author

 
Menu
Search
 
April 03, 2025
 

Today's print edition

Home Delivery
Subscribe for more access
Alex K.T. Martin

Meta

Alex K.T. Martin
Alex K.T. Martin is a Tokyo-based journalist and senior writer at The Japan Times, primarily focusing on feature stories. Previously he was a Tokyo correspondent for The Wall Street Journal.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / Longform
May 3, 2021
New frontier: The future of tourism in Japan
Japan's travel industry has introduced new ways of attracting visitors amid COVID-19, but will any of these initiatives stick?
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Apr 30, 2021
Hit by restaurant closures, Japan's beer-makers double down on canned beer
With the state of emergency dealing a further blow to on-site sales, tapping into the growing market of home drinkers and health-conscious consumers has become essential.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Apr 13, 2021
Fishing and boating lure more enthusiasts in pandemic-hit Japan
Sales of fishing gear and used boats are up, and 2020 saw an increase in the number of Japanese people obtaining boating licenses.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society / Longform
Apr 10, 2021
The changing face of medical care for Japan's older residents amid COVID-19
The prolonged state of social isolation amid the ongoing pandemic is deteriorating the mental and physical health of Japan's seniors.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society / Longform
Mar 20, 2021
Leap of faith: Japan’s religious institutions get innovative in pandemic
Temples and shrines nationwide are experimenting with new ways of meeting the spiritual and emotional needs of parishioners.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Remembering 3/11
Mar 11, 2021
Olympic torchbearer aiming to remind the world of 2011 disaster
Kenichi Kurosawa survived the earthquake and tsunami, and has been constantly encouraging his neighbors to stay strong ever since.
PODCAST / deep dive
Mar 10, 2021
Episode 85: Ishinomaki — A tsunami-ravaged city, 10 years on
Alex Martin and Mari Saito bring us two stories from Tohoku, a decade after the Great East Japan Earthquake.
JAPAN / Remembering 3/11
Mar 6, 2021
A decade on, real challenges lie ahead for communities devastated by March 2011 disaster
With the government poised to significantly reduce the subsidies handed out to areas recovering from the catastrophe, will the city of Ishinomaki be able to stand on its own?
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Feb 7, 2021
Suicides in Japan dropped for a decade. Then the pandemic hit.
Economic insecurity, social isolation and the lingering dread that those you love can suddenly fall victim to the pathogen have stirred a toxic mix of stress and anxiety.
BUSINESS / Economy / Longform
Jan 30, 2021
Japan’s hospitality sector creaks under the weight of a second state of emergency
Restaurants, bars and karaoke parlors are bearing the brunt of restrictions placed on their operations, a move that could have a long-lasting impact on the nation's culinary landscape.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle / Longform
Jan 9, 2021
Insects: The future of food?
A thriving industry looks promising if consumer aversion can be overcome.
JAPAN
Dec 28, 2020
Shut that window! Open that window! Coronavirus in winter presents new challenge
The dry and often freezing climate is proving to be challenging as restaurants, shops and other facilities scramble to keep their facilities safe.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Dec 12, 2020
Escaping COVID-19: When you can’t see the virus for the trees
Individuals are replacing forestry companies and large corporations in efforts to buy plots of affordable forestland — but for a very different reason.
CULTURE
Dec 1, 2020
Amabie: Folklore apparition generated a big buzz in 2020
The long-haired, beak-faced amabie, which forecasts bountiful harvests and killer epidemics, has found itself in Japan's spotlight in recent months.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 31, 2020
How Japan’s subscription economy could redefine the way consumers and firms interact
Japan has lagged behind other nations in terms of subscription-based activities, but the model is finally catching on as consumers explore new ways of doing business.
BUSINESS
Sep 19, 2020
As COVID-19 persists, Japan looks to send in the robots
A new wave of service machines has emerged amid the coronavirus pandemic to help maintain safety and social distancing.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Aug 15, 2020
How COVID-19 has reshaped Japan's drinking culture
Suit-clad office workers are no longer flocking to Japanese-style pubs en masse to unwind after a long day at the office. Where are they drinking instead?
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Aug 13, 2020
Tabletop games on a roll as families in Japan stay home in pandemic
Sales of board, card, dice and other traditional games have skyrocketed as people spend more time indoors.
Japan Times
PODCAST / deep dive
Jul 22, 2020
Episode 58: A brief history of mask wearing in Japan
The Japan Times' Alex Martin discusses the history of mask wearing and how it's changed from the Edo Period to the Spanish Flu to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Science & Health / Longform
Jul 4, 2020
The history behind Japan’s love of face masks
In Japan, it's sometimes said that the eyes speak as much as the mouth.
As ‘Buy Canadian’ grows, more U.S. firms say retailers turning away products
Empty shelves with "Buy Canadian Instead" signs are seen in the American Whiskey section of the BC Liquor in Vancouver, British Columbia, on March 10.
Japan, South Korea and China vow to strengthen trade ties amid looming U.S. tariffs
Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Yoji Muto (left), South Korean Trade Industry and Energy Minister Ahn Duk-geun (center) and Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao during a trilateral meeting in Seoul on Sunday
A Canadian made a weekend trip to Costco a Japanese pastime
Under the watchful eye of Ken Theriault, Costco representative director and Japan country manager, the American membership-model wholesaler has flourished in Japan.
Meiji says sayonara to bottled milk, a staple of Japan's bathhouses
Meiji bottled milk lined up in a fridge at Kosugiyu, a bathhouse in Tokyo. The sticker urges patrons to enjoy the milk one last time before it’s gone.
Nankai Trough earthquake could kill 298,000 people, government says
Residents participate in an evacuation drill held with West Japan Railway in Shirahama, Wakayama Prefecture, in January 2024 to prepare for a Nankai Trough earthquake and a possible tsunami following the quake.
Meiji says sayonara to bottled milk, a staple of Japan's bathhouses
Meiji bottled milk lined up in a fridge at Kosugiyu, a bathhouse in Tokyo. The sticker urges patrons to enjoy the milk one last time before it’s gone.
A Canadian made a weekend trip to Costco a Japanese pastime
Under the watchful eye of Ken Theriault, Costco representative director and Japan country manager, the American membership-model wholesaler has flourished in Japan.
On defense, Japan may avoid Trump's worst impulses — for now
Defense Minister Gen Nakatani and U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth chat after reviewing an honor guard during a welcome ceremony at the Defense Ministry in Tokyo on Sunday.
No longer a 'bridesmaid': Yuki Tsunoda prepares for the Red Bull pressure cooker
All eyes will be on Yuki Tsunoda as he makes his Red Bull debut at the Japanese Grand Prix this weekend.
Tokyo tech failures lean into misfortune, mistakes and missteps
Tsuyoshi Domoto in Tokyo's Shinjuku Ward on March 28. As an entrepreneur, Domoto experienced plenty of setbacks but maintains a positive attitude and continues to pursue his dreams.

Podcast

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

Longform

Professional cleaner Hirofumi Sakurai takes a moment to appreciate some photographs in a Gotanda apartment whose occupant died alone.
The last cleanup: Life and death in a lonely Japan
By Johan Brooks

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

BOARDING & INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL DAY 2025 (Sunday, April 20)
BOARDING & INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL DAY 2025 (Sunday, April 20)

SPECIAL SUPPLEMENTS note

Read more

SUPPLEMENTS BINDER