self-named restaurant in Iwaki was selected as the 2023 Japan Times Destination Restaurant of the Year.
LIFE / Food & Drink / Destination Restaurants
Mar 10, 2024

Hagi: French restaurant leads Fukushima revival

The Japan Times’ 2023 Restaurant of the Year is a sterling example of Fukushima’s slow and steady post-disaster revival.
In 2017, chef Shinsaku Suzuki moved to the Yatsugatake region of Yamanashi Prefecture with his wife, Emi Ishida, after locating the perfect premises: a splendid 170-year-old traditional Japanese house.
LIFE / Food & Drink / Destination Restaurants
Apr 6, 2024

Ai to Ibukuro: Terroir of Yamanashi's uplands

With a name that translates to “Love and Stomach,” this rural restaurant not far from Tokyo delivers with flying colors on both counts.
Watami CEO Miki Watanabe (right) during a news conference in Tokyo on Friday
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 25, 2024

Izakaya chain buys Subway Japan in challenge to McDonald’s

The Subway franchise has historically struggled to gain footing in the Japanese market, with just 178 locations compared to nearly 3,000 for McDonald’s.
British-born Daniel Calvert earned his third Michelin star last month — a stunning achievement considering his restaurant, Sezanne, has only been open for just over three years.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Nov 24, 2024

Tokyo’s newest three-star chef wants ‘harmony across every detail’

Daniel Calvert has managed to reach the pinnacle of the culinary world just three years after opening fine French dining restaurant Sezanne.
Food loss happens at food-related businesses including-food makers, retailers and restaurants, as well as at households.
JAPAN
Dec 17, 2024

Japan drafts more ambitious 60% goal for cutting business food loss by 2030

The government hopes to require food businesses to change practices such as rejecting foods and beverages that are close to their best-before date.
Economic uncertainty has left some U.S. drinkers looking for ways to rein in their booze spending, according to three of the largest U.S. spirits distributors.
BUSINESS
Dec 24, 2024

Shrinking U.S. bar tabs signal little festive cheer for liquor makers

Some drinkers are switching to cheaper liquor brands and venues or reducing the amount of out-of-home celebrations they attend.
The film version of “The Solitary Gourmet” is a directorial debut for Yutaka Matsushige, long known for his leading role as salaryman and gourmand Goro Inogashira.
CULTURE / Film
Jan 9, 2025

‘The Solitary Gourmet’: Palatable movie adaptation may leave you wanting more

Lead actor Yutaka Matsushige’s film directing debut offers ambient pleasure for fans of the long-running TV series.
Katsumi Shinagawa prepares to shred cabbage to serve with pork cutlet dishes at the restaurant Katsukichi in Tokyo on Tuesday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 24, 2025

Climate change cooks up Japanese 'cabbage shock'

It is the latest pain point for shoppers and eateries in Japan already squeezed by inflation.
The government plans to allow foreign nationals to engage in home care services, a sector struggling with a labor shortage.
JAPAN
Feb 7, 2025

Japan looks to allow foreign nationals to engage in home care services

Non-Japanese would be allowed to work in the sector if they meet certain conditions, such as receiving training.
Tucked away behind the historic Tsuchida sake brewery, Ventinove's location and sleek, angular architecture make for impressive destination dining.
LIFE / Food & Drink / Destination Restaurants
Mar 16, 2025

At Ventinove, Tuscan specialties taken to new heights

A former Italian favorite in Tokyo now enjoys a renaissance in a bucolic village in Gunma Prefecture.
The peculiar combo of curry with green tea over rice topped with a pork or chicken cutlet is Haraiso Sparkle's signature dish.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Mar 23, 2025

At Osaka's Haraiso Sparkle, curry with a side of city pop

What began as a simple spice curry shop has now morphed into an offbeat, funky eatery.
Japanese desserts have been turning heads in recent months for a series world-firsts.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Apr 6, 2025

‘Japanese pastry has matured into its own distinct identity’

“There’s been a shift over the years where Japanese pastry chefs are moving away from simply replicating French techniques,” says chef Koichi Katsumata.
After getting her career started in Japan, Courney Kaplan has become one of Los Angeles' leading sake evangelists from her base at Ototo.
LIFE / Food & Drink / Kanpai Culture
Apr 6, 2025

In Los Angeles, Courtney Kaplan says sake is having a moment

Los Angeles has no shortage of Japanese restaurants, but Ototo makes the country's national drink an easy sip.
Hokkaido's famous lamb is turned into a ragout or French-style stew and used as a pizza topping at Savoy Ezo.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Apr 26, 2025

Savoy, Tokyo’s top pizzeria, fires up in Sapporo

The chain of pizza restaurants has opened its first branch in Hokkaido, offering locals a taste of its famous crisp and airy pizzas.
Shu Yamamoto runs a ramen shop in the city of Hiroshima by renting a barbecue restaurant during its off hours.
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Hiroshima
May 26, 2025

Off-hours property rentals take off in Hiroshima

The renter can cut down on startup costs for their business while the owner can earn extra income, though it means sharing responsibilities.
Plainclothes officers with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) make an arrest in a hallway outside of a courtroom at New York-Federal Plaza Immigration Court inside the Jacob K. Javitz Federal Building in New York City on June 6.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 15, 2025

ICE ordered to pause most raids on farms, hotels and restaurants

Despite the White House framing the raids as an effort to remove serious criminals, thousands of people with no criminal records have been swept up in recent months.
Ginza Onodera's frozen sushi can be thawed with running water.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 1, 2025

Freezing tech allows luxury sushi to reach anywhere in Japan

Ginza Onodera has been working on the freezing method for about three years in cooperation with DayBreak, a special freezing technique developer in Tokyo.
Shintaro Awa is the new head chef of L'Ambroisie in Paris, replacing the legendary Bernard Pacaud, who helmed the restaurant for more than four decades.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Jul 5, 2025

Shintaro Awa appointed to head the kitchen of L’Ambroisie in Paris

The Japanese chef takes over the role of Bernard Pacaud, who helmed the renowned restaurant for nearly 45 years.
Shinji Mizutani opened Tanikoretani in August 2024, after converting a dilapidated shophouse in Kiyosumi-Shirakawa into a retro-look "izakaya" tavern.
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Aug 24, 2025

Behind Tanikoretani’s quiet facade, a lively world of sake-fueled food

A chance encounter with a two-story rental space led Shinji Mizutani to set up a vibrant tavern in Tokyo’s Kiyosumi-Shirakawa neighborhood.
Plastic fish-shaped soy sauce containers, which have been banned in South Australia, on Tuesday in suburban Sydney.
JAPAN
Sep 3, 2025

Australian state bans fish-shaped soy sauce bottles to curb plastic pollution

The soy sauce containers were added on Monday by the government of South Australia to a list of prohibited single-use plastic products, which also include disposable straws.
Takaya Awata, president of Toridoll Holdings, speaks at a news conference in Tokyo on Wednesday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 18, 2025

Marugame Seimen noodle restaurant managers to see raise of up to ¥20 million

Eatery chain operator Toridoll Holdings' president also indicated the company may extend the plan to other restaurant chains in the group.

Longform

Growing families are being priced out of Tokyo’s condo market, forced to choose between downtown convenience and suburban space.
Is living in central Tokyo still affordable?