‘Tokyo Junkie’: Robert Whiting recounts a lifelong addiction to his adopted city
The author and longtime Japan resident tackles his hardest writing project ever — “interviewing himself” for a memoir on his life, the changing urban landscape and, of course, baseball.
While workers have been lambasted over the spread of COVID-19, some have found solace in the art of tanka.
Kabukicho host clubs under fire for spreading coronavirus
Some media outlets are weighing the pros and cons of mounting an actual "blockade" of Tokyo's well-known entertainment district.
Tokyo enlists nightclub workers for Q&A-style videos to fight coronavirus
Alarmed by a spike in infections in Tokyo's nightlife districts, the metropolitan government has released educational videos in the form of a Q&A between nightclub hosts, a hostess and a doctor, hoping to stem the spread of the outbreak. "What kind of symptoms can a ...
Host and hostess bars in Japan scramble to adjust to COVID-19 reality
The industry faces an intensifying public backlash after reports emerged that a recent spike in cases stemmed largely from nighttime entertainment districts.
Nightlife districts demonized over infection fears while grappling with coronavirus impacts
Heated media coverage has zeroed in on Kabukicho, catapulting the area to a new level of notoriety.
Stay-home request over virus hits girls in Japan with no place to go
The spread of the novel coronavirus and a government request that the public refrain from going outside has added to the predicament of many teenage girls in Japan who have left home due to abuse, poverty or other reasons. "We see fewer girls in town, ...
Japan's rockin' pastor: Counseling those living on a prayer
No ordinary pastor, Kazuhiro Sekino wields a bass guitar like a rock star to bring his congregation together.
Rip-off bars are taking advantage of Japan's tourism boom
With the number of foreign tourists to Japan increasing by the year, authorities are warning visitors to steer clear of so-called rip-off bars. Such establishments have been a problem for a number of years but police are no closer to being able to shut them ...
Re-examining 2001's fatal Kabukicho blaze in the wake of the Kyoto Animation attack
Police have described the torching of Kyoto Animation, which killed 35 people, as the worst case of arson in postwar Japan. Given the shocking details of the attack that have emerged since July 18, it's certainly not hard to believe. For me, the fire brought ...
Police raid yakuza office in Tokyo after deadly shooting in Kabukicho karaoke box
Police on Wednesday raided the Tokyo office of a yakuza group associated with a man wanted in connection with a murder earlier this month in Shinjuku Ward. Masaru Abe, 56, a member of a group under the Sumiyoshikai crime syndicate, is wanted in connection with ...
Shooting in Tokyo's Kabukicho district leaves man dead; police suspect yakuza links
Police said Tuesday a man believed to have shot and killed another man the previous day at a karaoke bar in Tokyo's Kabukicho entertainment hub fled from the scene via motorcycle, suggesting the suspect had prepared a means of getaway. The victim, identified as Lee ...
