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July 17, 2024
 

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Philip Brasor
Japan Times
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Dec 24, 2010
Recycling rackets poised to make a killing at New Year's
Waste disposal hits a peak at the year's end. Just make sure you don't fall prey to the unscrupulous recycling vultures.
CULTURE / Music
Dec 24, 2010
Japan makes Beethoven's Ninth No. 1 for the holidays
It's Sunday afternoon at Tokyo Geijutsu Gekijo, where the Japan Philharmonic is performing Ludwig van Beethoven's Symphony No. 9, one of dozens of performances of the piece that take place throughout Japan during the month of December. The house is virtually sold out, and the audience appears to be mostly...
Japan Times
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Dec 20, 2010
Scandal economics: Shochiku rides out Ebizo brawl all the way to the bank
Shochiku could have lost a chunk of change from the Ebizo fall-out, but renowned onnagata Bando Tamasaburo saves the day.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Dec 19, 2010
University grads need to expand their horizons
A man I sometimes work with built a house in Hiratsuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, about 10 years ago when he was 30 years old. At the time he was working for one of Japan's most prominent trading companies, and had been ever since he graduated from university. He chose Hiratsuka because it's on the JR Tokaido...
Japan Times
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Dec 16, 2010
Bonenkai season a blast for some, drag for others
A recent survey says budgets for year-end bonenkai parties are up; on the other hand, more companies are opting to take their festivities in-house.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Dec 14, 2010
Rich kids set to inherit higher taxes
A new proposed inheritance law, which hasn't changed since 1958, is being aimed at the silver spooners who can afford a higher tax.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Dec 12, 2010
Kabuki's golden boy knocked off his pedestal — for now
TBS's Dec. 4 edition of "Newscaster" aired a long report on the run-in that kabuki star Ichikawa Ebizo had with a man at a Tokyo bar in the wee hours of Nov. 25, a dustup that resulted in Ebizo's hospitalization with a fractured cheekbone and broken teeth. Elaborating on the principle of "it takes one...
Japan Times
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Dec 9, 2010
Caregiving not the unemployment panacea the government hoped for
Premiums for Long-term Care Insurance could be raised again in 2012. Question is, will this translate to higher salaries for low-paid caregivers.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Dec 5, 2010
A relaxed approach makes news understandable for young and old
Two weeks ago, NHK announced that its popular half-hour series, "Shukan Kodomo no News" ("Weekly News for Children"), will be ending on Dec. 19. According to an article in the Sankei Shimbun, an executive at the public broadcaster explained the cancellation by saying that the show, which was launched...
Japan Times
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Dec 4, 2010
Starbucks caves in to refills, sort of
While it's stopping short of a bottomless cup, Starbucks Japan is making a slightly generous offer of u00a5100 refills on the Coffee of the Day.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Dec 2, 2010
New refuse rules criminalize can-collecting
Can-collecting used to be one way for homeless people to earn a bit of cash. Recently, though, more Tokyo wards are saying, 'No, you can't.'
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Nov 28, 2010
Journalist wants Ashikaga murder case reopened
In June 2009, this column mentioned a TBS news report about the DNA testing method that resulted in the 1992 conviction of Toshikazu Sugaya for the 1990 murder of 4-year-old Mami Matsuda in Ashikaga, Tochigi Prefecture. Sugaya was sentenced to an indefinite prison term but was released last year after...
Japan Times
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Nov 25, 2010
Tourist spots averse to foreign exchange
If Japan really wants to say 'Yososo' at tourist destinations, it's going to have to work on its acceptance of credit cards and foreign exchange.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Nov 22, 2010
Cost of education a drag on the economy
Trickle down effect 101: When the cost of education goes up, family spending goes down, and the economy with it.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Nov 21, 2010
'Freeter' drama reflects Japan's income gap
The American media keeps wondering whether or not the United States will have to endure a "lost decade" of sluggish growth and stagnant employment like the one Japan suffered through after the real-estate bubble burst in the early 1990s. It seems unlikely. The American economy is dynamic while Japan's...
Japan Times
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Nov 18, 2010
Living off the land in Okinawa
The issue of U.S. military bases in Okinawa has largely been a political argument, but there's also an economic angle that comes with the territory.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Nov 15, 2010
Electronics retailers likely to phase out point systems
Retailers fret that life after the eco-point system is abolished won't be so bright.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Nov 14, 2010
Media sheepish over island disputes
Last Tuesday, when Tokyo prosecutors raided the offices of YouTube in order to find the person who leaked those videos of a Chinese fishing boat ramming a Japan Coast Guard vessel near the Senkaku Islands, the Asahi Shimbun published a letter from a man who said he had worked in media for 30 years. He...
Japan Times
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Nov 9, 2010
Pachinko parlors pulling in pensioners
Bored? Need to get out the house but nothing too strenuous? How bout a friendly game of pachinko, gramps?
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Nov 7, 2010
The darker side of motherhood
In the first edition of the famous book of fairy tales by the Brothers Grimm, published in 1812, the story that has become known as "Snow White" had a different villain than the one we all know and hate. Snow White's original nemesis was her biological mother. In later editions, the evil queen became...
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
Japan finds a 'stealth' cure for zombie businesses: Let them fail
A worker at Sakai Seisakusyo prepares to transport metal rods at its factory in Kakamigahara, Gifu Prefecture, on July 8.
Trump makes his grand RNC entrance with a bandaged ear and a VP pick
Former U.S. President Donald Trump during the Republican National Convention (RNC) in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on Monday
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.
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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