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July 05, 2025
 

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AKIHABARA

Akihiro Okuda, a superintendent at Tokyo's Metropolitan Police Department, talks about his experience supporting the survivors and bereaved families of a deadly stabbing rampage in Tokyo's Akihabara district 17 years ago.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jun 8, 2025
Police officer recounts fatal rampage in Akihabara 17 years on
After the incident, Tokyo's Metropolitan Police Department established the first task force dedicated to supporting the survivors and bereaved families of crime victims.
A mourner prays for the victims of a stabbing rampage on a street in Tokyo's Akihabara district on the 17th anniversary of the incident on Sunday.
JAPAN
Jun 8, 2025
Victims mourned 17 years after Akihabara indiscriminate attack
The attacker, Tomohiro Kato, drove a truck into crowds in Akihabara and then stabbed others, killing seven people and injuring 10.
After nine years, the Square Enix Cafe is finally closing up shop.
LIFE / Digital
Mar 15, 2025
Square Enix Cafe had everything going for it, except the ability to adapt
On March 31, the themed cafe just steps from JR Akihabara Station will close for good.
A custom-made split keyboard at Yusha Kobo.
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 29, 2024
Make a one-of-a-kind mechanical keyboard at this Akihabara shop
At Yusha Kobo, customers pick switches, keycaps and all the other components needed to fashion one-of-a-kind keyboards that meet their exacting needs.
Shop manager Komura poses with a signed Metal Gear Solid box at Super Potato, a shop selling vintage video games and memorabilia in the Akihabara district of Tokyo, on June 18.
LIFE / Digital
Sep 22, 2024
Japan is next level for retro game collectors
Game Boy cartridges, Sega Dreamcast consoles and antiquated arcade machines await tourists in some of Tokyo's stores.
A man pays his respects at an intersection in Akihabara on Saturday, 16 years after a deadly attack left seven people dead and 10 others injured.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jun 8, 2024
Victims of fatal Akihabara rampage remembered 16 years on
Prayers and flowers were offered at the intersection where the incident occurred in the busy Tokyo district.
Tokyo is filled to the brim with anime-related activities and attractions, but the best require a little digging to enjoy to the fullest.
LIFE / Travel
Feb 10, 2024
An anime otaku's blueprint to nerding out in Tokyo — and beyond
The first step to taking anime otaku-dom to the next level is to educate yourself on the history and evolution of the medium.
At the Warhammer Store & Cafe in Tokyo's Akihabara neighborhood, fans of the tabletop franchise have room to paint, discuss lore and, of course, battle it out on spacious tables.
LIFE / Lifestyle
Nov 11, 2023
At new Tokyo hub, Warhammer fans bond over dice rolls and paint
“A few months ago, me and a lot of the guys I’m now playing with didn’t even know what Warhammer really was," says one fan from a new Akihabara store.
Characters from the Super Mario Bros. franchise adorn the front of Super Potato, a well-known retro game shop in Akihabara.
LIFE / Digital
Sep 20, 2023
Let the gaming begin: A guide to Tokyo's video game landmarks
Whether it's arcades, retro finds or chip-tune nightclubs, Japan's capital won't disappoint gamers wanting to geek out.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Sep 15, 2023
Kyoto Animation arson suspect inspired by 2001 attack
The suspect in a 2019 arson attack on a Kyoto Animation studio used gasoline after using a similar incident as reference, a court has heard.
JAPAN / FOCUS
Jul 5, 2023
Here's why Pokemon cards are becoming a target of burglaries in Japan
Rare cards can now be traded for more than ¥100 million, and shops carrying them have become the target of burglaries.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Mar 25, 2023
High-tech 'sassen' duels are an active otaku's dream
In a world of endless options for virtual entertainment, could this be the perfect marriage of tech and athletics?
Japan Times
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jan 6, 2023
Series of burglaries target pricey Pokemon cards in Tokyo
According to sources at Tokyo's Metropolitan Police Department, Pokemon and other collectible cards were stolen from several stores in the Akihabara district.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design / ON: FASHION
Oct 10, 2021
Anime aesthetics blur the line between real and virtual fashion
As some brands dip their toes into NFTs, others turn to nostalgia-with-shock-value to sell both real and virtual clothing.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / ON: GAMES
Jun 6, 2021
Japanese gaming arcades are on their last life
Already on a downward trend, COVID-19-mandated closures are slashing profits and forcing closures of many of the country's iconic locations.
COMMUNITY / 2010s: Decade in Review
Dec 5, 2019
Trendy neighborhoods in Tokyo came and went during the 2010s, but did capitalist conformity move in for good?
The protester, the party animal, the professional millennial — it seems like the Japanese capital had a place for every foreign stereotype imaginable in the past decade. We look back on a few favorites.
JAPAN / History / Defining the Heisei Era
Nov 24, 2018
Defining the Heisei Era: Examining the rise of otaku culture
With the number of children shrinking, popular entertainment naturally began targeting the otaku population that didn't hesitate to open their wallets for material many considered juvenile.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Aug 18, 2017
Blasts from the past: Japan's gaming classics get a retro revival
Nothing sells like nostalgia.
JAPAN
Mar 15, 2017
No shopping rush seen in Tokyo from 1,000-strong Saudi delegation
Despite expectations that a 1,000-strong delegation traveling with Saudi King Salman bin Abdul-Aziz al-Saud Salman would go on a shopping spree during their four-day visit to Tokyo through Wednesday, shops reported low numbers of Saudi shoppers.
Japan Times
JAPAN / History / JAPAN TIMES GONE BY
Apr 30, 2016
The German mischief maker here; Eating in London is real problem; New effort to rectify Japan's image planned; Ad-zapping VCR gains popularity
100 YEARS AGOWednesday, May 17, 1916
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. 
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.
Japan to require flight passengers to keep power banks within sight
The transport ministry has announced new regulations requiring flight passengers to keep power banks within sight to mitigate fire risks while on board planes.
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."
Residents of Tokara Islands begin evacuation as seismic swarm continues
Details about evacuations from Akuseki Island, located in the Tokara island chain in Kagoshima Prefecture, is seen written on a whiteboard in the city of Kagoshima on Thursday.
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.

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