Search - life

 
 
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Dec 7, 2017

Japan's robots stepping up to fill worst labor shortage in 40 years

While people fret about robots taking human jobs, machines in Japan are stepping in to fill vacancies amid the worst labor shortage in more than 40 years. That is creating an opportunity for up-and-coming startups focused on automating warehouse tasks.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / HOTELS & RESTAURANTS
Dec 7, 2017

Wrapping up the year with food, music, good times

On Dec. 31, a countdown event will be held at The Sky Room at The Peninsula Tokyo, where guests can enjoy soul, jazz and funk music mixed by internationally renowned DJ Julien Lebrun.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Dec 7, 2017

When Rey met Luke: The saga continues in 'Star Wars: The Last Jedi'

It has been two years since I last sat down to speak with Daisy Ridley, the heroine in a new generation of "Star Wars" films. A lot has changed since then.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / B. League
Dec 6, 2017

DeNA to assume ownership of Brave Thunders from Toshiba

This isn't the first ownership change in the brief history of the B. League, but in terms of sheer magnitude, it's an unparalleled one.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Dec 6, 2017

'Hanagatami': Extravagance on the edge of war

Despite a lengthy filmography that began in the 1960s, Nobuhiko Obayashi is known in the West mainly for his 1977 feature debut "House." This horror-fantasy about a house that devours its inhabitants is a surreal riot of the imagination that tosses local filmmaking conventions out the window.
BUSINESS / Markets / TSE DATA & REPORT
Dec 6, 2017

Tokyo stocks dive on Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital

Stocks plummeted on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Wednesday over worries about instability in the Middle East following the news that U.S. President Donald Trump will recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Dec 5, 2017

Ibsen's 'Peer Gynt' gets a cultural twist when director Yang Jung-ung teams up with actor Kenji Urai

South Korean director Yang Jung-ung's career has spanned several continents. From his theater work, with casts of numerous nationalities, to his role as artistic director for the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, it's clear he has long had the world in his sights.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Dec 5, 2017

'Ishiuchi Miyako: Grain and Image'

Dec. 9-March 4
Japan Times
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Dec 5, 2017

Two Japanese animated films in contention for top recognition at Annie Awards

Two Japanese animated films — one dealing with the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and the other about the fantastical adventures of a nap-loving high school girl — have been nominated in one of the main categories for the 45th annual Annie Awards.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Dec 5, 2017

Last-minute upset unravels Brexit deal, complicating life for Theresa May

Theresa May came closer than ever on Monday to the Brexit deal she's been working on for months. A last-minute upset over the Irish border left all parties embarrassed and doesn't bode well for a second run at a breakthrough.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Dec 4, 2017

Frederik Schodt recalls the 'different world' of manga translation in the 1970s

'I loved manga but there was no way to make a living (with it),' recalls manga translation pioneer Frederik Schodt.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / NEWS IN NIHONGO
Dec 4, 2017

Survey: Reading comprehension of secondary students insufficient

A professor is concerned that 'insufficient reading comprehension skills will largely affect social lives.'
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Dec 4, 2017

Homegrown food and technology target global audience

Showcasing the latest and the greatest in supermarket and food and beverage products, packaging, displays and fixtures, the 52nd Supermarket Trade Show 2018 (SMTS) will be held on Feb. 14, 15 and 16.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / The Big Questions
Dec 3, 2017

Global citizen keen to take on new environments

Fikdanel Thaufik cannot pinpoint exactly how many languages he speaks. 'For sure, Indonesian,' Thaufik said laughing. 'And English — that's international.' But as the vice president and representative of Garuda Indonesia's Japan, Korea, and U.S. regions slowly lists off languages, whereas most of us would recall time spent in a classroom or poring over textbooks, Thaufik appears to be flitting through memories of all the places he's lived and the countless people he has met throughout his life.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design / ON: DESIGN
Dec 3, 2017

It's time to stop blocking color

Minimalist interiors have been a growing trend for many years now, primarily dominated by a monochromatic palette of white. But who says we need to abandon color to live a de-cluttered life?
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Dec 3, 2017

A fruitarian diet could make you go bananas

I've been living in Japan for a few months now, and since coming here my diet has consisted of four major food groups: carbohydrates, other fried stuff, cigarettes and canned ice coffee. It was somewhere between the fifth and sixth floor stairwell of my building that I decided my diet needed to change,...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / ADOPT ME!
Dec 3, 2017

A matter of trust: A dog named Coif

Coif, just under 4 months of age, came to ARK with a group of 14 puppies rescued from Yamaguchi Prefecture. Dogs who have been abandoned or who escape from whatever situation typically learn to elude the cruel snaring methods used by the local pounds. The dogs become wily and difficult to catch. They...
EDITORIALS
Dec 3, 2017

Justice in the former Yugoslavia

Verdicts in war crimes trials are vital to remind us that such injustices can and do occur, and that those who commit them will be held accountable for their misdeeds.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Dec 2, 2017

Master class: Conductor Seiji Ozawa passes on his knowledge to a new generation

An old piano sits by a window in the corner of a tiny room in Seiji Ozawa's office in Tokyo's Seijo neighborhood. The 82-year-old conductor's father apparently bought it for him more than 70 years ago.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHY DID YOU LEAVE JAPAN?
Dec 2, 2017

Akiko Katayama: Making the leap from business to food in NYC

Accountant-turned-food writer rediscovers the Japanese culinary tradition in NYC.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / Restaurant Do's and Don'ts
Dec 2, 2017

Restaurants and bars live or die in the margins

Since I haven't yet been able to convince you that opening a restaurant or bar is a bad idea, the next step is to start asking you questions. What is your vision for the shop? What do you plan to serve? Are you going to provide something new? Are you sure there's a market for that new thing? Are you...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
Dec 2, 2017

Women in Japan too tired to care about dating or searching for a partner

While Japanese society and the media continue to exhort — nay plead — with women to find marriage partners, 60 percent of eligible women say they cannot feel relaxed enough to get interested in renai (love relationships), according to a Yomeishu survey picked up by cocolini jp.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 1, 2017

Japan's top 2017 buzzwords powered by politics and Instagram

Japan's most popular buzzwords of the year reflect the scandals that rocked the political arena and the trend of people eager to shoot photogenic items for social media.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / ANALYSIS
Dec 1, 2017

The thinking behind Kim Jong Un's 'madness'

On an icy December day in 2011, North Korea's new leader Kim Jong Un was accompanied by seven advisers as they escorted the hearse that carried his father, Kim Jong Il, through the streets of Pyongyang.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Nov 29, 2017

North Korea says nuclear push completed as missile test puts entire U.S. within striking distance

North Korea's firing of its most powerful missile to date has some saying the lengths taken by it to stress its commitment to peace suggests it may be open to renewed dialogue.

Longform

Tetsuzo Shiraishi, speaking at The Center of the Tokyo Raids and War Damage, uses a thermos to explain how he experienced the U.S. firebombing of March 1945, when he was just 7 years old.
From ashes to high-rises: A survivor’s account of Tokyo’s postwar past