Search - life

 
 
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Apr 2, 2016

Job-hunting students may be in for a shock when they arrive at their new company

It's spring, and the attention of journalists in Japan turns to new university graduates who will soon become productive members of society. In recent years, the recruitment dance has merited closer scrutiny. Even as the labor situation has become a seller's market, issues persist with regard to employee...
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Apr 2, 2016

Japan's inescapable 'comfort women' problem

Tokyo and Seoul may believe they have resolved the "comfort women" problem after signing a joint agreement in December, but it's wishful thinking and confronts mounting evidence that this diplomatic deceit is already unraveling and falls short of the grand gesture needed to restore dignity to these victims...
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / OLD NIC'S NOTEBOOK
Apr 2, 2016

A tipple that's close to my heart — and life

I moved to Kurohime in northern Nagano Prefecture in 1980, and three years later I bought some land here and built the first house I had ever personally owned. That was made possible by the Nikka Whisky Distilling Co., for whom I did my very first Japanese television commercial back then. What a cushy...
JAPAN / Media / DARK SIDE OF THE RISING SUN
Apr 2, 2016

The drug problem that keeps getting older

Former pro baseball player Kazuhiro Kiyohara was released from police custody on ¥5 million bail last month following his arrest and subsequent indictment for alleged possession and use of stimulant drugs.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Apr 1, 2016

Chef Zaiyu Hasegawa presents creative takes on dishes that a mother would be proud of

Zaiyu Hasegawa pauses for a moment when I comment on the diversity of the clientele at Den, his restaurant in Tokyo's Jinbocho neighborhood.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 1, 2016

New research confirms you're not an automaton

A new study shows that food placement in stores can nudge people into making healthier choices, but only when they don't have strong preferences.
Reader Mail
Apr 1, 2016

Train's tragic roots and future promise

Amid the excitement over the first ever shinkansen from Tokyo to Hokkaido on March 26, this is a great time to reflect on some of the fascinating and tragic history behind this rail link.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 1, 2016

Ex-missionary hedge fund boss has faith sun will shine on Fukushima and its investors

The region hit by the worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl has a new backer.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Apr 1, 2016

Trump spin doctors call abortion slur on women 'simple misspeak' as rivals pounce

Republican front-runner Donald Trump's campaign sought on Thursday to contain the fallout from his comments on punishing women for having an abortion, characterizing the flap as a "simple misspeak" as his White House rivals pounced on the controversy.
JAPAN
Mar 30, 2016

Victims of government-recommended cervical cancer vaccine to sue state, drugmakers

Victims suffering side effects from cervical cancer vaccines that were once recommended by the government announced Wednesday they will file a lawsuit against the state and drugmakers.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Mar 30, 2016

'Bitter Honey': Fishing for the love of a writer

Films about elderly men falling for elusive young women (and utimately regretting it) go back to "The Blue Angel" (1930). One Japanese example is Kaneto Shindo's 1992 "Bokuto Kidan" ("The Strange Tale of Oyuki"), a biopic about writer Kafu Nagai and the prostitute he came to love. Unlike the deluded...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Mar 29, 2016

'Elegant Enigmas: The Art of Edward Gorey'

April 2-May 15
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Mar 29, 2016

Stitches in time make fashion sublime

All artistic practices inevitably borrow from the past, but fashion, in particular, seems to revel in revivals. Whether skillfully appropriated or brazenly duplicated, the familiar frequently finds its way back to the runway, be it in 1940s wide pants, '50s flared skirts, '60s babydoll dresses, '70s...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Mar 29, 2016

The illuminating nature of Emile Galle

The Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum has always had a connection with French glassware. After all, almost the first thing you see as you enter through the front entrance is a set of glass-relief doors with an angel motif. These were created by the famous French glass artist Rene Lalique as part of...
COMMENTARY / Japan
Mar 29, 2016

How Sharp is denting the Japan brand

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe should use his bully pulpit to shakeup corporate Japan and bolster competitiveness.
EDITORIALS
Mar 29, 2016

Security legislation takes effect

Japan's postwar defense posture underwent a major change this week as new security legislation took effect, but how the government plans to implement the laws remains unclear.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / NBA / NBA REPORT
Mar 29, 2016

Duncan quietly winding down a sensational career

In this NBA season of Kobe, his season-long farewell tour perhaps the only thing distracting from the Golden State Warriors fast break to history, it is fitting that this likely is the final season for probably the greatest power forward of all time in the NBA. He's a player who may even rank above Bryant...
LIFE / Language / WELL SAID
Mar 28, 2016

Learning the ins and outs of even-ifs using 'ni shiro'

Introducing the meaning and uses of uff5eu306bu3057u308d (even if), which is a more formal version of uff5e u306bu3057u3066u3082.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Mar 28, 2016

'Womenomics' has to wait in line as tenure obstructs Abe's goal

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has sought to have women hold 30 percent of supervisory positions in all fields by the time Tokyo hosts the Olympics in 2020. But as of now, his own government is at least 15 years behind schedule.
BASKETBALL
Mar 27, 2016

Broncos' woes continue in defeat to Happinets

In the history of professional sports — pick a sport, any sport — very few franchises have achieved the level of futility that's become the Saitama Broncos' trademark.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 27, 2016

Putin 'weaponizing' migration to destabilize EU

Moscow's end game is to pull as many European countries as possible into the Russian sphere of influence and away from the West.
Japan Times
WORLD
Mar 27, 2016

Syria government says it will restore ancient Palmyra as city is taken back from Islamic State

Palmyra's ancient Roman temples and archway, blown up by Islamic State fighters last year, will be restored, the head of the antiquities authority said on Saturday before Syria recaptured the city, inflicting a significant defeat on the Islamist group, which had controlled the desert city since May last...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Mar 27, 2016

Australian actor Hugh Jackman helps swimmers to safety from dangerous surf

Australian actor Hugh Jackman turned real-life action hero at Sydney's Bondi Beach on Saturday, when he helped his son and another man to safety from strong currents in the surf.
WORLD
Mar 27, 2016

Nails and nail polish remover: Brussels bombers prepared a 'satanic' cocktail

An empty apartment block on a quiet street turned out to be the perfect place for the three suspected Brussels attackers to prepare the home-made nail bombs used in Tuesday's airport and metro attacks, which killed at least 31 people.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design
Mar 26, 2016

Designer Jotaro Saito seeks to free the kimono from the confines of tradition

Jotaro Saito has been showcasing his kimono brand at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Tokyo since 2006, almost a decade before the eyebrow-raising appearance of X Japan frontman Yoshiki Hayashi's Yoshikimono brand at the event last October.

Longform

An illustration features the Japanese signs for "ganbare" (good luck) and the Deaflympics, which will be held between Nov. 15 and 26.
A century of Deaf sport finds its moment in Tokyo