Rochelle Kopp - The Japan Times

December 21, 2024

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Rochelle Kopp

PODCAST / deep dive

Apr 5, 2023

What should you expect when you land a job in Japan?

What is it like to work in Japan? With the number of foreign residents slowly rising, we take a look at what they might be in for when it comes to the country’s corporate culture.

Japan Times

COMMUNITY / How-tos

Apr 3, 2023

Help wanted: The (sleeper) agent of change

Some Japanese businesses may see layoffs overseas as a chance to hire 'agents of change.' If you're one of those agents, don't expect to revolutionize things too soon.

Japan Times

COMMUNITY / Issues / LEARNING CURVE

Mar 28, 2022

Center helps non-Japanese kids tackle the obstacles of getting into a Japanese high school

From testing to etiquette, new arrivals to Japan face linguistic and cultural challenges when enrolling in high school in Japan.

Japan Times

COMMUNITY / Voices / FOREIGN AGENDA

Jan 10, 2022

That New Year's resolution to improve your Japanese can help with other aspects of life here

Whether you've resolved to stress less or find a new job in 2022, bulking up your Japanese vocabulary can be key to achieving any new goal.

COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT

Dec 20, 2021

Scholars launch effort to assist peers stuck outside of Japan

Japan's border situation and lack of digitized archives continue to cause problems for academics who need access to historical documents.

Japan Times

PODCAST / deep dive

Dec 1, 2021

Chaos at Japan's borders

Japan announced on Monday that it will ban all new foreign entries for at least one month in an effort to prevent the omicron variant from spreading domestically.

Japan Times

COMMUNITY / Our Lives

Jun 28, 2021

LaShawn Toyoda learned how to code during the pandemic. Japan's international community is glad she did.

After a lot of study, LaShawn Toyoda took what she learned and created a multilingual database of where to find vaccinations in Japan.

Japan Times

COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT

Jun 21, 2021

Bringing gluten-free concepts and cuisine to Japan

The medical problems associated with gluten are not as common in Japan, though some think this may not be the case a few years down the road.

Japan Times

COMMUNITY

May 3, 2021

The downside of decision-making practices in Japan

Adherence to the rules is important in Japan. When those rules don't work, it is sometimes easier to make a whole new set.

Japan Times

COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT

Dec 7, 2020

The pandemic border policy that will leave a scar on Japan's foreign community

Border restrictions imposed on non-Japanese residents to stop the spread of COVID-19 were seen as discriminatory by many, but they're not likely to prevent travel here in the future.

Japan Times

COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT

Dec 7, 2020

'My business is going down the drain': Stories from residents stuck outside Japan

It's hard to list the stories of every person still stuck outside of Japan due to the country's border policies, but two of them show just how complicated the situation can get.

COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT

Oct 26, 2020

The bureaucratic wall that hampers entry to Japan

The requirements Japan has put in place to enter the country amid the pandemic don't quite match up with the realities of what's going on overseas.

Japan Times

COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT

Aug 31, 2020

A costly waiting game for inbound foreign workers

While some permanent residents and students are slowly trickling back into Japan, businesses are waiting to hear if new hires can join their ranks.

Japan Times

PODCAST / deep dive

Aug 25, 2020

Episode 62: How Japan's border closures have affected international students

Since Japan imposed entry restrictions on April 3, many students and academics have been left stranded outside the country, unable to pursue their studies and research. Many have also lost the scholarships that have funded their studies so far.

Japan Times

JAPAN

Aug 14, 2020

Travel bans throttle Japanese universities’ global ambitions

Non-Japanese students and faculty find study and research plans upended by pandemic restrictions.

Japan Times

COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT

Jul 17, 2020

Re-entry ban causes foreign firms and talent to question long-term plans in Japan

As confusion continues over the Japanese government's re-entry ban for foreign residents, the international business community has started voicing concerns.

Japan Times

COMMENTARY / Japan

Jun 12, 2020

Is Japan’s low COVID-19 death rate due to a 'higher cultural level'?

The nation's successful management of the pandemic has become a point of pride for many Japanese.

Japan Times

COMMUNITY / How-tos

May 11, 2020

How the coronavirus widens a cultural divide

If you'd like your Japanese colleagues to come around to your way of thinking, you'll need to convince them in a way that's common in the culture.

Japan Times

COMMUNITY / Voices

Apr 1, 2020

Does Japan’s culture explain its low COVID-19 numbers?

With the West now taking another look at widespread use of face masks to stop the spread of the new coronavirus, it's worth noting another aspect of Japanese culture that might be keeping the number of infections down: shame.

Japan Times

COMMUNITY / How-tos

Mar 5, 2020

Japanese corporate culture explains why experts given back seat in virus response

Organizations in Japan tend not to rely on specialists when it comes to solving in-house problems, which may be a consequence of fostering a workforce of generalists.

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.

Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Yasuyuki Yoshida stirs a brew in a fermentation tank at his brewery in Hakusan.

The quake that shook Noto's sake brewing tradition

By Alex K.T. Martin

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