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November 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
CULTURE / Art
Jan 23, 2014
The oyster can be your world in Ishikawa
Fresh, plump oysters are the tempting offerings at this weekend's Secchu Jumbo Kaki Matsuri 2014 (Jumbo Oyster Festival in the Snow 2014) in Ishikawa Prefecture's city of Anamizu.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jan 18, 2014
Hirata and Saito: love on the run
The trial of Makoto Hirata, which commenced Thursday, is expected to reveal a number of new facts about the former Aum Shinrikyo fugitive, but of most interest to investigators will be how he managed to stay hidden for so long.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jan 18, 2014
The New Year's prank that was anything but
Aum Shinrikyo fugitive Makoto Hirata's final day of freedom was nothing short of embarrassing for the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jan 18, 2014
How a yoga school became a doomsday cult
Aum Shinrikyo's criminal activities began in the late 1980s and culminated in the 1995 nerve-gas attacks on Tokyo's subway system. The group was founded in 1984 by Shoko Asahara, the babbling, half-blind guru whose real name is Chizuo Matsumoto.
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Jan 16, 2014
Nothing half-baked about this festival
Introduced as a military exercise rather than a staple, bread in Japan has an unusual history.
Japan Times
Events / Events In Tokyo
Jan 16, 2014
Tokyo's public transport bureau celebrates 90 years of bus services
Public transport buffs — get ready for Tokyo Metropolitan Government's transport bureau 90th anniversary of city buses.
Japan Times
LIFE
Jan 11, 2014
The return of Godzilla, the king of kaiju
'Godzilla' first appeared in cinemas across the country in November 1954 but its story line was heavily influenced by an incident eight months earlier at Bikini Atoll in the Marshall Islands.
LIFE
Jan 11, 2014
Everything you ever wanted to know about Godzilla but were afraid to ask
LIFE
Jan 11, 2014
King of the monsters has universal appeal
Kouhei Nomura published a glossary titled 'The Godzilla Encyclopedia' in 2004 after six months of dedicated research. He delivers his verdict on why the king of the monsters is so popular worldwide.
Japan Times
CULTURE
Jan 9, 2014
Tao makes the cut in new drama
At age 28, actress and model Tao Okamoto is already one of the few women in history — along with actress Farrah Fawcett and Jennifer Aniston's Rachel character from "Friends" to name a couple — to have a haircut named after her.
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Jan 9, 2014
Enjoy Japan's countryside, from Okayama to Hiroshima, for just ¥100
The Ibara Line starts at Soja Station and runs westbound across Okayama Prefecture to terminate at Kannabe Station in Hiroshima Prefecture. The line opened in 1999, and along its roughly 40-km route, it offers vast views of typical Japanese inaka (countryside) during the hour-long journeys.
Japan Times
Events / Events In Tokyo
Jan 9, 2014
Winter could be the best season to visit the zoo
Winter is not the season most people would think of as a good time to visit the zoo, but it is actually one of the most eventful times of the year for many animals as they adapt to the colder temperatures. See for yourself this month as the Tokyo Zoological Park Society kicks off its Visit Hot Zoo 2014...
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Jan 2, 2014
Kemari: a whole old ball game
The year of FIFA World Cup is upon us, with Brazil getting ready to host, and Japan scheduled to go head-to-head against Cote d'Ivoire, Greece and Colombia in June for a spot in the final 16. If six months is too long to wait, though, check out the ancient sport of kemari, to be held in Kyoto's Shimogamo...
Japan Times
Events / Events In Tokyo
Jan 2, 2014
Don't burn out on New Year's, go see the fire brigade
Feasting on countless mochi (rice cakes) and watching mind-numbing television is one "traditional" way to spend the New Year's holidays. But if you happen to be bored of that routine, check out the Tokyo Fire Department's (TDF) annual Dezome-shiki event for a glimpse of fire engines in action.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Dec 28, 2013
In memoriam: Those we lost in 2013
2013 saw the loss of a number of personalities who stood at the top of their respective fields. As the year quietly draws to a close, we reflect on those we lost, their contribution to the world and their ongoing legacy.
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Dec 26, 2013
Have a superhero New Year's
Here's an opportunity to have an ultra-special time this holiday season. The popular Ultraman superheroes, including the superhero himself and new hero Ultraman Ginga, will be in Kitakyushu, Fukuoka Prefecture, from Dec. 27 until Jan. 5 for the Oshogatsu Dayo! Ultraman Zenin Shugo (It's the New Year!...
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Dec 26, 2013
'Ice monsters' are set to give you the chills
Witness the "ice monsters" — one of Yamagata Prefecture's natural wonders — in a special illuminated event this winter beginning on Dec. 28 at the Zao ropeway in Zao.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Dec 21, 2013
Making their wishes come true
If you were granted one wish this Christmas, what would you wish for? For 17-year-old Mostafa Horie, the choice was simple: to see a Ferrari race car in action.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Dec 21, 2013
Upbeat in the face of adversity
Twenty-four-year-old Yura Tsutsumi was first attracted to Yuta Suzuki after seeing how positive he was in everyday life.
Japan Times
CULTURE
Dec 19, 2013
Comiket, where otaku come to share the love
The Tokyo International Exhibition Center, better known as Tokyo Big Sight, boasts an area of more than 80,000 sq. meters of exhibition space. It's the country's largest convention center and will host wrestling, fencing and taekwondo during the 2020 Olympics.
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.
Ishiba aggravates his own political failures with diplomatic faux pas
Prime Minster Shigeru Ishiba is greeted at the APEC summit in Lima by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Friday. The Japanese leader was criticized for remaining seated while meeting several world leaders at the event.
Japan's 3.31 million visitors in October set monthly record
Kiyomizu Temple in Kyoto in December 2023. Famous autumn leaf colors contributed to increased tourism demand last month from many markets across Asia, Europe and North America, the Japan National Tourism Organization has said.
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?
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