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May 15, 2024
 

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JAPAN LITE

Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Aug 20, 2011
World's best shoppers at my beach shop
Having run a beach shop for eight years now, I've been able to observe the shopping practices of the Japanese firsthand.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Aug 13, 2011
Returning the seaweed to the sea
Imagine yourself out on the Seto Inland Sea in a boat. You're by yourself, floating along happily. You open a beer and kick back for a while letting the boat drift in tranquility. You can see the shore, but it's a bit far to swim to. Ahhhhhh. But wait — the boat is sinking!
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Aug 6, 2011
Uncovering your hidden ninja
If you're wondering where all the ninja are these days, I can tell you. They're hiding within the bodies of people you'd never suspect, such as your next door neighbor.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Jul 30, 2011
The creeping crud on my hands
Recently, I have had this creeping crud on my hands. I get it every year.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Jul 23, 2011
Will supply meet mosquitoes' demand?
"Are there always this many mosquitoes?" says a tourist, slapping his bare legs with his hands as he comes down the stone staircase from the Shinto shrine behind my house. This ancient staircase that goes up the mountain and into the forest is a magnet for tourists. It's so mysterious, you just have to follow it to see where it takes you. The mosquitoes have learned to hang out at the bottom of these steps, where the human food flows toward them.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Jul 16, 2011
What a waste! A human waste
Meet Ususama Myo-ou. He purifies the unclean. He hangs out in bathrooms. He's the guardian deity of the toilet. I'm thinking of inviting him to do a residency. Here's why.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Jul 9, 2011
On rock worship and the Shinto gods
On my morning jogs on Shiraishi Island, I pass many things: some scary (spiders and snakes), some interesting (what's been washed up on the beach overnight) and some spiritual. The other day I had to take a detour to avoid a Shinto priest and a procession of men climbing the stairs to Myoken Shrine for a special ceremony.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Jul 2, 2011
Long and short of pet grooming
"Wow, what's that?" I asked Mrs. Amano. In her arms she was holding a furry thing with whiskers. I couldn't quite recognize the animal as it had tufts of hair sticking out all over it — like a hexagram with a cat face in the middle.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Jun 25, 2011
Kannon: the goddess of mercy and pets
Today I'd like to introduce you to someone so important, she may change your life. She has been a highly revered VIP for years, and is a household name in Japan, China and India. Although she is relatively unknown to the Western world, her accolades abound. She is Kannon, the goddess of mercy. I'd like to introduce you to her because she has some real estate I think you might be interested in.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Jun 18, 2011
Becoming one with spiders and snakes
If you stay on a small island in the middle of the Seto Inland Sea long enough, you will become one with nature. Mainly because there is nothing else to become one with, except for maybe alcohol. Being one with nature isn't just convening with the flowers and plants. You must also be willing to be one with snakes, insects and other nature dwellers.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Jun 11, 2011
How I saved ¥40,000 doing it myself
The day I leave Japan, the country will be worse off for it. The Japanese will have lost a cartoon character in their comic strip of life. Once I am gone, who will they laugh at?
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Jun 4, 2011
Navigating your way around Japan
Ever since I moved to Japan I've heard the Japanese say, "Nihon wa chiisai kuni desu" (Japan is a small country), with the underlying meaning that this fact is responsible for many of Japan's weaknesses. Foreigners are quick to point out that England is also a small country, yet has historically been very powerful. But hey, let's not even go there!
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
May 28, 2011
Here comes the rainy season boot camp
It's May and Kyushu has already officially entered the rainy season. The rest of Japan is not far behind. What, no spring? Well, we all know what happened to spring this year. It headed to the Middle East: The Arab Spring. Let someone else have some of it.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
May 21, 2011
Sunny today with a chance of margaritas
