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July 17, 2024
 

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Philip Brasor
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / How-tos / HOME TRUTHS
Jul 3, 2012
Dip into the history of the Japanese 'system bath'
Japanese people love their evening bath, but tubs in private residences are a relatively recent development. By 1963, only 60 percent of Japanese homes had them. The small amount of living space necessitated by economic reality, not to mention the paucity of indoor plumbing, couldn't accommodate bathrooms,...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Jul 1, 2012
Often-ignored immigration issue raised in new film
Several weeks ago, U.S. President Barack Obama said that he wants to allow younger undocumented immigrants who came to America as children to stay, and last week the Supreme Court struck down some provisions of Arizona's controversial law requiring police to check individuals they suspect of being in...
Japan Times
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Jun 28, 2012
Tattoos are forever, which is why they cost so much to remove
It costs 10 times more to remove a tattoo than it cost to apply it.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Jun 24, 2012
Escaped-animal antics are good for ratings
One of the interesting factoids accompanying the escaped-penguin story that delighted the media for the last three months is that Japan has more penguins in captivity than any other country. Tokyo Sea Life Park, the facility from which the male Humboldt penguin in question made his break, has 135. The...
Japan Times
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Jun 22, 2012
Police rewards result in arrests, and some frustration
The system of rewards leading to the arrest of fugitives still has some kinks in it.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Jun 18, 2012
Budget airline determined to give passengers their money's worth
Skymark Airlines wants customers to understand what it means to be a 'budget' airline.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Jun 17, 2012
Watami under scrutiny after karōshi
Osaka mayor Toru Hashimoto has been compared to Adolf Hitler in the media for his authoritarian governing style, but on a realistic level he seems more like an overbearing boss. The famous tattoo controversy comes down to the notion that, as mayor, he employs city workers, and since the city's residents...
Japan Times
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Jun 15, 2012
Is nursing care insurance making nursing care recipients worse?
As nursing care costs continue to rise, some care items need to be reviewed.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Jun 10, 2012
The public shame of crying poor
Public acts of contrition don't get any more dramatic than comedian Junichi Komoto's May 25 press conference, where he apologized for allowing his mother to collect government welfare payments even though he's made good money himself as a TV personality. Josei Seven, the women's weekly that broke the...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Jun 8, 2012
Why Japan is so down on British food
Ask any Japanese person what they think of British food, and the common reply will be, "I've heard it's terrible." This universal disdain for British cooking is a result of the usual media prejudice, exacerbated by a confidence among Japanese in their native ability to discern epicurean excellence.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / How-tos / HOME TRUTHS
Jun 5, 2012
At times, there's no getting away from the neighbors
The house we were inspecting in Shiroi, Chiba Prefecture, looked better and larger in the photos that the realtor had posted on its website. Those pictures had been taken with a wide angle lens at the eastern side of the house, which bordered a leafy promenade. To the north and south of the house, however,...
Japan Times
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Jun 4, 2012
Play money: Forgotten fate of foreign currency
Where is all that foreign currency Japanese tourists neglect to spend?
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Jun 3, 2012
Homophobic joke goes awry for Beat
On the May 12 edition of the TBS current affairs variety show "Newscaster" comedian "Beat" Takeshi Kitano made a joke about homosexual unions during a discussion of U.S. President Barack Obama's recent comment in support of same-sex marriage. Kitano's mission as the program's resident chief commentator...
Japan Times
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
May 31, 2012
How high is up: Tokyo Skytree boosts economy for some
Tokyo Skytree is a bonanza for some, a headache for others.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
May 27, 2012
Anniversary of Okinawa's reversion highlights opposing press views
In February, Foreign Minister Koichiro Genba assured the mayor of Iwakuni City and the governor of Yamaguchi Prefecture that Japan would not ask the people they serve to take on "any additional burden" from U.S. forces. Iwakuni already has a Marine Corps air station, and it is thought that the United...
Japan Times
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
May 24, 2012
Banks get tax cut and finally decide to pay up
After six years of profits, banks decide they can afford to pay taxes.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
May 20, 2012
TV: no longer the drug of the people
Last week, Japan's fifth largest discount electronics retailer, Bic Camera, announced it would soon obtain a 50 percent share of Japan's sixth-largest discount electronics retailer, Kojima, thus making the combined companies Japan's second-largest electronics retailer. Bic operates 34 stores in large...
Japan Times
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
May 18, 2012
Japan Post would prefer to let sleeping dogs, and accounts, lie
With a trillion yen sitting dormant, government is eyeing so-called sleeping savings accounts and banks are getting nervous.
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
May 13, 2012
Japanese laws make abortion an economic issue
The cost of abortion in Japan shows it is not considered a women's health issue.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
May 13, 2012
Road-death stats hide the truth
The media likes to report on victims of accidents, disasters and crimes, and while it's natural to feel sympathy for unfortunate individuals, the only imaginable benefit this sort of coverage provides to viewers and readers is catharsis, which is better served by the popular arts.
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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