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July 28, 2024
 

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Andrew MCKIRDY

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Andrew MCKIRDY
Andrew McKirdy is a sports writer for The Japan Times. His main beat is soccer, but he has also covered rugby, tennis, volleyball, golf and even tug-of-war. A native of the Scottish Borders, he has written for The Scotsman newspaper and organized filming for a program on Japanese soccer for ITV television.
Japan Times
MORE SPORTS
Jul 28, 2022
Esports players with impairments continue to break down barriers
Naoya Kitamura, who has microphthalmos and has been blind since birth, says esports can help change the perception that people with disabilities 'just need assistance.'
Japan Times
SOCCER
Jul 8, 2022
Liverpool and Manchester United leading Europe's top clubs back into Asia
European clubs are returning to the Asia-Pacific region for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic and are eager to tap back into lucrative markets.
Japan Times
SUMO
Jul 6, 2022
Far from war, Ukraine sumo team trains for global glory in Japan
The wrestlers, hailing from one of amateur sumo's hotbeds of activity, flew to the United States on Tuesday after completing a monthlong camp ahead of the World Games.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Nov 14, 2020
Art or vandalism? Japan tries to find the right balance with street graffiti.
Tokyo looks to find the right balance between encouraging creative expression and protecting buildings from vandalism.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Oct 17, 2020
With fortunes waning in Japan, sake finds a new home abroad
As the world's hunger for Japanese cuisine grows, so does its thirst for the country's iconic drink.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Oct 10, 2020
Facing the music: Can Japan’s vibrant record culture survive the COVID-19 pandemic?
An iconic Tokyo record store prepares to close, leaving vinyl fans fearing for the future.
Japan Times
Rugby
Sep 14, 2020
Brave Blossoms won't play at all in 2020 because of pandemic
Brave Blossoms have not played a match since their World Cup quarterfinal defeat to South Africa on Oct. 20 last year.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design
Sep 8, 2020
Japanese beat the summer heat with fan-fitted clothes
As Japan swelters through record temperatures, fan-fitted clothing moves beyond workwear and into new markets.
Japan Times
Rugby
Sep 5, 2020
Can Japan make the most of its Rugby World Cup legacy?
One year after the global tournament kicked off, the impact of COVID-19 is hampering efforts to build on the hugely successful event.
Japan Times
LIFE
Aug 11, 2020
Beetlemania: Japanese collectors pay high prices for big bugs
The nation's love of stag and rhinoceros beetles has flourished during the pandemic, with families driving demand.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design
Jul 25, 2020
Redefining the kimono in modern times
While many associate the kimono with Japanese tradition, renewed interest in the garment at home and abroad is giving it a new lease on life.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Jul 22, 2020
Sign of the times: Helping deaf people get by in Japan
Attempts are being made to enhance the visibility and availability of sign language across the nation.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Jul 4, 2020
Steak House Ribera: Wrestling’s spiritual home in Japan
What do The Rock, Hulk Hogan and John Cena have in common? A shared love of Tokyo's Steak House Ribera.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Jun 27, 2020
Fighting for the right to recognize same-sex marriage in Japan
The notion of legal partnerships is gaining acceptance and yet entrenched political obstacles remain.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Jun 26, 2020
Comic Saku Yanagawa was on his way to cracking the U.S. — then COVID-19 happened
Comic Saku Yanagawa is making a name for himself in the U.S., but with racist hecklers and awkward Zoom gigs, he's facing his toughest crowds yet.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Jun 13, 2020
Suicide in Japan: Seeking to part the dark clouds as pandemic threatens recent progress
The death of u2018Terrace House' star Hana Kimura in May has thrust the issue of suicide back into the national spotlight.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
May 30, 2020
Not just another day at the office: Rethinking Japan’s business culture amid the COVID-19 pandemic
The workplaces that employees nationwide are slowly returning to are unlikely to be the same as the ones they left when the COVID-19 pandemic emerged.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
May 16, 2020
Romancing the phone: Japan navigates love in the time of coronavirus
With social distancing measures likely to stay in place in Japan for some time, what impact will they have on the way we interact with each other?
Japan Times
OLYMPICS
May 2, 2020
Left in limbo: Olympic and Paralympic hopefuls struggle with postponement
Tokyo's Olympic dream is still alive — for now — but many athletes have been left wondering if their hard work will all be for nothing.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Apr 18, 2020
Pandemic prevention measures turn Japanese families' worlds upside down
With many schools closed until early May, families are struggling to juggle the needs of young children with remote work responsibilities.
Japan's population continues to fall even as foreign resident count rises
The number of residents in Tokyo as of Jan. 1 rose by 0.03% from a year before, data shows, marking a year-on-year increase for the first time in three years, while the country's other 46 prefectures saw their populations continue to decline.
Ahead of the Olympics, Japan is still talking about the gymnast who won't be there
Japan's Shoko Miyata withdrew from the gymnastics team herself over her drinking and smoking, although it had already appeared as though the association was prepared to send her home from the team’s training camp in Monaco.
Yen melt-up nudges Japanese stocks into correction territory
Japanese stocks are down 10% from their July peak as the yen strengthens.
‘Crazy’ yen rally is at risk of shattering as soon as Wednesday
Some investors are warning that a yen rally is fragile, as was on show this week when the yen rapidly retraced an advance after Thursday’s stronger-than-expected U.S. economic growth figures.
Japan's average life expectancy rises for first time in three years
A decline in COVID-19-caused deaths likely helped boost the average life expectancy for Japanese men and women to rise for the first time in three years in 2023.
The Japanese Olympians looking to shine in Paris
Rim Nakamura, who is attempting to win Japan's first Olympic gold medal in cycling, will be one of the top Japanese athletes to watch at the Paris Games.
Japan’s minimum wage set for record ¥50 hike in major boost
Demonstrators rally to demand a big hike in minimum wages in Tokyo last week.
Japan loses top spot on strongest passport list to Singapore
Japan had the strongest passport for six years running from 2018, before being dethroned by Singapore on the 2024 list.
Why Japan's mysterious stash of classified funds escapes scrutiny
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi (right) during a meeting in Tokyo on Tuesday.
Japan eyes gold — and the future — as Olympic men's soccer campaign begins
Japan midfielder Yu Hirakawa controls the ball during a match against the United States in Kansas City, Kansas, on June 11.

Podcast

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

Longform

Traditional folk rituals like Mizudome-no-mai (dance to stop the rain) provide a sense of agency to a population that feels largely powerless in the face of the climate crisis.
As climate extremes intensify, Japan embraces ancient weather rituals
By Alex K.T. Martin

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JNTO promotes sustainable tourism initiatives

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