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July 16, 2024
 

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@philipbrasor

Philip Brasor
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / How-tos / HOME TRUTHS
Feb 6, 2015
Renting comes with guarantors, not guarantees
According to the most recent census, as of 2010 the population of Japan stood at a little less than 128 million, and if demographic trends continue at the current rate it will be 107 million in 2030 and 97 million in 2050. Despite this projected decline, 369,993 new rental units were built in Japan last...
Japan Times
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Feb 2, 2015
Hair-care industry has anxious consumers coming and going
An underground health movement says over-shampooing leads to hair loss.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Jan 31, 2015
Goverment's pension manga displays some pretty old values
On Jan. 12, people who will turn 20 this year attended ceremonies marking Coming-of-Age Day at auditoriums run by local governments. Some wore outrageous getups as final statements of youthful folly before "entering society" and some exercised their entitlement by getting drunk and acting out, but most...
Japan Times
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Jan 26, 2015
Where's the milk? School lunches no longer sacred cows
The cost of a school lunch is now higher than the average salaryman's lunch.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Jan 24, 2015
Mika Mifune gets ready for some serious 'me' time
Historian Daniel J. Boorstin once defined a celebrity as someone who is "known for his well-knownness" — a person famous for being famous. Though many celebrities have talent and other attributes that draw attention, it is easier to gain notoriety passively by being related to someone who already...
Japan Times
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Jan 19, 2015
More convenience stores adopting restaurant functions, and vice versa
Consumers are adopting a more casual attitude toward eating out.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Jan 17, 2015
Snark levels were on full blast for 'Kohaku'
The 2014 edition of NHK's venerated song contest, "Kohaku Uta Gassen," broadcast on Dec. 31, was remarkable for several reasons, though the performance that generated the most remarks was the one by the equally venerated pop-rock group Southern All Stars, their first on the show in 31 years.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Jan 13, 2015
Cheap smokes finally going up in price
Until the tobacco prices went up in 2010, third-class cigarette sales were very low.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Jan 10, 2015
Dull and authentic beats out polished TV
Another New Year's break, another two-week onslaught of inconsequential television programs based on the variety show model of comedians talking about themselves, watching videos of other people doing supposedly interesting things and playing games whose main entertainment function is humiliation. The...
Japan Times
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Jan 5, 2015
Show me the money: Who paid for what in the Lower House election
The government spent u00a563 billion on the recent Lower House election
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Jan 3, 2015
The highlights of Japanese media in 2014
My choices for the most significant public phenomena of last year are associated with traditional media rather than the social kind, which isn't to say these phenomena didn't impact social media and vice versa, only that TV, newspapers and magazines still affect our perception of the world.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / How-tos / HOME TRUTHS
Jan 2, 2015
Property borders: Where to draw the line
Some years ago we lived in western Kawasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture, in a neighborhood that clung to the contours of a hilly terrain. Many of the streets were just dirt and gravel, even though the area was fully developed. Neighbors told us that they had been trying to get the local government to pave these...
Japan Times
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Dec 29, 2014
Consumer stimulus is not the same as welfare, though the purpose is the same
There may still be time to apply for the government's one-time welfare handout.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Dec 27, 2014
Abe isn't impressed with media criticism
The most talked-about media moment from the Lower House election on Dec. 14 was the victory interview Prime Minister Shinzo Abe gave to Nippon TV.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Dec 22, 2014
Annals of cheap: Narita express buses
Narita Airport is still inconvenient for Tokyoites, but now getting there is less expensive.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Dec 20, 2014
Weeklies walk a fine line in scandal reporting
In her regular column in the Dec. 11 issue of Shukan Bunshun, novelist Mariko Hayashi blasted the weekly magazines, including Bunshun, for failing to follow up on a scandal that, under normal circumstances, should have been right up their alley. The daughter of the late Osaka-based singer and TV host,...
Japan Times
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Dec 15, 2014
Deflation Watch: bean sprouts
Bean sprout producers are demanding retailers pay higher prices than the retailers are willing to pay.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Dec 13, 2014
Fight or flight: Narita's history of conflict
The recent increase in international flights in and out of Haneda Airport has clearly pleased Tokyo residents, who, since the late 1970s, have had to trek out to Narita International Airport in Chiba Prefecture when they wanted to go overseas.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Dec 8, 2014
Cosmetics market shifts up in age
The cosmetics industry is looking at potentially booming business.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Dec 6, 2014
Cultural differences shade reactions to robots
It was only right that Disney's new animated feature, "Big Hero 6," opened this year's Tokyo International Film Festival, and that Disney animation head John Lasseter was on hand to introduce it. Lasseter has often said that his career has been greatly influenced by Japanese anime — in particular...
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.
Bloodied Trump survives assassination attempt at political rally
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is surrounded and evacuated by Secret Service agents at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday. Trump was rushed off stage at the rally after shots rang out.
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.
Yen’s woes seem too big for even a BOJ hike this month to solve
The Bank of Japan headquarters in Tokyo
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.
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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