Search - travel

 
 
Rows of sequins affixed to Faig Ahmed’s “Door to Yourself” gives the work its sparkle.
CULTURE / Art
Oct 6, 2023

Oku-Noto Triennale brings art into stark relief against rocks and sea

Taking place in the remote city of Suzu, Ishikawa Prefecture, the contemporary art event's pretty program aims to instill pride in the local community.
French President Emmanuel Macron arrives to greets Finland's Prime Minister at the Elysee Palace in Paris on Wednesday.
WORLD / Politics
Oct 5, 2023

With subtler engagement, Macron refashions himself as EU linchpin

In areas ranging from defense to industrial policy, officials familiar with Europe's inner workings say Macron is calling the shots as rarely before.
Buildings in Xiamen, China, seen from Kinmen, Taiwan
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Oct 6, 2023

Even China's closest supporters in Taiwan are turning wary

The shifting attitudes reflect a generational change, with younger people wanting to protect freedom and democracy.
The ouster of the U.S. speaker of the House, Kevin McCarthy, sets a dangerous precedent and has implications for the country's national security and America's global leadership.
EDITORIALS
Oct 6, 2023

U.S. political follies worry friends and delight foes

The removal of Kevin McCarthy as the Speaker of the House of Representatives is an unprecedented event in U.S. history.
Visitors walk along the Marina Barrage water catchment area in Singapore in 2009.
BUSINESS / Markets
Oct 10, 2023

Singapore fighting rising seas to save $50 billion in real estate

During a half-century of independence, Singapore has fought to expand its territory, inch by hard-won inch. On the tip of the Malaysian peninsula, the island city-state piled up sand to expand its coastline and reclaim land from the sea.
Images of French scientist Jean-Michel Claverie and work by his research team from Information Genomique et Structurale at Aix-Marseille University, France
WORLD / Science & Health
Oct 10, 2023

Probing the permafrost that could release 50,000-year-old viruses

Discoveries by virologist Jean-Michel Claverie shine a light on a little-known risk of global warming as it thaws ground frozen for millenniums
A bill would have banned the act of letting children play in a park or travel to school on their own, as well as parents going out and leaving their high school-age children behind to take care of younger siblings.
JAPAN / Society
Oct 10, 2023

Saitama to withdraw proposed ban on leaving children unattended

The bill had been criticized by many parents in the prefecture and beyond as being too restrictive and impossible to follow.
Portugal's historic Rugby World Cup win in Toulouse, France, on Sunday, was a reminder of the challenges Tier 2 nations face in the sport.
MORE SPORTS / Rugby
Oct 10, 2023

Mind the gap! Rugby's Tier 2 nations want more and better fixtures

Despite providing some moving moments at the Rugby World Cup in France, the sport's minnows are far away from being able to upstage established teams.
A group of Chinese tourists arrive at Haneda Airport in Tokyo in August.
JAPAN / Society
Oct 11, 2023

Japan public opinion turns most negative on China in nine years

More than 92% of respondents to the Japanese section of the poll said their impression of China was "not good,” up from 87% last year.
Chinese President Xi Jinping and Arab leaders pose for a group photo during the China-Arab summit in Riyadh on Dec. 9.
WORLD / Politics
Oct 12, 2023

China’s economic stake in the Middle East: Its thirst for oil

China, the world’s second-largest economy, has become addicted to foreign oil at a stunning pace.
Pudong's Lujiazui Financial District in Shanghai in August
BUSINESS / Economy
Oct 13, 2023

Most Japanese companies pessimistic on China’s economy

A quarter of firms said they wouldn’t invest in China this year, while another 22% said they would reduce the amount they invest, a report has shown.
Pedestrians walk past a McDonald's restaurant in Hong Kong.
BUSINESS / Economy
Oct 13, 2023

Hong Kong takes economic hit as Chinese tourists fail to splurge

Changes in travel habits come as the Chinese economy weakens and youth unemployment remains high.
The senior leadership of the Taliban government arrives at an inauguration event for a canal project in Hairatan, Afghanistan, on Wednesday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Oct 15, 2023

Taliban to join China's Belt and Road forum, elevating ties

The Taliban's participation underscores Beijing's growing official ties with the group, despite its lack of recognition by any government.
Hiruzen Kougei employee Moeko Hirao, craft brewer “Sugichan” and furry friend Tsubu help out with the tomato harvest at 6:37 a.m.
LIFE / Travel / Longform
Oct 16, 2023

The farmer's intern: A month in the Japanese countryside

Escaping the chaos of Tokyo for a month, our writer heads to rural Okayama Prefecture and discovers the delights of natural farming.
Israeli soldiers organize armored personnel  near the border with Lebanon on Sunday.
WORLD / Politics
Oct 16, 2023

After Iran warning, Washington pushes to avert wider Israel war

The ramped-up moves come amid concerns that an invasion of the Gaza Strip by Israeli forces could prompt Iran to enter the conflict.
U.S. President Joe Biden speaks at the Human Rights Campaign national dinner in Washington on Saturday.
WORLD / Politics
Oct 16, 2023

