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July 17, 2024
 

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Philip Brasor
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
May 9, 2010
TV Tokyo's soft approach toughens consumer savvy
Each of Japan's key commercial TV stations has distinctive traits, though in terms of programming these distinctions are probably insignificant to the average viewer, especially when you often have the boy band Arashi appearing on two or three different stations in the same evening.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
May 5, 2010
Local governments try to make it a little easier for you to pay them
Sign up to have your local government tax paid by bank withdrawal and qualify to win seaweed or rice!
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
May 2, 2010
He's unusual, so why not just kill him
In a review of the book "Shikei de Ii desu" ("The Death Sentence Is OK With Me") that appears in the Feb. 26 issue of Kinyobi, critic Tatsunori Yagashiwa asks if a society that "disregards illness" can properly judge criminal suspects.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
May 1, 2010
Not easy being green: Eco-point system tests patience
Got Eco-points? Great, but cashing them is going to take more than a little paperwork.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Apr 29, 2010
Crash test dummies agree: Legacy is the one!
Subaru's Legacy won top marks in the 2009-2010 New Car Assessment Program but will that translate into higher sales?
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Apr 25, 2010
Japan needs united opinion on Futenma's fate
In the middle of March, the Chunichi Shimbun published a survey of average people's opinions of the U.S.-Japan defense alliance. Seventy-eight percent of the respondents said they thought the alliance was either very important or mostly necessary. In addition, 59 percent felt the alliance was OK the...
Japan Times
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Apr 24, 2010
Commuting by bicycle benefits more than just your health
In an attempt to reduce Japan's carbon footprint, more government and corporate initiatives are encouraging commuters to cycle to work.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Apr 21, 2010
Be good to your vacuum cleaner and it will suck, if you're lucky
There's not a lot of turnover in vacuum cleaners, but manufacturers are doing their best to change that with new bells and whistles.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Apr 19, 2010
Hair restoration and the economics of great expectations
Reportedly 8 million men in Japan 'worry' about thinning hair, which adds up to a lot of customers . . . and lab rats.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Apr 18, 2010
China executions should have more Japanese talking
Two weeks ago when China executed four Japanese nationals for drug-smuggling, the Japanese government's response amounted to little more than a shrug. The ruling Democratic Party of Japan continually expressed "concern" over the executions, with different officials qualifying this concern as being strong...
Japan Times
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Apr 13, 2010
Lawson 100 and the evolution of the convenience store
As a rule you don't go to a convenience store for value. The new exception to the rule is Lawson Store 100.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Apr 11, 2010
Public works project has DPJ in a dam mess
Japan has 30,000 rivers, of which 113 are considered major. Japan also has half a million dams of various shapes, sizes and functions, and close to 3,000 of them were built for greater public purposes such as power generation, flood control and water supply.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Apr 9, 2010
Where's the (cheap) beef?
U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack might be heartened to hear the gyudon (beef bowl) battle is more ferocious than ever.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Apr 6, 2010
Annals of Cheap: Super Hotel
The Super Hotel chain ranked high in yearly survey of customer satisfaction, and for good reason. As business hotels go, these are super.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Apr 4, 2010
Newspapers, broadcasters not facing facts: Web is here to stay
Nihon Keizai, Japan's main financial newspaper, launched its new Web version on March 23. As with the print version, there will be two editions, morning and evening. There will also be Web-exclusive features like videos. Subscribers who opt for the Web version only pay ¥4,000 a month, while those...
Japan Times
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Apr 2, 2010
The Mujirushi house: Fans finally get total immersion
Fans of Mujirushi can now live in the no-nonsense, customizable house that Muji built. Simple functionality will cost you, though.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Mar 30, 2010
Food cooperatives offer peace of mind for a price
Food cooperatives offer guilt-free groceries delivered to your doorstep, but that peace of mind will cost you a pretty penny.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Mar 28, 2010
Japanese women can't get no satisfaction
Several weeks ago, star economist and self-help guru Kazuyo Katsuma was the special guest on the TBS variety show "Kinyobi no Sumatachi e." The program's title conflates "kinyobi no tsumatachi" (Friday Wives), which once referred to Friday night "trendy drama" series centered on well-to-do housewives,...
Japan Times
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Mar 27, 2010
Before Obamacare: Japan's national healthcare system saves some for private insurers
Even though Japan enjoys the benefits of national health care, private insurers are doing a booming business.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Mar 26, 2010
Other routes taken
Pavement was not totally idle during the '00s. Matador rereleased the band's five albums, each in double-CD formats with dozens of previously unreleased tracks. However, each member was also involved in more personal endeavors, some more musical than others.
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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