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November 21, 2024
 

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Amy Chavez

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Amy Chavez
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Aug 3, 2020
Breaking up is hard to do, but sometimes it needs to be done
Amy Chavez came to Japan in 1993 and, four years later, met her best friend. From there, things were a roller coaster.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
May 11, 2020
An island off the coast of COVID-19 presses pause on tradition
Smaller towns in Japan aren't having to deal with the pandemic directly, but its effects are still being felt on lifestyles as festivals opt to cancel celebrations.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Apr 6, 2020
My life on the run from COVID-19
Right now I am in voluntary self-quarantine after returning from overseas. When I flew into Kansai International Airport from the island of Bali on March 23, Indonesia wasn’t on the list of countries with known coronavirus infections, and local authorities had not yet asked returnees from abroad to...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Mar 9, 2020
Eco-friendly gift-giving in a society that's overwrapped
We're all trying to do our best to help the environment, but some efforts may take more than just buying something with the word 'eco' attached to it.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Jan 27, 2020
There's a case for climate concern but not everyone in Japan is ready to go the extra mile
The people living on Shiraishi Island are already recycling, composting and reusing their plastic bags. How do we convince them to take the next step in environmental awareness?
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Dec 30, 2019
A Japanese tradition to greet the new year
One new year tradition that has managed to stick around is making mochi, just make sure to watch your hands while you do it.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Nov 25, 2019
Waves of change washed over the Seto Inland Sea during the 2010s
Attracting international tourists used to be the goal. Events and trends over the past decade, however, have caused a small island to rethink their tourism strategy.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Nov 3, 2019
Are Japanese classes in the countryside cram school worth moving out of the city?
It seems like a good idea, move to the country and focus on Japanese. And it works, it just depends on what kind of Japanese you want to learn.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Sep 25, 2019
Lifestyles on the Seto Inland Sea change with advancements in the fishing industry
When I first came to Japan, I was stunned by the beauty of the Seto Inland Sea. Its thousands of peaked islands look as if they'd dropped straight from the sky and settled like gum drops on the water. Stretching 450 kilometers from Osaka to Kyushu, I also soon learned of the infinite varieties of seafood...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Aug 25, 2019
An island festival steeped in history
In 1185, Japan's Taira (Heike) and Minamoto (Genpei) clans played out the final battle of the Genpei War, the result of which would have a profound effect on Japan ushering in its first shogun with Kamakura as the shogunate.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Jul 21, 2019
Humanity is sure to come through for those on a modern pilgrimage
As I made my way up the steep road to Kakurin Temple — aka Temple No. 20, I realized how foolish I had been to have bought a bicycle. Rising at dawn, I had ticked off temples 18 and 19 of the 88-temple Shikoku Pilgrimage on foot. I was hoping to make it to Temple 34 over the next few days. However,...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Jun 23, 2019
A Buddhist priest reflects on growing up on Shiraishi Island during a time of war
Living on an island that was too small to receive direct attacks didn't stop the people living there from having to take extreme measures.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
May 29, 2019
One woman's story illustrates the bittersweet charm of life in the Seto Island Sea
Mitsuko Amano was born in year 19 of the Showa Era (1944). World War II was still a year away from ending, and at the time nearly 2,000 people made their living on Shiraishi (White Stone) Island, the place she called home in the Seto Inland Sea.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Apr 21, 2019
The lesson from one student-led trash pick-up is that everyone needs to do their part
It's April on Shiraishi Island in Japan's Seto Inland Sea. The nights are still crisp, dipping to 4 degrees Celsius, but the sky is clear and the stars arc over the beach like thousands of glittery sequins on a pop idol's stage dress. The constellations are so prominent, even a young child can pick out...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Apr 6, 2019
Wes Lang and his quest to climb Japan's top 100 mountains
A love of hiking inspired avid mountaineer Wes Lang to scale all of Japan's hyakumeizan (100 top mountains). Now, he's co-written a comprehensive and user-friendly guidebook to hiking in Japan to inspire everyone else.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Mar 20, 2019
If you want to fix the problem of overtourism then just look overseas
I was speaking with a woman the other day who had recently been to Japan. She acknowledged that Japan is the "in" place to travel to and, as if to qualify this fact, complained that "Kyoto was so crowded, I couldn't even get a photo of the Golden Pavilion because of all the Chinese tourists."
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Feb 20, 2019
Same gripes, different country: Japan ain't the only place with squat toilets and table charges
It's not easy being an expat. While most of us choose to live in Japan of our own volition, there are still times when we're frustrated with the way things work — or don't work — and the Community page often serves as an outlet for our gripes.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Jan 20, 2019
Be it ever so graying, there's no place like home
On a recent bus trip in Indonesia, I struck up a conversation with the man sitting next to me who told me he was Malaysian but living in Australia, which prompted me to admit that I was American but living in Japan. This seemed to pique his interest as he next said, "I am very interested to see how Japan...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Dec 30, 2018
Celebrating New Year's the island way
On the small island where I live in the middle of Japan's Seto Inland Sea, new year celebrations are stalwart traditional. Preparations start a week before when the holiday spirit wafts in on sea breezes tinted with chilling temperatures. The island holds a community rice-pounding event to make kagami...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Dec 1, 2018
Submitting to the masters on Onomichi's Path of Literature
The Onomichi Path of Literature is a short 1-kilometer walking trail that introduces the many famous literary masters associated with the Japan Heritage city.
Ishiba delays meeting with Trump, citing legal restrictions
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba waves upon arrival for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, in Callao, Peru, on Friday.
Two of America’s biggest debt holders are dumping Treasurys
The U.S. Treasury building in Washington. Investors in Japan and China sold a pile of U.S. debt in the last quarter, just before the U.S. presidential election.
Rising sex tourism exposes loopholes in Japan's anti-prostitution law
While financial misfortunes during the COVID-19 pandemic may have driven some women to work the streets, others simply want more money to spend — or want to pay off their debts — at host clubs.
Japan ranks last in romance satisfaction for second straight year
In a survey of 31 countries, Japan ranked last in terms of those who felt loved, with just 51% of respondents saying so.
Ruling coalition and DPP strike last-minute deal over economic policy
DPP policy chief Makoto Mahaguchi speaks at the party's policy gathering in Tokyo on Wednesday.
Japan, U.K. and Italy discuss inviting more countries to joint fighter project
A new concept model of a next-generation fighter jet to be jointly developed by Japan, Britain and Italy is on display in Farnborough, Hampshire, in July.
Haruki Murakami's 'The City and Its Uncertain Walls' gives deep deja vu
For “The City and Its Uncertain Walls,” translated into English by Philip Gabriel, Haruki Murakami confronts the ghosts who won't leave him alone.
Japanese expats in Asia find community through rugby
The Taiwan Fivewoods celebrate their victory at the 2023 Asian Japanese Rugby Cup in December of last year.
In Fukushima, a weekend of prose, poetry and translation
Aomori-based writer JJ Carter presented on tabletop gaming as creative inspiration for building characters and narratives.
For Dr. Nakamats, aging is just experience in action
Though he didn't win the recent gubernatorial election in Tokyo, the 96-year-old Dr. Nakamats' run was seen as inspirational in Japan's aging society.

Podcast

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

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Construction takes place on the Takanawa Gateway Convention Center in Tokyo, slated to open in 2025.
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