Search - features

 
 
COMMENTARY / World
May 27, 2016

China's South China Sea quest

What does Beijing want in the South China Sea? The answer is control.
Japan Times
Restaurants
May 11, 2016

Spring gourmet special

Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
May 7, 2016

Have you read any good mooks lately?

The word "mook" is a portmanteau of the words "magazine" and "book." I had long assumed, mistakenly, that it was one of those examples of wasei-eigo (Japan-made English terms), such as "open car" (a convertible) or "virgin road" (the aisle down which the bride walks at a wedding ceremony). But from online...
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Apr 23, 2016

Tokyo hotel gets into bed with local artists

When building a new hotel, designers would normally consider the artwork displayed on the walls as a finishing touch. But for BnA Hotel Koenji, which just opened in Tokyo's Koenji neighborhood, the artwork definitely comes first.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Markets
Apr 12, 2016

Australia unveils new AU$5 note in currency overhaul; initial reactions scathing

The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) on Tuesday unveiled the design of a new Australian $5 bill as part of a currency overhaul to improve banknote security.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Apr 6, 2016

Beijing opens new lighthouse on man-made island in South China Sea

Beijing announced Tuesday that it has begun operating a lighthouse on the man-made island in the contested South China Sea that the U.S. sailed a warship near last October as part of its so-called freedom of navigation program.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Japan Pulse
Mar 15, 2016

Nintendo levels up smartphones with wallpapers and cases

As gamers anxiously await Nintendo's new Miitomo app, smartphone users can level up their devices now with new wallpapers and cases from the Big N.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 15, 2016

Prelude to war with China?

The South China Sea contretemps has taken a decided turn for the worse.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / COMMUNICATION CUES
Feb 1, 2016

'Hunk' Nagoya gorilla stars in recruitment drive

A famous gorilla in Nagoya is starring in a video to promote the city's municipal job recruitment effort.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LAW OF THE LAND
Nov 16, 2015

And now for something completely unconstitutional

When did the Abe-verse become an alternate reality where past violations of the nation's basic law can, with a straight face, be used to justify further violations of the same type?
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
Oct 28, 2015

Japan tricks out the Halloween treats

Halloween is a time to carve pumpkins, enjoy a few scares and, most importantly, shovel as much candy as humanly possible into one’s own mouth. While the practice of door-to-door trick-or-treating may not be a thing in Japan, the custom of eating special Halloween snacks certainly translates. Plenty...
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Oct 10, 2015

Home sweet home: Preserving the traditional Kanazawa townhouse

Traditional wooden townhouses called machiya could once be found throughout Japan and were especially common in cities such as Kyoto and Nara in Kansai, as well as Kanazawa in Ishikawa Prefecture.
EDITORIALS
Sep 24, 2015

The coming crisis in housing

The government's policy on housing should veer away from encouraging new construction and focus more on developing the market for secondhand houses.
BUSINESS / Tech
Sep 8, 2015

Apple ramps ups hiring but faces obstacles to making phones smarter

Apple has ramped up its hiring of artificial intelligence experts, recruiting from Ph.D. programs, posting dozens of job listings and greatly increasing the size of its AI staff, a review of hiring sites suggests and numerous sources confirm.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Aug 9, 2015

Even if you don't see Yasutaka Nakata at Summer Sonic, you'll probably hear him

Punters heading off to Makuhari Messe this weekend for SonicMania — the all-night event preceding the annual Summer Sonic music festival — should try to arrive at the venue early to secure a prime spot for the evening's first act: pop trio Perfume.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Jul 11, 2015

The ogres of Oga are not as frightening as they may appear

Although surely one of Japan's most scenic areas, the Oga Peninsula in Akita Prefecture is off the beaten track and retains an unhurried vibe, still relatively untouched by commercial tourism. Here, it is still possible to see small fishing hamlets as you drive round the coast, rewarded with stunning...
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Jun 26, 2015

Fossilized Triassic-era reptile found in south Germany called 'grandfather' of all turtles

EUTERS
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 6, 2015

Why carmakers don't want robots to drive

While automakers are embracing technology that eliminates the drudgery of driving, they haven't warmed up to the idea of autonomous cars.
Japan Times
JAPAN / UN WORLD CONFERENCE ON DISASTER RISK REDUCTION
Mar 14, 2015

Japan understands threat of natural disasters

An international conference on disaster prevention kicks off March 14 in the disaster-hit Tohoku region and it is aiming to adopt a new global framework to mitigate effects from natural disasters for the coming decade or so.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Jan 22, 2015

Where Buddhism and Shintoism meet

Works from the Tendai Buddhist Gakuenji temple in Shimane Prefecture form the feature exhibition of Kyoto National Museum's New Year's show. Tradition tells that the priest Chishun established Gakuenji around the time of the Empress Suiko (554-628) though centuries passed before it was first alluded...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LAW OF THE LAND
Jan 7, 2015

Never mind the facts — logic alone demolishes 'comfort women' deniers' case

Never mind all the living and documentary proof — the idea that 'comfort women' were somehow exempt from wartime coercion and organization is absurd.
Japan Times
WORLD / Society
Dec 1, 2014

Plastic surgery in demand as more and more people snap selfies

Dental hygienist Jennifer Reynolds was always self-conscious about her looks, never took selfies and felt uncomfortable being tagged in photographs posted on social media.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Sep 30, 2014

tofubeats calls on pals for his 'First Album'

Yusuke Kawai tries to start a para para dance halfway through his Sept. 5 DJ set, but the inside of an Apple Store isn't an ideal space for this endeavor. Kawai, who records under the name tofubeats, is performing a special show at the recently opened Omotesando store. Half of the floor eagerly watches...
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / ON: GAMES
Sep 26, 2014

The New Nintendo 3DS, plus scary games to get you ready for Halloween

The new New Nintendo
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech / FOCUS
Sep 14, 2014

Cars that drive themselves starting to chat with each other

A Honda Motor Co. Acura RLX sedan demonstrated an unusual way to tow another car last week: the vehicles were not physically attached. The second car drove itself, following instructions beamed over by the first in a feat of technology that indicates a new stage in automation is happening faster than...
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / ON: GAMES
Jul 25, 2014

New games to keep you occupied in the summer

These warriors rule
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
May 20, 2014

Not Yet aren't ready to take the AKB48 crown

Not Yet "Already" (Nippon Columbia)
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / ON: GAMES
Apr 21, 2014

Mario returns on wheels and in plastic, and the gun of a giant "Macross" robot fits in your hand

Start your Mario Karts
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Apr 19, 2014

Dresden cashes in on German unification

American novelist Kurt Vonnegut, a prisoner of war in Dresden during World War II, has a scene in "Slaughterhouse Five" where time-traveling hero Billy Pilgrim sees the city's firebombing in reverse, with phosphorous bombs sucked back into warplanes.

Longform

Construction takes place on the Takanawa Gateway Convention Center in Tokyo, slated to open in 2025.
A boom for business tourism in Japan?