Biden considers Israel visit, while warning against Gaza occupation

The U.S. leader also acknowledged concerns voiced by Palestinians in Gaza and Arab leaders across the region over Israel's moves.
U.S. President Joe Biden holds a bilateral meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the sidelines of the 78th U.N. General Assembly in New York on Sept. 20.
WORLD / Politics
Oct 17, 2023

Biden to visit Israel as Gaza war sparks humanitarian crisis

Biden's visit will mark a significant show of U.S. support for its top Middle East ally.
Visitors walk down the main shopping street of Nanjing East Road, one of Shanghai's main commercial and tourist areas, on Sept. 30.
BUSINESS / Economy
Oct 17, 2023

China data likely to show fragile economy in need of support

Data due Wednesday will likely show gross domestic product expanded 4.5% in the July-to-September period from a year earlier.
Russian President Vladimir Putin is welcomed by Chinese President Xi Jinping during a ceremony at the Belt and Road Forum in Beijing on Tuesday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Oct 17, 2023

Putin arrives in China to meet 'dear friend' Xi

China this week welcomes representatives of 130 countries for a forum on Xi's vast trade and infrastructure Belt and Road Initiative.
When COVID-19 first emerged, companies across the health care industry raced to reconfigure themselves. That transformation is now unraveling.
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 18, 2023

Life after COVID turns rocky for reshaped health care businesses

When the coronavirus first emerged, companies across the health care industry raced to reconfigure themselves. That transformation is now unraveling.
Police officers work after a operation against a deadly shooting suspect, in Schaerbeek, Brussels, on Tuesday.
WORLD / Crime & Legal / ANALYSIS
Oct 18, 2023

Brussels attack underlines challenges for new EU migration pact

Monday's shooting came at a time of heightened concerns across Europe linked to the Israel-Hamas war and alarm over increasing arrivals of migrants.
The majority of tourists in Japan tend to stay in Tokyo, Osaka or Kyoto, resulting in overcrowding in popular tourist spots and a strain on transportation systems.
JAPAN / Society
Oct 18, 2023

Japan unveils new overtourism countermeasures

The tourism ministry unveiled its overtourism prevention plan, summarizing the various efforts that have begun to be made in areas around the nation.
Obtaining dual nationality and having it uniformly recognized by authorities in Japan is no simple matter.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Oct 19, 2023

When Japan's dual nationality ban meets a legal gray zone

Lawyer Yuri Kondo decided to naturalize as an American citizen. What followed was a mix of ambiguity and the feeling of a loss of identity.
According to data released Friday, by prefecture, Okinawa had the highest per-institution number of flu cases, at 25.37, followed by Chiba with 20.86, Saitama with 19.69 and Ehime with 18.45. The per-institution number exceeded 10 in 17 of the country's 47 prefectures.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Oct 21, 2023

Flu cases top warning level in Japan as major outbreak feared

Cases at a number of medical institutions monitored nationwide topped 10 per location, indicating the possibility of a major outbreak within four weeks.
Children look to the sky at the sound of Israeli airstrikes in Gaza City on Oct. 9.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 20, 2023

The never-ending catastrophe that plagues Palestinians

Displacing the Palestinian residents of northern Gaza would be a flagrant violation of international law.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 23, 2023

Japan, U.S. and South Korea hold first joint air drills

The military exercise, which involved a B-52 bomber, comes as South Korea, Japan and the U.S. beef up their defense cooperation.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong at the 43rd ASEAN Summit in Jakarta on Sept. 6
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Oct 23, 2023

U.S. and China visits put Australian PM’s diplomatic skills to test

There has been a significant easing in tensions between Australia and China since Anthony Albanese’s election.
A protest for the return of the hostages on a main street in Tel Aviv on Saturday. The Biden administration has advised Israel to delay a ground invasion of Gaza, hoping to buy time for hostage negotiations and to allow more humanitarian aid to reach Palestinians in the sealed-off enclave, according to several U.S. officials.
WORLD / Politics
Oct 23, 2023

U.S. advises Israel to delay Gaza invasion, officials say

The U.S. has suggested that more time is needed for hostage negotiations, the delivery of aid and mapping out ways to avoid more civilian casualties.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi speaks during an opening ceremony of a diplomatic symposium at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing on Tuesday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Oct 24, 2023

China's top diplomat to visit U.S. ahead of possible Xi trip

Foreign Minister Wang Yi will be the highest-ranking Chinese official to travel to Washington in about five years.
A concierge-in-training (Natsumi Kawaida) learns the ins and outs of working at an upscale department store in “The Concierge.”
CULTURE / Film
Oct 26, 2023

‘The Concierge’: Frivolous fun with vintage charm

Yoshimi Itazu’s anime set in a department store for animal clientele offers a glittering experience with fluid animation and a vivid color palette.

Longform

Professional cleaner Hirofumi Sakurai takes a moment to appreciate some photographs in a Gotanda apartment whose occupant died alone.
The last cleanup: Life and death in a lonely Japan