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Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Jan 1, 2019

Japan's most exciting book releases in 2019

2019's impressive lineup of books on Japan, include classic reprints, new fiction and studies of the nation's international relations.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / New Year Special 2019
Jan 1, 2019

Traditional activities to ring in the new year

Shogatsu, or New Year's holidays, are a special time for Japanese, who typically revisit and take part in long-standing traditions. It's a time when those who left their hometowns go back to visit their families, invite relatives and friends to their homes and wear kimono. It's also a time for foreigners...
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 30, 2018

The year in energy — moving backward

The ugly truth is that the emissions battle will be won or lost (and at present is being lost) thanks to the energy policies of China, India, the U.S. and Russia.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Dec 29, 2018

20 Questions: The best answers of 2018

It's been an entertaining year of 20 Questions — here's our top picks of answers in 2018.
EDITORIALS
Dec 25, 2018

Trump loses a guardrail

With the resignation of U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis, the world waits with mounting anxiety for Donald Trump's next decisions.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 25, 2018

Nationalism doesn't have to be a dirty word

Like any political ideology, nationalism has many faces and some are beneficial and worthy of affirmation.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Regional voices: Chubu
Dec 24, 2018

Nagoya community effort to recycle food waste wins U.N.-related award

A decade-old community effort in Nagoya to recycle food waste from supermarkets and school lunches to make compost for vegetable farming has been awarded the Biodiversity Action Award by the Japan Committee for United Nations Decade on Biodiversity (UNDB).
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Dec 23, 2018

Heard on the grapevine: How the Pacific trade pact primes New Zealand wine for Japanese market

From sleepy New Zealand hillsides to sleek Tokyo dining scenes, a bottle of Hawke's Bay wine shipped to Japan traces an arc that exporters like Nigel Avery see as an avenue for multimillion dollar growth built on a free trade pact.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Dec 21, 2018

Facebook's spiralling data misuse could pressure U.S. FTC to act, leading to billions in fines

The latest revelations about how Facebook Inc. shared user data could put pressure on the Federal Trade Commission, heightening the risk of a multibillion-dollar fine for the social media giant.
Japan Times
CULTURE
Dec 20, 2018

2018 was a busy year for gamers in Japan, with established franchises and open world epics reigning supreme

Many gamers began 2018 by teaming up with a garishly outfitted cat and rushing into battle against a big, angry monster. Some of those same people will usher out the year by punching Nintendo icon Mario in his famously mustachioed face.
Japan Times
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Dec 19, 2018

Passion and technology behind English sumo coverage

Sumo fans around the globe are spoiled for choice these days when it comes to following their favorite sport.
EDITORIALS
Dec 18, 2018

Patchwork steps in government's 2019 tax reform

Heavy fiscal measures to ease the impact of raising the consumption tax on households could raise doubts over the very purpose of the increase.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 17, 2018

Hagoita paddles featuring big names from the Heisei Era on display in Tokyo

Traditional doll-maker Kyugetsu Co. opened a special exhibition in Tokyo on Monday featuring 30 kawari hagoita wooden paddles depicting standouts of the Heisei Era.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Regional voices: Chubu
Dec 17, 2018

Aichi temple priest leads double life as craftsman restoring clocks and record players

Saihoji Temple in Kota, Aichi Prefecture, is littered with handmade mechanical dolls, antique clocks and record players — presenting a unique sight for visitors.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Fukushima
Dec 16, 2018

Fukushima launches multilingual emergency call service as number of foreign residents rebounds

The prefectural police and fire departments in Fukushima have started multilingual services aimed at non-Japanese speakers making emergency calls amid a rising number of foreign visitors in the run-up to the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and Paralympics.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Dec 14, 2018

A power spot, tucked away on the Shima Peninsula

Four or five years ago, standing alone in front of the clear, gently bubbling waters of Kiyomasa no Ido, a natural spring secreted in woodland at the far end of the Meiji Shrine's iris garden, I strained to detect any sound, but even the noise from car horns was smothered and muted by the grove. If I...
Japan Times
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Dec 12, 2018

Ticket sales brisk despite Takanoiwa scandal

Once again, sumo finds itself embroiled in a violence scandal.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Regional voices: Chubu
Dec 10, 2018

Japan sees rise in use of riverside areas to attract tourists following deregulation

The use of riverside areas to attract tourists is on the rise nationwide, following deregulation in recent years allowing the private sector to use the public land to open restaurants or hold events.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Okinawa
Dec 7, 2018

Visitors wowed as Okinawa aquarium becomes world's first to exhibit giant oceanic manta ray

At the Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium, a giant oceanic manta ray can be seen gliding effortlessly through the Kuroshio Sea attraction's large ocean aquarium, drawing exclamations of delight from onlookers.
EDITORIALS
Dec 5, 2018

The Brexit debate takes shape

Failure to reach a deal with the EU, for whatever reason, would be a disaster for the U.K.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Dec 4, 2018

'Les Mains sans Sommeil': It's not what you do, it's the way you do it

'Les Mains Sans Sommeil' is an ode to handiwork by Hermes artists-in-residence, whose experimental textile works wrestle with beauty and desire in surprising ways.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Regional voices: Chubu
Dec 3, 2018

Iga, known for its ninja, looks to draw foreign tourists by turning castle town into a hotel site

The Mie Prefecture city of Iga, the origin of one of Japan's most famous ninja clans, plans to open the growing number of vacant homes in its castle town to tourists.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 2, 2018

Only American sedans are dead

The supremacy of Japanese cars has been 40-plus years in the making.
Japan Times
WORLD
Dec 1, 2018

Iran's global disinformation

Website Nile Net Online promises Egyptians "true news" from its offices in the heart of Cairo's Tahrir Square, "to expand the scope of freedom of expression in the Arab world."
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / BACKSTREET STORIES
Nov 30, 2018

Taking a perch with the hip birds of Uguisudanicho

One of two places in Tokyo named after valleys favored by the melodious uguisu (Japanese bush warbler), Uguisudanicho is a small neighborhood wedged between Daikanyama, Ebisu and Shibuya straddling the line between old-school businesses and gentrification.

Longform

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