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SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Dec 16, 2021

Terunofuji's rise was among defining moments of eventful year in sumo

The past 12 months have been extremely challenging both inside and outside the ring, but sumo's highest highs and lowest lows of 2021 all occurred on the clay.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Dec 16, 2021

‘Struggling Man’: Average Joe doesn’t quite move the needle

Toshio Lee's comedy about a company man who genuinely cares about those around him while harboring insecurities about his work and home life mostly deals in broad humor and cliches.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Dec 11, 2021

Tokyo’s best Christmas markets

It's never too early to get into the festive spirit at these domestic incarnations of the annual European celebrations.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Dec 1, 2021

Tokyo still tops for dining after Michelin announcement

Three of the capital's establishments have maintained their three-star rating since rankings began in Tokyo 15 years ago.
Japan Times
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / Wide Angle
Nov 27, 2021

Live-action 'Cowboy Bebop' shows the limitations of Netflix's originality

Netflix's adaptation of a beloved anime series has been met with groans, but the recent South Korean hit “Squid Game” demonstrates how anime can in fact be brought to life successfully.
SOCCER / J. League / From the Spot
Nov 25, 2021

FC Tokyo's long-awaited change arrives as Mixi takeover announced

Monday's long-telegraphed announcement that digital media giant Mixi will assume ownership of FC Tokyo signaled the start of a new era for the capital club.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Nov 14, 2021

Resurrecting the tachibana, Japan’s oldest native citrus

Once revered as “the fruit of immortality,” the tachibana has long fallen out of culinary favor. The Nara Tachibana Project hopes to save it from endangerment.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Nov 6, 2021

‘Eternals’: When super franchises walk the Earth!

A pleasing cast and the director Chloe Zhao, who won a best picture Oscar for 'Nomadland,' give Marvel's latest a steady heartbeat.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Oct 28, 2021

‘Unlock Your Heart’: Queen bee brings the sting of teen drama

Anna Yamada is captivating as a high school senior who seems to have it all — except the boy she likes — and comes up with a plan to win his affections in a teen drama from Rin Shuto.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 26, 2021

Tokyo's fond memories of Colin Powell

The American statesman may have had few visible encounters with Tokyo, but the soldier and diplomat still helped build confidence between the allied nations.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Oct 8, 2021

They had the vaccines and a plan to reopen. Instead they got cold feet.

Many considered Singapore to be a COVID-19 success story in Southeast Asia — but instead of opening up, it's doing the opposite.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Oct 8, 2021

Why is the Nobel Prize so elusive for Haruki Murakami?

Over the years, critics have cited a number of possible reasons, with the most prominent being the lack of political statements in his work.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Sep 26, 2021

Stephanie Kawai: ‘Taking the fear out of what the body is going through in labor is vital’

If you are a part of a non-Japanese couple who is about to experience giving birth in Japan, having a doula on hand can help provide linguistic and cultural support.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Sep 24, 2021

Buffalo Daughter emerges from the pandemic with a new sense of current affairs

The rock trio takes a political turn on their latest album, 'We Are the Times.'
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Sep 11, 2021

Utagawa Kuniyoshi: When censorship strikes, art gets playful

Ota Memorial Museum of Art's two-part exhibition of the woodblock print artist's works reveals his impish sense of humor.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 5, 2021

Hong Kong’s colonial-era sedition laws are back

The use of sedition laws also implies that Hong Kong society will be further placed under surveillance with the integration of the new national security law along with other draconian rules.
Japan Times
MORE SPORTS
Sep 2, 2021

Kimi Raikkonen, the Finnish 'Iceman,' to retire from Formula One at end of season

Raikkonen is currently racing for the Swiss-based Alfa Romeo team and his departure opens up a seat, with compatriot Valtteri Bottas strongly tipped to take it if he leaves Mercedes.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Sep 2, 2021

‘Cinematic Liars of Asahi-za’: Little untruths go a long way

Yuki Tanada's feel-good drama about a film buff who spins a story to save a local theater is not as complex as the director's past work, but is still a crowd-pleaser.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Aug 29, 2021

Stefan Le Du: 'These storefronts are like urban time capsules, traces of a not-so-remote past'

Fascinated by urban environments, Stefan Le Du began a project to document Tokyo's storefronts. It has taught him a lot about the Japanese approach to cities.
COMMENTARY / Japan / Geoeconomic Briefing
Aug 22, 2021

Private sector key to the success of Japan's digital agency

In order to breathe life into the agency, it is necessary to break away from longstanding bureaucratic practices.
Japan Times
OLYMPICS
Aug 5, 2021

For foreign athletes, the Tokyo Olympics present myriad challenges

From lack of training time due to the pandemic to the intense Tokyo heat, the difficulties foreign athletes faced just to get to the Tokyo Olympics were as varied as the athletes themselves.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Aug 1, 2021

Jason Hancock: 'A fully inclusive Japan is barrier-free, judgment-free and full of mutual cultural understanding'

A TV reporter and personality, Jason Hancock founded the Special Beauty Japan pageant to celebrate the talent of special needs youth nationwide.
JAPAN
Jul 30, 2021

A tale of two cities: In the 'bubble' and the Tokyo outside

While the athletes village and Olympic press center represent a huge, strict COVID-19 control zone, the residents of the capital are living life largely as normal.
Japan Times
OLYMPICS
Jul 25, 2021

Fellow tennis stars happy to see Naomi Osaka light cauldron during opening ceremony

“It cannot be better for our sport, you are representing yourself, your country but also your sport,' said men's No. 1 Novak Djokovic.'
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jul 21, 2021

Fan-free Olympics leaves hotels facing 1 million cancellations

Adding to the industry's woes, COVID-19 contributed to a 57% jump in hotel bankruptcies in 2020 to the highest level since 2011.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jul 20, 2021

Tree-huggers know more than you think

Planting trees is good for the environment. The first and most immediate benefit is their ability to remove particulate matter and other forms of air pollution.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Jul 19, 2021

The gift that keeps on giving: Food security and sustainable livelihoods

“There is rice in the fields and fish in the water,” is an old saying that speaks to the natural abundance of Thailand as the land of milk and honey with fresh, affordable food aplenty. Most Thais are experts when it comes to naming freshwater fish, which are an easily accessible source of quality...

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A man offers prayers at Hebikubo Shrine in Tokyo's Shinagawa Ward. The shrine is one of several across the country dedicated to the snake.
Shed your skin and reinvent yourself in the Year of the Snake