Business Nov 2, 2021
U.S. toymaker looks beyond port logjams to the risk of gluts
by Timothy Aeppel
A key concern in the current environment is that companies will order too many goods as they scramble to fill orders.
Lifestyle Oct 24, 2021
Yes, this tiny water cooler capsule toy is 'ridiculous.' Perfect.
by Ben Dooley and Hisako Ueno
Yoshiaki Yamanishi set out to create the most boring toy imaginable. In the booming universe of Japanese capsule vending machines, the competition is strong. Anyone with some pocket change could have been rewarded in recent months with a miniature toy gas meter that doubles as ...
Business Aug 8, 2021
Global supply snags could mean fewer toys under the Christmas tree
Global shipping snags are causing shortages, delivery delays and price increases — all headaches for toy stores and manufacturers.
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 ...