Business / Corporate Jun 13, 2020
Founder of Hello Kitty creator Sanrio steps down after 60-year stint
The company just posted a net income of just ¥191 million for the year, 95 percent lower than a year ago and less than 10 percent of its forecast.
Culture Feb 21, 2020
Six-time world champion Shu Takada has got the world on a (yo-yo) string
by Andrew McKirdy
Six-time world champion yo-yo performer Shu Takada wants to take the yo-yo mainstream and show his tricks to the world
National / History | JAPAN TIMES GONE BY Jul 6, 2019
The Railway Board has adopted a plan suggested by Mrs. Takahashi, Tokyo Station master, to connect special cars to the Shimonoseki express train that leaves Tokyo at 4 p.m. daily, exclusively for the use of female students who are going home for the summer ...
Style & Design | ON: DESIGN May 26, 2019
New brands to delight design fans
by Mio Yamada
From cat beds to toy DJ decks and sleek furniture, plenty of stylish goods are emerging from Japan's new brand lines.
National Mar 6, 2019
Tokyo Skytree celebrates 60th anniversary of iconic fashion doll Barbie's debut
by Masumi Koizumi
An event marking the 60th year since the debut of iconic fashion doll Barbie kicked off at Tokyo Skytree on Wednesday, showcasing the doll's history and diversity. The event, named Barbie Loves Tokyo Skytree Runway, will run through May 6. At the tower's Tembo Galleria, a ...
Style & Design Feb 12, 2019
Plastic fantastic: Examining the obsession over Japan's soft vinyl toys
by Dan Orlowitz
It's a cold afternoon in mid-January and, inside a factory operated by Maruyama Toys in a quiet residential area in Tokyo's Katsushika Ward, Cory Privitera is making sofubi (soft vinyl toys). In a cramped workspace surrounded by machinery and long sinks, the 33-year-old begins by ...
Business / Corporate Jul 24, 2018
Toymaker Bandai Co. says it will enter China's growing baby toy market next March by offering a range of products featuring characters from a popular Japanese picture book series. While the Chinese baby toy market has been expanding following the abolition of its one-child policy, ...
Business / Corporate Jul 2, 2018
Toymakers in Japan are strengthening measures against counterfeit products being sold overseas, especially in China. The proportion of domestic toymakers' sales made overseas has been growing, due to the shrinking domestic market amid the declining birthrate. Firms are concerned that overlooking the sale of counterfeit ...
Art May 13, 2018
Twenty-five years in the company of Maywa Denki
by Mio Yamada
Maywa Denki, Japan's "parallel-world electric company" celebrates quarter of a century of wacky art performances, peculiar gadgets and lots of humor.
National May 10, 2018
Toy exhibition featuring plastic Gundam models opens in Shizuoka with an eye on drawing younger fans
A major toy exhibition featuring new plastic models of anime robot Gundam and other characters opened Thursday in the city of Shizuoka, with vendors in attendance looking to attract new generations of fans. Some 80 companies are taking part in the annual Shizuoka Hobby Show. ...
National Apr 20, 2018
120 children needed treatment after accidentally swallowing magnetic balls: consumer center
Japan's consumer center said Thursday about 120 children were treated at medical institutions over the past seven years after swallowing tiny magnetic balls, and urged parents to keep such products away from children. The National Consumer Affairs Center of Japan said it knows of 124 ...