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July 17, 2024
 

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Philip Brasor
Japan Times
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Nov 21, 2013
Supermarkets finally get serious about shopping bags
Japan's plastic bag problem is different from Europe's.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Nov 16, 2013
Amano: tracing Japan's arc through its ads
Though Yukichi Amano's field of expertise was advertising, he used his weekly newspaper columnsto comment on popular culture in general, and frequently provided other media outlets with his personal take on social trends.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Nov 13, 2013
Where's the beef? Japanese taste buds dictate processing methods
Is that steak you're eating technically a steak?
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Nov 9, 2013
'Specialness' shrouds stories of minorities
As predicted four months ago in this column, in September the Supreme Court ruled discriminatory and unconstitutional the Civil Code stipulation that says children born out of wedlock are entitled to only half the inheritance of legitimate offspring. The government is expected to revise the law accordingly,...
Japan Times
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Nov 7, 2013
Collecting organizations try to give credit where it's due, don't always succeed
It's not uncommon for companies to incorrectly report credit information.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / How-tos / HOME TRUTHS
Nov 4, 2013
Warming up for the winter chill
In 2000 we moved into an apartment in Tokyo run by the semi-public housing corporation UR. It was new and had a natural-gas heating system. Unlike other gas systems we'd used in the past, however, this one heated water that was then circulated to outlets in different rooms in the apartment. Direct gas...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Nov 2, 2013
Hankyu Hanshin scandal is a by-product of the media's food fetishization
As with every food mislabeling furor, the point in the Hankyu Hanshin scandal isn't necessarily that people are eating bad-tasting or unsafe food, but that their pretensions have been exposed.
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Oct 30, 2013
Net scalpers set off discussion of true fandom in terms of economics
If you can't afford u00a5400,000 for a ticket, can you call yourself a fan?
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Oct 26, 2013
Get Koizumi: Nuclear village goes on offensive
This is a first for Japan: A political figure who not only undergoes a change of mind in public, but tries to make a difference after giving up the political power to do so.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Oct 25, 2013
Say goodbye to plentiful, affordable shrimp
Due to poor production at Asian fish farms, shrimp stocks are shrinking.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Oct 19, 2013
Imagining civil servants who actually serve
As a comedy, Nippon TV's 'Dandarin' not only pokes fun at bureaucratic privilege, but also wags its finger at Japan's storied management style, which succeeds on the backs of put-upon employees.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Oct 18, 2013
Blood on the tracks: Who pays for deadly railway accidents?
It's true: Railways demand money from families whose members die in train accidents.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Oct 12, 2013
Busan is still Asia's film-fest gem, but its sparkle is fading
During the Q&A session after the screening of his new film "Stray Dogs" at the 18th Busan International Film Festival, which ran Oct. 3-12, Taiwanese director Tsai Ming-liang mentioned that not only was his previous film not distributed in South Korea, it wasn't even shown at BIFF. Tsai was one of...
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Oct 12, 2013
Apologies for the apologies: the 'dogeza boom' on steroids
Japanese people like to apologize; or maybe "like" isn't the right word. As in English, many Japanese terms that have the meaning of an apology are used for the sake of perfunctory politeness, so a sincere apology requires effort, and there's no more powerful apology than dogeza, the act of prostrating...
Japan Times
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Oct 12, 2013
Government wondering how to tap burgeoning ebook market
The consumption tax increase gives overseas vendors an advantage.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Oct 7, 2013
Lower egg prices bad for producers, worse for chickens
The government aims to control egg prices by any means necessary.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Oct 5, 2013
Trouble is brewing on tracks up north
Last week the Fuji TV variety show "Real Scope" covered Japanese railroads. Most of the celebrities in the studio were densha otaku (train geeks), so it was one big love-in for railways and the people who operate them. However, the entire two-hour program focused on only two systems: the super express...
Japan Times
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Oct 2, 2013
Where there's a will: Attitudes toward inheritance change
Japanese baby boomers are facing up to the responsibilities of dying.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / How-tos / HOME TRUTHS
Sep 30, 2013
The build-up to get that housing loan
Several years ago, we went to a bank in Tokyo that was advertising housing loans with easy terms. Though we weren't shopping for a loan at the time we wanted to see what was needed in order to apply for one. The bank's approval criteria seemed simple enough: If you made at least ¥3 million a year, you...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Sep 28, 2013
Casinos bet on success in Tokyo
Most of the Olympics-related news reported since Tokyo won the right to host the 2020 Games is about projected economic benefits and drawbacks. A lot of construction will take place over the next seven years, but not all of it will be directly related to the sporting event.
Who needs AI when you have Hatsune Miku?
Over the first six months of 2024, a handful of songs using Vocaloid singer Hatsune Miku’s voice have enjoyed widespread attention, underlining a global interest in the character and the technology she represents.
Yen’s woes seem too big for even a BOJ hike this month to solve
The Bank of Japan headquarters in Tokyo
China’s economic growth comes in worse than expected
Pedestrians in the Wangfujing shopping area in Beijing on July 11, 2024. China's economic growth in the second quarter was lower than forecast, adding pressure on Chinese leaders to lift confidence at the Chinese Communist Party's third plenum this week.
Kansai airports to increase takeoff and landing slots ahead of Osaka Expo
Kansai International Airport in Izumisano, Osaka Prefecture. The upper limit on the number of takeoff and landing slots at the airport as well as Kobe Airport in Hyogo Prefecture will be raised in spring next year ahead of the 2025 World Exposition in Osaka.
Shooter came within inches of killing Trump, but left few clues as to why
An aerial view shows the stage where Republican presidential candidate and former U.S. President Donald Trump had been standing during an assassination attempt the day before, and the roof of a nearby building where a gunman was shot dead by law enforcement, in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Sunday.
The neurological disorder that 'kills culture'
Akiko Trush says her experience with the neurological disorder dystonia left her feeling like she wanted to chop her own hand off.
How to beat Japan’s summer heat in ways better for the planet
Tenugui towels hang up to dry at a dyeing company in Sakai, Osaka Prefecture, on May 8. The durable and versatile tenugui, which many people have in their homes, can be used in many ways to cool one’s body.
After Trump shooting, U.S. presidential race might take a violent turn
United States Secret Service Counter Snipers stand guard on a rooftop during a campaign rally for U.S. President Donald Trump in Avoca, Pennsylvania, in 2020.
No AC this summer? No problem (for me).
Think air conditioning is a requirement for a Tokyo summer? Think again.
She’s paying ¥1 million to help behind the scenes at the Paris Olympics
Mai Tarumi, who previously volunteered at the postponed Tokyo Olympics in 2021, has a travel budget of ¥1 million for her trip to volunteer at the Paris Games.

Podcast

You can often see generations of families enjoying performances together at Fuji Rock Festival.
Japan’s summer music festivals are feeling the heat in more ways than one

Longform

Akiko Trush says her experience with the neurological disorder dystonia left her feeling like she wanted to chop her own hand off.
The neurological disorder that 'kills culture'
By Tomoko Otake

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