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July 27, 2024
 

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SO WHAT THE HECK IS THAT

Japan Times
Reference / SO WHAT THE HECK IS THAT
Oct 15, 2009
Underground rice paddies in Otemachi
Dear Alice,Please settle a bet. I met this guy in a bar who swore up and down that there are secret subterranean rice paddies all over Tokyo, part of a hush-hush government program to feed the national body in the event of nuclear war. In fact, he insisted a paddy was planted deep underground wherever...
Japan Times
Reference / SO WHAT THE HECK IS THAT
Sep 17, 2009
Statue outside Shinjuku Sumitomo Building
Dear Alice,On the premises of the Shinjuku Sumitomo Building in Tokyo there is a statue of St. Francis of Assisi. It's quite big — larger than lifesize. I've known about it for years, since the building was first constructed, but no one has ever been able to tell me what the heck a prominent saint...
Japan Times
Reference / SO WHAT THE HECK IS THAT
Jul 16, 2009
Ishigaki
Dear Alice, Is it weird to love a wall? I recently visited the Imperial Palace in Tokyo and was totally blown away by a high rock embankment on the far side of the moat. That rugged face! Those elegant lines! I am completely enchanted and want to know anything at all you can tell me. But there's one...
Reference / SO WHAT THE HECK IS THAT
Jun 18, 2009
Shichimi
Dear Alice, Based on my forays into Japanese restaurants in North America, I was under the impression that Japanese cuisine didn't feature any spicy flavorsat all. Then, on my first trip to Japan, I wandered into a restaurant that specializes in soba noodles. When my order came, the waitress drew my...
Japan Times
Reference / SO WHAT THE HECK IS THAT
May 21, 2009
Wild orchids
Dear Alice, Can you please find out what the heck I saw on Mount Takao on the outskirts of Tokyo? Last spring, about this time of year, I was on a trail with a lot of other hikers lugging cameras and tripods. All of a sudden everyone got very excited. Not knowing Japanese, I had no idea what they were...
Japan Times
Reference / SO WHAT THE HECK IS THAT
Apr 16, 2009
'No-wash rice' (musenmai)
Dear Alice,I recently returned to Japan after 12 years back in my home country. I knew a lot of things would be different after such a long time away, but I never expected the rice to have changed! My former home-stay mom was always a stickler about washing the rice thoroughly before cooking, but when...
Japan Times
Reference / SO WHAT THE HECK IS THAT
Mar 19, 2009
Feral parakeets
Dear Alice, Please settle an argument. I play tennis on the public courts in Arisugawa Park in central Tokyo. On several occasions I have seen bright-green noisy birds flying free around the tall outdoor lights there. I'm convinced these gregarious dandies are wild parrots. My wife says I'm out of...
Japan Times
Reference / SO WHAT THE HECK IS THAT
Feb 19, 2009
Tome ishi
Dear Alice, Recently I toured a beautiful traditional garden in Kyoto with a Japanese friend. At a fork in the path, I was about to turn to the right when my friend stopped me and said we were not supposed to go that way. I did as she said, but couldn't understand how she knew. She'd never been there...
Japan Times
Reference / SO WHAT THE HECK IS THAT
Jan 22, 2009
Dekopon
Dear Alice,My husband attended a business dinner late last year at a very fancy traditional Japanese restaurant. At the end of the evening, as he was heading out the door, the kimono-clad proprietress presented him with a gift of a single piece of fruit. It was like a large orange but with a weird pear...
Japan Times
Reference / SO WHAT THE HECK IS THAT
Dec 16, 2008
Manhole covers
Dear Alice,
Japan Times
Reference / SO WHAT THE HECK IS THAT
Nov 18, 2008
Kokuwa (monkey pear)
Dear Alice,
Japan Times
Reference / SO WHAT THE HECK IS THAT
Oct 21, 2008
JR gestures
Dear Alice, Until recently I lived in Tokyo and commuted on the JR Chuo Sobu Line from Kameido Station. I made it a practice to ride in the last compartment of the train, just so I could enjoy the spectacle of the driver making those sincere hand gestures at each and every station. I've seen the same...
Japan Times
Reference / SO WHAT THE HECK IS THAT
Sep 30, 2008
Jitensha odantai
Dear Alice,
Japan Times
Reference / SO WHAT THE HECK IS THAT
Jul 15, 2008
Tanuki genitals
Dear Alice,
Japan Times
Reference / SO WHAT THE HECK IS THAT
Jun 17, 2008
Idling drivers
Dear Alice,
Japan Times
Reference / SO WHAT THE HECK IS THAT
May 20, 2008
Anti-crime color balls
Dear Alice, I've spotted pairs of plastic Day-Glo orange baseballs sitting in polystyrene containers behind the counter at banks and convenience stores. My friend reckons they have them in police stations too. Can you please tell us what the heck they are?
Japan Times
Reference / SO WHAT THE HECK IS THAT
Apr 15, 2008
Kyodo bochi
Dear Alice,
Japan Times
Reference / SO WHAT THE HECK IS THAT
Mar 18, 2008
Pocket bells
Dear Alice,
Japan Times
Reference / SO WHAT THE HECK IS THAT
Feb 19, 2008
Chuhai
Dear Alice,
Japan Times
Reference / SO WHAT THE HECK IS THAT
Jan 15, 2008
Bento grass
Dear Alice,
Japan's population continues to fall even as foreign resident count rises
The number of residents in Tokyo as of Jan. 1 rose by 0.03% from a year before, data shows, marking a year-on-year increase for the first time in three years, while the country's other 46 prefectures saw their populations continue to decline.
Japan’s minimum wage set for record ¥50 hike in major boost
Demonstrators rally to demand a big hike in minimum wages in Tokyo last week.
One dead, three missing as heavy rain batters Tohoku
Camera footage shows the Mogami River bursting its banks in Tozawa, Yamagata Prefecture, on Friday morning.
Yen melt-up nudges Japanese stocks into correction territory
Japanese stocks are down 10% from their July peak as the yen strengthens.
Yen rally could help end crushing wage decay in Japan
Some economists say a sticky weak yen trend would have a negative impact on Japan's real wage growth.
When did summer in Japan stop being fun?
Summer in Japan is now consistently brutal enough to drive you indoors and keep you there until autumn.
Japan’s minimum wage set for record ¥50 hike in major boost
Demonstrators rally to demand a big hike in minimum wages in Tokyo last week.
Japan loses top spot on strongest passport list to Singapore
Japan had the strongest passport for six years running from 2018, before being dethroned by Singapore on the 2024 list.
Why Japan's mysterious stash of classified funds escapes scrutiny
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi (right) during a meeting in Tokyo on Tuesday.
Japan eyes gold — and the future — as Olympic men's soccer campaign begins
Japan midfielder Yu Hirakawa controls the ball during a match against the United States in Kansas City, Kansas, on June 11.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

Traditional folk rituals like Mizudome-no-mai (dance to stop the rain) provide a sense of agency to a population that feels largely powerless in the face of the climate crisis.
As climate extremes intensify, Japan embraces ancient weather rituals
By Alex K.T. Martin

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JNTO promotes sustainable tourism initiatives

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