When I first moved to the "Harenokuni Okayama (Sunny Okayama)" prefecture, I couldn't help but imagine how lazy the weather forecasters must be. I envisioned them laying in hammocks with margaritas in their hand while spewing out the weekly forecast — "Sunny every day!" — and assuring the public that their sports festivals, BBQs, picnics and trips to the beach could go ahead as scheduled.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
May 14, 2011
Life as an ambassador
"An American yacht has come into the port. They don't speak any Japanese. Come help."
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
May 7, 2011
Pillow for the fairy tale princess discovered
Breaking news: Pillow belonging to the princess of the tale "The Princess and the Pea" by Hans Christian Andersen has been found.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Apr 30, 2011
The case of the ¥300,000 blanket
My husband is taking me to court.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Apr 23, 2011
Rolling blackouts: The virtue of silence
The rolling blackouts in Tokyo meant interruptions in watching TV, running computers, stereos and electric heaters, not to mention recharging cell phones and electronics.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Apr 16, 2011
Earthquake relief: Little people doing big things
Prime Minister Naoto Kan took out nearly a full-page ad in the International Herald Tribune last week to thank the international community for their kizuna (bond of friendship), regarding Japan's earthquake and tsunami disaster on March 11. It was a stirring tribute to those who have come together to help a nation in need.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Apr 9, 2011
You can have your steak and eat it too
It's almost time for the annual festival we have all been waiting for: the Hanaguri "cow nose ring" festival! Held on the third Sunday in April at the Hanaguri Zuka inside a temple in Okayama Prefecture, this is one of the more unusual religious ceremonies in Japan.
Japanese stripper bids to have her porn movies taken off internet
Plaintiff Miyuki Ariga (left) speaks at a news conference along with her lawyer, Yoshitomo Morohashi, after filing a lawsuit at the Tokyo District Court on Monday.
Yen’s fragility raises specter of a new currency war in Asia
Suspected intervention to drag the yen off a 34-year low against the dollar is already seen as unlikely to have a lasting effect if Japan continues alone.
Ishin struggles to set itself apart from other parties
Nippon Ishin no Kai Secretary-General Fumitake Fujita (right) speaks beside Yui Kanazawa, the party's candidate in the Tokyo 15th district by-election on April 28. Nippon Ishin lost in this by-election as well as another in Nagasaki held on the same day.
Online booking for Mount Fuji climb to open on May 20
Visitors climb the slopes of Mount Fuji, Japan's highest peak at 3,776 meters. From May 20, climbers will have access to a new online booking system for Mount Fuji's most popular Yoshida trail in Yamanashi Prefecture.
In Japan, 68,000 people over 65 projected to die alone at home this year
As Japan grapples with its population's rapid aging, supporting people who live and age alone is looming larger on the policy agenda.
Ishin struggles to set itself apart from other parties
Nippon Ishin no Kai Secretary-General Fumitake Fujita (right) speaks beside Yui Kanazawa, the party's candidate in the Tokyo 15th district by-election on April 28. Nippon Ishin lost in this by-election as well as another in Nagasaki held on the same day.
In Japan, 68,000 people over 65 projected to die alone at home this year
As Japan grapples with its population's rapid aging, supporting people who live and age alone is looming larger on the policy agenda.
In a rare event, the Northern Lights show up in Hokkaido
The Northern Lights in Nayoro, Hokkaido, on Saturday
Is black the new green for Japan’s flagging tea farmers?
George Guttridge-Smith brews tea at Kyoto Obubu Tea Farm in Wazuka, Kyoto Prefecture, where he serves as head of international development.
How the discovery of a giant sword in Nara offers clues into ancient Japan
Archaeologists say a 1,600-year-old wooden coffin at the Tomio Maruyama tumulus in the city of Nara was kept in good condition probably because it was protected by a layer of clay and copper ions that had seeped out of the mirrors that were buried together.

Podcast

From easily navigable train stations to the helpfulness of its municipal staff, Tokyo has earned high praise for its commitment to accessibility for disabled travelers.
[Rebroadcast] Japan is doing better on accessibility than you may think

Longform

Things may look perfect to the outside world, but today's mom is fine with some imperfection at home.
How 'Reiwa moms' are reshaping motherhood in Japan
By Mai Yoshikawa

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Live like a lord or lady for a night at Ozu Castle
Live like a lord or lady for a night at Ozu Castle

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