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November 21, 2024
 

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Jun Hongo

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Jun Hongo
Jun Hongo graduated from Boston University and joined The Japan Times in 2006. He covers a wide range of domestic news, including politics and business. He is an avid Red Sox fan.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Apr 12, 2014
Tokyo underground: taking property development to new depths
With demand for commercial and residential space increasing on the surface of Tokyo, developers are exploring new ways to utilize space underground.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Apr 12, 2014
Adopting a model approach to Tokyo's subway
University of Tokyo graduate Takatsugu Kuriyama creates a 3-D map of underground railway lines in the capital.
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Mar 26, 2014
Party with the yuru-kyara in Saitama
On March 30, Kibitan, Fukushima Prefecture's Narcissus Flycatcher bird mascot is joining other yuru-kyara regional mascots from across Saitama Prefecture in an event to support the recovery efforts in regions of northeastern Japan affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake of March 11, 2011.
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Mar 26, 2014
Let cherry blossoms light up the evening at Osaka castle
When it comes to spring beauty, nothing surpasses the sight of cherry blossoms in full bloom, especially when they are illuminated during the night. Add the grandiose view of Osaka Castle as the backdrop plus a delicious bento-box picnic, and you have a winning combination.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Mar 22, 2014
Hay fever: nothing to sneeze at
Pharmaceutical companies are deploying a whole new generation of high-tech products in the fight against the seasonal irritant
LIFE / Lifestyle
Mar 22, 2014
Everything you ever wanted to know about hay fever but were too stuffed up to ask
Nine hay fever facts that might surprise you
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Mar 20, 2014
Lego builds the year's first true blockbuster
Film director Phil Lord has fond childhood memories of days spent playing with Lego's colorful plastic blocks. He says he would simply dump what he had on the floor and create a huge mess.
Japan Times
Events / Events In Tokyo
Mar 20, 2014
Film festival highlights the ongoing plight of Tohoku
Arts Chiyoda 3331 in Tokyo is currently hosting a 3/11 Movie Festival featuring documentaries that focus on the aftermath of the March 11, 2011, quake as well as talks by some of those involved in the recovery efforts in the Tohoku region.
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Mar 20, 2014
Join in the fiesta as Shima Spain Village celebrates 20 years
Shima Spain Village amusement park in Mie Prefecture is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, with a series of events that include the introduction of new parades, anniversary decorations and menus featuring special meals in its restaurants.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Mar 8, 2014
Still hunting shadows three years after 3/11
One of the great statistical mysteries that persist several years after a natural disaster is the figure that appears without fail each month in columns representing the number of people that are still missing.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Mar 8, 2014
Fukushima: animal kingdom
Kumassy is a cat. As yet he has no owner.
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Mar 6, 2014
Next stop is Tetsudo Paradise
All aboard! Join the inaugural Tetsudo (Railway) Paradise 2014 event this weekend and experience everything you could want related to trains — ride a mini steam engine, watch a stage show featuring Thomas the Tank Engine and friends, even try on station-master uniforms.
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Mar 6, 2014
Happy birthday to Kumamon, Japan's favorite regional bear
You don't have to be from Kumamoto Prefecture to know Kumamon — a cute red-cheeked black bear who was officially introduced as the region's yurukyara (mascot character) in 2010. Since his appearance, he has arguably become one of the hottest yurukyara, along with Funabashi's blue-aproned pear, Funassyi....
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 4, 2014
American actress first non-Japanese tapped for NHK series lead
American actress Charlotte Kate Fox will play a leading role in NHK's upcoming morning drama series 'Massan,' based on the true story of Masataka Taketsuru, the founder of Japan's whiskey industry.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Feb 17, 2014
Knights vs. samurai: It's the ultimate crossing of swords
Is the samurai blade swift enough to outsmart the knight's sturdier sword? Japan's first Armored Battle is about to find out.
Japan Times
LIFE
Feb 15, 2014
Euthanasia: the dilemma of choice
Euthanasia is an emotionally charged issue for people on both sides of the debate. Proponents of euthanasia argue that a person suffering from terminal illness should be given the freedom to choose how and when they die. Such discourse is given weight by the Japanese term for the practice — anrakushi,...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives
Feb 8, 2014
Yuichiro Miura: on top of the world
Ever wondered what it feels like to stand on top of the world? Eighty-one-year-old alpinist Yuichiro Miura should know: He's done it three times since turning 70. He became the oldest person to scale the world's tallest peak, Mount Everest, in May last year, a remarkable feat that spurred the government...
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Feb 6, 2014
Japan's plum blossoms are already in the pink
If you're in need of floral cheer and can't wait for the spring cherry-blossom viewing, try the Ume Matsuri festival, which kicked off in Toyohashi, Aichi Prefecture, on Feb. 1.
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Jan 30, 2014
Nagasaki lights up for the Chinese New Year
Enjoy the Chinese New Year celebration in style at the Nagasaki Lantern Festival 2014, which kicks off on Jan. 31 and runs for two weeks in the city's Chinatown and surrounding areas.
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Jan 23, 2014
Embrace the cold and enjoy a winter festival
There are plenty of festivals that take advantage of the chill, and one that shouldn't be missed is the Monbetsu Winter Festival, which kicks off on Jan. 26 and runs through March 2.
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’

Longform

Construction takes place on the Takanawa Gateway Convention Center in Tokyo, slated to open in 2025.
A boom for business tourism in Japan?
By Kathryn Wortley

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