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Japan Times
JAPAN / History / Regional voices: Chubu
Aug 20, 2018

Aichi man recalls abuse his family faced when branded spies before World War II

It was when Hisao Mesaki, now 85, returned to Japan from Saipan in early 1941 with his parents and siblings that an offhand remark to his new classmates aroused suspicion he was from a family of spies.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / ON: TECH
Aug 19, 2018

Listen to the sound of new technology

From sutra-chanting speakers to holographic digital assistants, today's tech talks to all generations.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Fukushima
Aug 19, 2018

Fukushima's recovering farmers scramble to deal with scorching weather

Amid scorching temperatures that have gripped the entire nation, farmers in Fukushima Prefecture are beginning to see the high temperatures and scarce rain take a toll on their carefully tended produce.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KONBINI WATCH
Aug 18, 2018

'Koguma no Cake-ya San' hits the mainstream with cute Lawson treats

The story of a young bear operating a sweets store has earned its own real-world merchandise, pop-up cafe and limited-edition desserts.
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
Aug 18, 2018

Debate over Fukushima statue takes on a life of its own online

Few topics have proven to be more sensitive online than the present state of Fukushima Prefecture. Years after the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster wreaked havoc in the region, the topic of radiation continues to spark intense debate from all corners. A statue that was unveiled in the prefecture...
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Aug 17, 2018

What's needed for regional revitalization

It will be essential for the next LDP president to aggressively promote decentralization, in particular in transferring tax revenue sources to municipalities.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Aug 17, 2018

Motobu: History and nature do the talking

The Motobu Peninsula is, at least to the casual guest, an earthly Utopia. How many of us, spellbound by nature, have dreamed of withdrawing to a rural idyll like this?
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 14, 2018

How a global patent market could spur growth

A rules-based global trade system for intellectual property could help reinvigorate it by driving more specialization and cross-border cooperation among the world's inventors.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Regional voices: Chubu
Aug 13, 2018

Tweet requests public understanding for ambulance crews' need to hydrate

Amid a sharp rise in ambulance dispatches caused by this summer's deadly heat waves, a Twitter post by the Nagoya Municipal Fire Department is attracting attention for asking the public to show patience with the ambulance crews' convenience store breaks.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KANPAI CULTURE
Aug 11, 2018

New brews from old Tokyo

Tokyo-area craft sake breweries gather to celebrate local specialties at the Greater Tokyo Sake Festival.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Aug 10, 2018

Taking the path once trodden by Ian Fleming and James Bond

In 1962, Ian Fleming, the author of James Bond, visited Japan. His journey here, and the characters he met, would go on to inspire 007's adventures in 'You Only Live Twice.' But in 2018, how possible is it to retrace the author's footsteps across Japan?
Japan Times
CULTURE / Entertainment news / Regional Voices: Okinawa
Aug 10, 2018

'Namie Amuro generation': Okinawa moms pursue dream of fame

Five Okinawa women in their 40s, who practiced singing and dancing as teens at the same school as pop diva Namie Amuro, have recently relaunched their music careers after a lengthy break with a goal of achieving fame.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Aug 10, 2018

Samsung's new $1,000 power-user phone reflects slowdown in hardware innovation

Samsung's new smartphone illustrates the limits of innovation at a time when hardware advances have slowed.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Aug 9, 2018

Towa Tei goes deep on death and puns

Towa Tei has mortality on his mind.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Aug 8, 2018

'The Exorcist Nurse': Horror hits the hospital for some summer chills

Summer was once the peak season for horror in Japan, part of the local custom of beating the heat with chills from scary stories.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Aug 8, 2018

China bars Disney's Winnie-the Pooh-film 'Christopher Robin'

Walt Disney Co.'s request to screen "Christopher Robin," a movie that features the honey-loving bear Winnie-the-Pooh, in China has been denied, a source said on Tuesday.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Aug 7, 2018

Swedish roots in Japan's taxonomy

While Japan's historical sakoku period of isolation may have limited any contact it had with Sweden what did transpire between the two nations is of historical, scientific and artistic importance.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Aug 5, 2018

In aftermath of deadly rains, Hiroshima pins recovery hopes on tourism

A month after heavy rains lashed western Japan and disrupted railway systems in the region, communities and business owners in Hiroshima are hoping they can keep the crucial tourism industry afloat.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Regional voices: Chubu
Aug 5, 2018

Using their noodles: Fukui school's soba club hopes to roll to national title

Noodle club members from a high school in the city of Fukui are hurriedly honing their soba-making skills to prepare themselves for the national high school championship in Tokyo later this month.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Aug 4, 2018

Wheels that keep on rolling: Honda's diminutive Super Cub celebrates its 60th anniversary

Soichiro Honda's diminutive motorbike is more than just a reliable machine — it's a veritable phenomenon. After selling more than 100 million units worldwide over the past six decades, the ageless Cub just keeps on rolling.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / BACKSTREET STORIES
Aug 3, 2018

Rocking the hot stuff in weathered Narihira

Although the Tokyo neighborhood of Narihira is slowly shifting toward a younger demographic, a postwar vibe still lingers in its back alleys and keeps its community close-knit.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LEARNING CURVE
Aug 1, 2018

60 years after Sadako Sasaki's death, the story behind Hiroshima's paper cranes is still unfolding

Young A-bomb victim's message resonates globally thanks largely to her classmates, who turned the origami bird into an icon of peace.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Jul 31, 2018

Bertrand Lavier's 'Medley' blows hot and cold

Bertrand Lavier seems to relish messing with our cognitive dissonance. As the self-taught artist, who originally studied horticulture, put it in a 2016 interview, 'Art is a matter of paradoxes on nearly every level.'
Japan Times
JAPAN / Regional voices: Chubu
Jul 30, 2018

Nagoya school hires AC Milan coach to guide soccer team

A coach from AC Milan has been training members of the soccer team at Nagoya International Junior and Senior High School since April. Although the soccer club, which is part of the top Italian league Serie A, offers lessons to children in Japan and in 12 other countries, it is the first time for the...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Jul 28, 2018

Tokyo barbecue joints to get summer sizzling

Grabbing your own grill and heading out to your preferred park or public space is the traditional way to approach barbecuing but in recent years, new spaces to barbecue in Tokyo and its surrounding areas have popped up for people of all grilling levels.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jul 27, 2018

Sally Amaki's life as an animated idol-pop star

Though she liked anime growing up, Sally Amaki never thought she'd grow up to be an anime character.

Longform

Visitors walk past Sou Fujimoto's Grand Ring, which has been recognized as the largest wooden structure in the world.
Can a World Expo still matter? Japan is about to find out.