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December 22, 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.
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.
Nippon Steel alleges undue White House influence on doomed deal review
U.S. President Joe Biden delivers remarks on the economy at the Brookings Institution in Washington on Dec. 10.
Record 78% of people in Japan feel anxious, government survey finds
The public opinion survey on people's lives, conducted by the Cabinet Office, found that 28.1% of respondents think that their standard of living is at a lower-middle level among the general public — the highest percentage to give that response in 35 years.
Police raided suspect's home to arrest him after fatal Kitakyushu stabbing
Broken window glass is seen at Masanori Hirabaru's house in Kitakyushu's Kokuraminami Ward.
Taiwan lawmakers brawl over bills that would 'damage democracy'
Lawmakers from the Democratic Progressive Party and opposition party Kuomintang brawl in parliament in Taipei on Friday.
Mother hopes for reunion with daughter ensnared by Tokyo host clubs
The Kabukicho district in Tokyo, where the daughter of a woman in her 60s fell deeply into the host club culture.
Japanese officials inspect Yokota Air Base over PFAS concerns
The Yokota Air Base in western Tokyo in September 2019. An inspection of the base by Japanese government officials on Friday came amid public pressure to investigate suspected links between the use of PFAS-containing firefighting foam by the U.S. base and contamination of soil and groundwater in western Tokyo.
Crime numbers rise in Japan for second straight year
A police officer stands in front of the residence of a man alleged to have stabbed two junior high school students in Kitakyushu.
A year of Oscar wins and a quiet push for diversity
Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s “Evil Does Not Exist,” released in Japanese theaters in April, sharply dramatizes the clash between rural and urban values. The film won five awards at the 2023 Venice Film Festival, including the second-place Silver Lion prize.
Curiosity didn’t kill the meme: Why cats still rule Japanese YouTube
A screen shot from YouTube user @lagelda shows the simplicity of going viral in Japan in 2024: A cat dancing to EDM in front of a green screen.
With rare Asia carrier deployment, France seeks greater interoperability
The flight deck of the French Navy's Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier during a stop at Changi Naval Base in Singapore in May 2019

Podcast

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

Longform

Yasuyuki Yoshida stirs a brew in a fermentation tank at his brewery in Hakusan.
The quake that shook Noto's sake brewing tradition
By Alex K.T. Martin

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