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March 29, 2025
 

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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
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.
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?
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 / 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 Times
JAPAN / Society
Apr 5, 2020
Japan’s homeless at risk from coronavirus pandemic
Many of Tokyo's homeless also have underlying health problems, making them particularly vulnerable as cases of COVID-19 continue to climb in the capital.
Japan Times
CULTURE
Apr 4, 2020
Kamishibai: Rediscovering the fine art of storytelling in Japan
Artists are taking a traditional art form to a new audience but a battle rages over its true essence.
Japan Times
PODCAST / deep dive
Mar 18, 2020
Episode 43: The no-plastic challenge isn't easy in Japan
Japan uses more single-use plastic per capita than any other nation besides the U.S. To see how difficult it is to live a life without it, JT staff writer Andrew McKirdy spent a week trying to avoid single-use plastic. Also on this episode, Mona Neuhauss of No Plastic Japan. Hosted by Oscar Boyd.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design
Feb 29, 2020
Classic kicks: Japan’s sneaker obsession rebounds
The 1990s sneaker craze eventually cooled off, but over the past four or five years a new wave has risen, towering over anything that came before.
Japan considers all possible options as Trump threatens new auto tariffs
Subaru cars awaiting export at a port in Yokohama on Thursday.
Massive quake kills at least 150 in Myanmar and Thailand
Medical workers treat a earthquake survivor on a bed in the compound of a hospital in Naypyitaw on Friday, after an earthquake in central Myanmar.
Tokyo police seek public's help on Setagaya family murder 24 years ago
Police seek information from the public on a high-profile murder case, in Setagaya Ward, Tokyo, on Saturday
Student suicides in Japan hit all-time high
A volunteer handles an incoming call at the Tokyo Befrienders call center, a suicide hotline center in Japan's capital.
Copyright questions loom as ChatGPT's Ghibli-style images go viral
A screenshot of OpenAI CEO Sam Altman's Ghibli-style profile picture on X
Recent spate of wildfires in Japan and South Korea linked to climate change
Smoke and flames rise from a wildfire in Andong, South Korea, on Tuesday.
Hanami season to have record ¥1.39 trillion economic impact on Japan
Cherry blossoms along a road in Tokyo on Tuesday. The 2025 cherry blossom season is expected to have an economic impact of around ¥1.39 trillion on Japan.
Tokyo Series proves to be big business for MLB — and Japanese companies
An advertisement featuring Shohei Ohtani in Tokyo.
New SDF command will be key for contingency planning, Australian commander says
A Maritime Self-Defense Force SH-60K "Super Auk" from JS Shiranui prepares to land on HMAS Brisbane during Exercise Malabar 2023 while off the coast of New South Wales, Australia.
Japanese wages likely to rise more than 5% again this year
Wages are set for another big increase this year as annual negotiations secure generous agreements.

Podcast

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

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The sun shines from behind a waving Philippine flag at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial.
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