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April 17, 2025
 

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Owen Ziegler
Owen Ziegler is an editor at The Japan Times in charge of Lifestyle and Food. For pitches, contact him at [email protected].
Former firefighter Yoshifumi Usui now guides tourists in search of active pursuits in and around the Aso caldera.
LIFE / Travel
Oct 21, 2023
In volcanic Aso, the land gives much more than it takes
Locals in Aso have a saying: “The land takes away, but it gives us something, too.”
On Oct. 17, the world's best bartenders gathered in Singapore for a celebration of cocktails and the announcement of this year's global rankings.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Oct 17, 2023
Japan's SG Club, Ben Fiddich named to World’s 50 Best Bars list
Aside from the rankings, the impact of Japan's elite cocktail culture was a visible influence throughout the evening.
This year's Tokyo Game Show attendance came up just shy of 2019's draw — an encouraging sign for the event's future.
LIFE / Digital / ON: GAMES
Oct 7, 2023
A dark fantasy spin on ‘Pinocchio’ may put FromSoftware under pressure
It wasn’t the biggest TGS ever, but it's hard to imagine anyone behind the scenes at TGS headquarters pulling their hair out over 2023’s return to form.
LIFE / Digital
Sep 21, 2023
Tokyo Game Show returns in full force with ‘largest-ever’ event
Participants at the gaming convention should expect long wait times for demos, but the Final Fantasy remake is worth it.
For the first time since 2019, the Tokyo Game Show returns in full force.
LIFE / Digital
Sep 20, 2023
Your livestreaming guide to Tokyo Game Show 2023
Giants of Japanese gaming will be livestreaming their major presentations for anyone across Japan — or the globe — to follow.
From hidden street art to this two-story-tall Pikachu balloon, Yokohama will be blanketed in Pokemon paraphernalia through Aug. 14.
LIFE / Digital
Aug 10, 2023
Pokemon comes home for the 2023 world championships in Yokohama
For the first time in the Pokemon franchise’s history, its world championships get underway in Japan.
Asia's best bartenders congregated in Hong Kong for the unveiling of the 2023 list of the continents top watering holes.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Jul 21, 2023
Tokyo’s Ben Fiddich inches toward top of Asia’s 50 Best Bars
A total of 14 bars in Japan cracked the top 100 of this year’s continent-wide rankings.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Jul 11, 2023
Tokyo’s Gold Bar makes instant splash in Asia’s 50 Best Bars rankings
A week ahead of the full unveiling of the 2023 edition of the Asia’s 50 Best Bars rankings, the top 51-100 bars across the continent have been announced.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Jun 24, 2023
Airbnb’s newest venture is in Japan’s most hidden village
Airbnb has partnered with one rural family to offer two lucky guests a free two-night stay in their traditional thatch-roofed home.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Jun 21, 2023
Three in Japan break into World’s 50 Best Restaurants rankings
The top accolades of the evening went to Central (Lima, Peru), but Japan’s influence can be found up and down the list.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Jun 7, 2023
In-N-Out opens one-day-only pop-up in Ebisu
Today only from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., In-N-Out returns to Tokyo.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Jun 3, 2023
At Grace Choy’s table, a tantalizing portal to Cantonese cuisine
A rising culinary star, Choy considers it a mission to evangelize authentic Chinese flavors across Tokyo.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / Reviews
May 18, 2023
Tears of the Kingdom soars thanks to its journey, not its destination
The latest Zelda release emulates 2017’s Breath of the Wild in many ways, but that doesn’t mean it lives entirely in its shadow.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital
May 12, 2023
‘Zelda holiday’: Tears of the Kingdom is a blitz of merch and exploration
The latest entry to the venerable Zelda franchise has bigger shoes to fill than any game in the series before it.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / ON: GAMES
Apr 22, 2023
Zelda and legal battles show Nintendo's dueling gaming ‘freedoms’
Tears of the Kingdom releases in three weeks, but one of Nintendo's biggest targets in the fight against piracy was released from prison first.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Mar 30, 2023
10 in Japan — and 7 in Tokyo — named among Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants
This year is a slight step backward for Japan's culinary scene, but how long will that dip last?
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Mar 25, 2023
High-tech 'sassen' duels are an active otaku's dream
In a world of endless options for virtual entertainment, could this be the perfect marriage of tech and athletics?
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / ON: GAMES
Mar 4, 2023
We hardly played ye: A bittersweet eulogy to E3
Once the Super Bowl of the gaming world, it’s time to remember E3 for what it once was instead of what it now unfortunately has come to be.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Feb 26, 2023
Lamp Bar: Majestic cocktails befitting Japan’s ancient capital
Many visits to Kyoto include a day in Nara, and every trip to Nara should include a stop at Michito Kaneko’s exceptional cocktail bar.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / ON: GAMES
Feb 4, 2023
Hogwarts versus transgender rights, Blizzard versus Beijing
Can you truly separate the art from the artist? For many gamers, Hogwarts Legacy is their first such test.
In a first, Japan issues cease-and-desist order against Google
The Google logo is seen at the company's Bay View campus in Mountain View, California. Japanese authorities on Tuesday issued a cease-and-desist order to Google over an alleged violation of the country's anti-monopoly law.
Japan to give India E5 and E3 shinkansen for free
A rendering of East Japan Railway's E10 series of bullet trains
China’s new bridge-forming barges offer new options for Taiwan invasion
This satellite image taken on March 25 shows three Chinese barges connected via extendable bridges in waters off Zhanjiang, in southern China's Guangdong province. Experts say the new barges could be used to land heavy equipment and thousands of personnel in a possible invasion of Taiwan.
Four arrested over obscene AI images in Japan first
The suspects used free AI software to create images of naked adult women, who do not exist in the real world, using prompts that included terms such as "legs open," according to NHK.
'Chikan' incidents rise as Japan grapples with mental health and cultural challenges
Overcrowded trains and a lack of legal consequences for groping in Japan have led to a rise in "chikan," or groping, which has been linked to a mental condition and compounded by cultural stigmas.
Why Ishiba became the first prime minister to hold talks with Rengo in 16 years
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and Japanese Trade Union Confederation chief Tomoko Yoshino in a meeting Tuesday at the Prime Minister's Office
In a first, Japan issues cease-and-desist order against Google
The Google logo is seen at the company's Bay View campus in Mountain View, California. Japanese authorities on Tuesday issued a cease-and-desist order to Google over an alleged violation of the country's anti-monopoly law.
Sumo's throwback regional tours offer glimpse into sport's heart and history
Kirishima (behind) battles Atamifuji during a regional tour event in Hyogo Prefecture in 2023.
China’s new bridge-forming barges offer new options for Taiwan invasion
This satellite image taken on March 25 shows three Chinese barges connected via extendable bridges in waters off Zhanjiang, in southern China's Guangdong province. Experts say the new barges could be used to land heavy equipment and thousands of personnel in a possible invasion of Taiwan.
The man who helps Japanese figure skaters stay sharp
Kimitaka Sakurai displays a sharpening stone for working on skate blades, in Yokohama on March 28. Regular sharpening is crucial for maintaining optimal performance and reducing skaters’ risk of injury on the ice.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

Visitors walk past Sou Fujimoto's Grand Ring, which has been recognized as the largest wooden structure in the world.
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