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December 22, 2024
 

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Jess Mantell

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Jess Mantell
Jess Mantell is a writer interested in the intersection of technology, cities, and food. Hailing from Toronto, she first arrived in Tokyo in 2005 and has been writing about gadgets and toys for The Japan Times since early 2012.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / TECH_JAPAN
Feb 13, 2013
Three gadgets from CES that you can take on the road.
Among the many products released at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas each year there are often some that stand out for being particularly innovative, and this year's CES was no disappointment.
LIFE / Digital / TECH_JAPAN
Dec 12, 2012
Bright, clean and airborne gift ideas
The holidays are just around the corner, so for those who subscribe to a little late-December consumerism, here are a few ideas for your gift list.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / TECH_JAPAN
Nov 14, 2012
The return of Furby; Minnie sleeps over
Takara-Tomy has a habit of producing or distributing weird and wacky toys that incorporate interesting uses of technology, and two of its most recent releases are no exception.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / TECH_JAPAN
Oct 10, 2012
Three new toys look back to the analog days
Remember when all the cool tech was lightning-fast and fit-in-your-pocket small? These days, our gadgets have become so impressive that the novelty of power and size has somehow lost its shine. Which is perhaps why the appeal of clunky, single-purpose retro gadgets is growing. So this month, forget quick...
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / TECH_JAPAN
Sep 12, 2012
Smart notes, perfect rice and panoramic snaps
With the most brutal of summer's heat now behind us, you may be due for a little revitalization. Here are some neat tools to help get your thoughts in order, your body nourished, and to provide you with a little fun. Enjoy!
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / TECH_JAPAN
Aug 8, 2012
3-D movies, games and silence on the go with your phone
There is an ever-expanding array of peripherals for smartphones — particularly for iPhone, not just because it is the most popular brand but also because it has one standard body shape, unlike the multitude of Android phones, making it easier to build attachments for. Here are a few new add-ons to...
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / TECH_JAPAN
Jul 11, 2012
Gadgets for fat fingers, rich kids and video thrills
Whether you are big, small, active or lazy, here is your monthly round-up with a little something for everyone.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / TECH_JAPAN
Jun 13, 2012
Gadgets and games to keep you dry in the washroom
It's not the classiest of topics, but here I go touching on the taboo — toilets. We all visit the bathroom several times a day, and what a relief that we do! The experience can conjure a curious mix of emotions: pleasure, pain, anxiety, boredom, impatience, pride. Japan famously produces toilets with...
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / TECH_JAPAN
May 9, 2012
This summer, take your gadgets camping, too
With the balmy weather and a relaxing pause from hectic day-to-day life during Golden Week, I'm sure many people have been inspired to start planning some kind of getaway to the countryside when things really heat up.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / TECH_JAPAN
Apr 11, 2012
Capture your ideas any which way with these USB peripherals
Over the last five years or so, the USB drive has eliminated the need to cart around expensive disks of varying sizes that don't hold much data, or burn endless CDRs, making life a lot more convenient for computer users everywhere. Recently, the storage and connection format has seen some impressive...
Freed anti-whaling campaigner Paul Watson arrives in France
U.S.-Canadian anti-whaling environmental activist Paul Watson, who was released from prison in Greenland's capital Nuuk after five months in detention, arrives with Lamya Essemlali, president of Sea Shepherd France, at Charles de Gaulle Airport in Roissy-en-France, near Paris, on Friday.
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.
Casual workouts, cool living, ‘complete’ food: Japan’s health trends of 2024
In 2024, efficiency trumped effort among Japan's fitness-focused aspirants.
The mighty Mekong River's growing plastic problem
A group of elephant keepers in Chiang Saen, Thailand, remove plastic waste from the Ruak River, a tributary of the Mekong River, as a pair of Asian elephants bathe behind them.
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.

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
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