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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].
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Jan 29, 2023
Drinking with purpose at Bar Nayuta, a covert Osaka speakeasy
No sign, no menu and a trick room for an entrance — if you can find this bar, you’ve earned every sip.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / ON: GAMES
Dec 31, 2022
Elden Ring's artful cruelty set the bar for gaming in 2022
FromSoftware's ambitious, brutal high fantasy RPG was by far the best game to come out of Japan in the last five years.
Japan Times
LIFE
Nov 22, 2022
Your guide to watching the World Cup from Tokyo
Tuning into games from Qatar looking more complex than a Messi dribble? Here's how to make sense of all of Tokyo's World Cup watch parties, streaming options and more.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Nov 18, 2022
Michelin awards 200 Tokyo restaurants a total 263 stars for 2023
Between Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto, nearly 400 restaurants in Japan proved worthy of at least one illustrious Michelin star.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Nov 13, 2022
The Americans going where no miso has gone before
Eleana Hsu and Kevin Gondo don't just break the rules with their homemade miso and shoyu — they create their own.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Oct 23, 2022
With Hokuriku’s fermented foods, tasting is believing
From sake starter and soy sauce ice cream to fish fermented in a uniquely regional way, these prefectures hold plenty of culinary secrets just begging to be discovered — and devoured.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Oct 15, 2022
‘Undesirable consequences’ may await Japan’s well-meaning tourists
The return to full-scale tourism may be much more of a slog than previously thought — for tourists and Japan alike.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Oct 9, 2022
Just one bar in Japan named to World’s 50 Best Bar list
This year's rankings represent a bit of a decline for Japan's elite cocktail scene.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / ON: GAMES
Oct 1, 2022
Grand Theft Auto suffers a stunning blow as Netflix plots an unlikely rise
Rockstar deals with a massive theft of its own while the streaming giant announces plans for its own internal game studio.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital
Sep 17, 2022
Here to stay, livestreams can’t help but steal thunder from in-show events
Gaming expos were once premier, marquee events. Now, even game makers themselves seem ready to give up on the idea of breaking news for attendees only.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital
Sep 15, 2022
Elden Ring takes top honors at the Japan Game Awards
Hidetaka Miyazaki, Elden Ring director and FromSoftware president, took away three prizes by the time the final honoree was named.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital
Sep 14, 2022
Zelda gets a release date and Yakuza returns to Edo in Nintendo and Sony’s pre-TGS streams
Breath of the Wild 2 is dead. Long live Tears of the Kingdom.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design
Sep 10, 2022
Is the age-old tea ceremony ready for a cardboard future?
Tradition in sadu014d (Japanese tea ceremony) is a fluid concept, but that doesn't necessarily mean an open-door policy for every innovation like the Chashitsu Zero.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Jul 19, 2022
Four in Japan named to World's 50 Best Restaurants List
Tokyo and Osaka remain Japan's culinary hubs.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
May 2, 2022
Six bars in Japan named to Asia’s Best 50 List
Cheap pints of Super Dry and quick-and-easy highballs not quenching your thirst? These stellar bars will mix you something special.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / ON: GAMES
Feb 25, 2017
Nintendo is switching it up
It's still early in 2017, but Switch, Nintendo's newest gaming console, is bound to be the most desirable hardware of the year. Both a home console and a handheld, it's being touted as an all-in-one must have. Drop it in its dock and players can game on a television screen. Attach Joy-Con controllers...
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / ON: GAMES
Sep 23, 2013
'Rain' reveals it gameplay while 'Wind Waker' goes HD
We're playing in the rain

Longform

Visitors walk past Sou Fujimoto's Grand Ring, which has been recognized as the largest wooden structure in the world.
Can a World Expo still matter? Japan is about to find out.