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Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design
May 28, 2017

When too many things 'spark joy,' it's a Wonderwall life

Masamichi Katayama, founder of interior design firm Wonderwall, describes the importance of accumulating and keeping objects and artworks in life — even if you have more than 500 of them.
CULTURE / Books
May 27, 2017

'Record of a Night Too Brief': Hiromi Kawakami uncoils life's mysteries with an exploration of dreams

When I met the popular author Hiromi Kawakami in London recently, I asked her thoughts about the great authors of Japan's literary past. Did she, for example, enjoy the novels of Meiji Era (1868-1912) great Natsume Soseki?
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
May 25, 2017

Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia teams up with Exile's Hiro to create a contemporary fusion of vision and sound

From its debut in 1999 as the passion project of actor Tetsuya Bessho, Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia has grown into a big event on the local and regional film calendar. Size is one reason: The 19th edition, which unspools from June 1 to 25 at six venues in Tokyo and Yokohama, features nearly 250...
LIFE / Language / WELL SAID
May 22, 2017

Introducing 'to-iuto' and 'to-ieba'

Hakodate to iu-to, yakei-ga yumei-desu-ne.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
May 20, 2017

Japan ramen chain takes on U.S. foodie scene for overseas growth

To bring savory noodles to locales around the world, the operator of ramen chain Ippudo has had to adapt one of Japan's best-known specialties.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
May 19, 2017

Slowing down time with a trip to Okinawa's Zamami Island

Growing up in a small beach town on the west coast of Florida, much of my free time as a youth was spent in or around the Gulf of Mexico. The Gulf was almost always warm, not unlike bath water, yet it provided the perfect respite from the stifling heat of the Florida summers.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
May 14, 2017

Made in North Korea: As tougher sanctions loom, more local goods in stores

From carrot-flavored toothpaste and charcoal face masks to motorcycles and solar panels, visitors to North Korea say they are seeing more and more locally made products in the isolated country's shops and supermarkets, replacing mostly Chinese imports.
Japan Times
JAPAN / FUKUSHIMA FILE
May 14, 2017

Fukushima firm's 'fairy feather' silk gets Hermes' attention

The world's thinnest yarn-dyed silk fabric will soon find its way into Hermes' globally renowned scarves.
JAPAN / Society
May 13, 2017

In Fukushima, a land where few return

The evacuation orders for most of the village of Iitate have been lifted. But where are the people?
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
May 13, 2017

How the lost recipe of Hiroe Tanaka's dying father made her a millionaire

When Hiroe Tanaka's father died, he left behind something that would change her life: a recipe for fried meat on a stick. It was an act of love. His daughter adored the Japanese street food known as kushikatsu, and he'd spent endless hours working out how to make it just right.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KYOTO RESTAURANTS
May 13, 2017

Shimme offers unpretentious pub cuisine for all

As much as I love eating out in restaurants that run the gamut from high class to low, from holes in the wall, to all-you-can-eat, my heart — or is it my stomach — sings most when I'm in a good, solid izakaya (Japanese pub).
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
May 11, 2017

Online agency seeks to streamline adoption in Japan

From a baby expected to be born in October in Osaka Prefecture to one in Tokyo with a due date in July, information of upcoming childbirths is listed on a website run by an Osaka-based nonprofit adoption agency urging prospective parents-to-be to register online.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
May 11, 2017

Director Shuntaro Fujita enters the spring of his career with 'Danny and the Deep Blue Sea'

At 37, director Shuntaro Fujita says he's just hitting his prime.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
May 11, 2017

Australia's remote Darwin, host to U.S. Marines, also courts Chinese investment

When the United States signed an agreement in 2011 to use Australia's tropical port of Darwin as a base for military exercises, it was viewed as a key focus of former President Barack Obama's strategic pivot to Asia.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / MORNING ENGLISH
May 8, 2017

Let's discuss shopping in Ginza

A new 13-story upscale mall has opened in Ginza, Tokyo's answer to the Champs-Elysees or Fifth Avenue, and it's proving that Japan is still a whale in the luxury business.
Japan Times
WORLD
May 6, 2017

Some day my prince will come, say Vanuatu worshippers of mere mortal royal Philip

The retirement of Britain's Prince Philip from public life led world headlines Thursday, but his most devout and remote followers have only just heard the news.
Japan Times
JAPAN / CHUBU CONNECTION
May 1, 2017

Mie 'mikan' growers use rare varieties to fend off foreign imports

Rare mikan (mandarin oranges or tangerines) that were on the brink of extinction are once again showing up in markets in the Higashi Kishu region in Mie Prefecture, a major citrus growing area.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / NATURE'S PANTRY
Apr 29, 2017

Diving into the myriad ways to enjoy Japan's sea greens

The seasonality of fruits, vegetables, nuts and fungi growing in the fields and mountains of Japan is fairly obvious to many of us who we are familiar with such places and foods.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Apr 27, 2017

Convenience stores are part of Japan's 'social infrastructure,' but labor crunch threatening that role

Japan's growing labor shortage threatens the nation's ubiquitous convenience stores, whose business model relies on an army of part-timers packing bento boxed lunches, manning cash registers and delivering goods 24/7.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Apr 23, 2017

There's something about Miffy, the gender-bending bunny

Tackling the mysteries of why Japan is one of the largest markets for Miffy merchandise — and whether Miffy is a boy or a girl.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / HOTELS & RESTAURANTS
Apr 21, 2017

Festive cakes fete children

From April 29 to May 7, the Royal Park Hotel is selling six different types of cakes to celebrate Children's Day on May 5.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Apr 19, 2017

Amazon launches same-day delivery service for food and medicine

As delivery firms struggle to manage overwhelming numbers of parcels, e-commerce giant Amazon Japan G.K. is expanding its same-day Prime Now delivery service to include cooked meals and other items.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 18, 2017

'Vagina artist' Megumi Igarashi continues her battle with Japan's definition of obscenity

Artist Megumi Igarashi had never imagined battling investigative authorities over freedom of expression until they claimed she had committed crimes with her works of art.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / ADOPT ME!
Apr 16, 2017

Big on love: a dog named Kombu

A bit timid around people and not quick to trust, Kombu does hold his ground where others may run. Patience will gain his confidence and, when it does, he's a sucker for love.

Longform

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