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Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Jan 2, 2016

House of cards: Can traditional New Year’s greetings survive in modern times?

On Jan. 1, legions of Japan Post Co. employees delivered millions of nengajō (New Year's cards) to homes nationwide.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Jan 2, 2016

New adaptation of Natsume Soseki's classic novel; scaling Mount Everest; CM of the week: Parco

Natsume Soseki's novel, "Botchan," has been adapted many times over the years, but it has been 20 years since it was last done for television. To celebrate the 100th year since the writer died, Fuji TV is presenting a brand new production of the classic story (Sunday, 9 p.m.) starring Arashi's Kazuya...
Japan Times
JAPAN / 2016 NEW YEAR SPECIAL
Jan 1, 2016

An opportunity to experience authentic Japanese New Year's

For most urbanites, the New Year's holidays is a time to get away from the hustle and bustle of city life, go back to their hometowns, go skiing or loosen up their bodies and minds at an onsen hot spring, but there are also many interesting and unmissable events going on in and around the Tokyo metropolitan....
JAPAN / Society / DEMOGRAPHIC CHALLENGES
Dec 31, 2015

Japan's population dilemma, in a single-occupancy nutshell

It's not your typical futuristic city. But if you want to see what Tokyo and the rest of Japan will soon look like, the Takashimadaira housing complex in northern Tokyo's Itabashi Ward may be the place to visit.
WORLD / Science & Health
Dec 31, 2015

U.S. Midwest counts cost from record flooding

Swollen rivers in the U.S. Midwest and other regions brought flood warnings for over 12 million Americans on Wednesday as scores of buildings were submerged after days of intense rain in which 24 people have died.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Dec 30, 2015

'Their Distance' explores the pain of being young and in love

'Honesty," Billy Joel famously lamented in song, "is hardly ever heard." The characters of Rikiya Imaizumi's ensemble drama "Their Distance" ("Shiranai, Futari") seem to have been listening: They are honest to a fault with each other about their feelings, even ones that hurt their listener.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 29, 2015

Giant squid wows Toyama and then the web

A rare encounter with a giant squid was caught on video when the mysterious creature from the deep emerged at a marina in the city of Toyama on Christmas Eve.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Dec 29, 2015

Laurent Grasso alludes to a future in our past

A funny thing happened on the way to "Le Forum." Outside Ochanomizu Station, a small group of neo-Nazis had set up shop and were playing the Japanese national anthem. One of them was wearing a modified SS uniform and proudly let me take his picture. I noticed that his jack boots and Sam Browne belt were...
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Dec 26, 2015

'Ōsōji': ways to keep your home spick and span

Three experts discuss their philosophy on the New Year's chore that everybody loves — cleaning.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Dec 26, 2015

Tokyo digs: It's hosteling, but not as we know it

A line of around 30 people queueing for snacks snakes around the inside of Izakaya Bunka, a Japanese-style pub, during its packed opening night on Dec. 14. Staffers at the Asakusa Ward spot have laid out an impressive buffet-style spread for all in attendance, set in front of a stack of nihonshu (Japanese...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / OSAKA RESTAURANTS
Dec 25, 2015

Wai Tan Hong Lu Deng: Rowdy waiters and sizzling dumplings

Tenma is one of the best spots in Osaka for food and drink, especially street eats. Japan's longest shōtengai (indoor arcade) bisects this eating area, along which there are dozens of restaurants and stalls, serving local savory treats. But get off the main drag and there's even more to offer. A word...
COMMUNITY / Voices / FOREIGN AGENDA
Dec 23, 2015

On a Christmas visit, expat thoughts turn to 'going home'

Reconnecting with home can be a cause for reflection: Where have I been, and where am I going? Is there another life to return to?
Japan Times
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Dec 23, 2015

Tattooist's legal challenge could lift industry in Japan or send it underground

Tattooist Taiki Masuda is challenging a law that makes him a criminal for practicing what he considers a form of art.
WORLD / Society
Dec 22, 2015

In Europe, some heed Pope's call to succor refugees, others look away

One Catholic parish in Germany tore out its pews to make space for refugees. Franciscan monks near Rome took a family into their hilltop convent.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 18, 2015

'Star Wars' fans turn out in force for first showings

A man dressed as Admiral Ackbar snapped a selfie in the lobby of the Nippon TV building early Friday afternoon.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Dec 17, 2015

Japanese 'Star Wars' fans get ready for a new adventure

It's become a bit of trivia among "Star Wars" fans that creator George Lucas allegedly took inspiration from both the term jidai geki (historical drama) when creating the word "jedi" and Akira Kurosawa's film "The Hidden Fortress." Those aren't the only Japanese references in the series; from Darth Vader's...
CULTURE / Film
Dec 16, 2015

Kiki Sugino: 'I'm always looking for myself'

Kiki Sugino has a one-of-a-kind resume in the domestic movie business. Many are the young "multi-talents" who act, sing and model, but most are recruited, molded and marketed by an agency. From the start, this 31-year-old actor, director and producer took a more independent route toward multi-dom.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / NEW IN TOWN
Dec 16, 2015

Un Grain: Good things come in small patisserie

The lowdown: Premium confectionery brand Yoku Moku is bankrolling one of Tokyo's hottest patisserie chefs.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Japan Pulse
Dec 15, 2015

Studio Ghibli on a roll with licenses for new toys

Nibariki has new wind-up toys inspired by Studio Ghibli's “My Neighbor Totoro” and “Nausicau00e4 of the Valley of the Wind.”
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Dec 12, 2015

No tolerance at the inns for China's shoppers

Last August, Nikkei Business magazine reported the travails of a businessman from a regional city on a sales trip to Tokyo. His company's accommodation allowance covered a maximum of ¥8,000 per night, but he couldn't find a centrally located hotel room for under ¥20,000.
BUSINESS / Economy
Dec 12, 2015

Ruling coalition clinches deal on food tax rate

The Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito finalized plans to apply a lower sales tax rate to food purchases, a measure that will cost u00a51 trillion in revenue.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Dec 12, 2015

Investors see big returns as Airbnb takes off in Japan

While many see Airbnb as a possible fix for two seious problems in Japan — the shortage of hotel rooms and a steady increase in vacant buildings — others see an investment opportunity.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KANPAI CULTURE
Dec 11, 2015

The art of pairing wild game and sake

My friend Kanako is an ambitious home chef, the kind of person who frequently cooks using clay pots heated over charcoal embers — she would roast a whole pig in a pit if she had the space. On a recent evening, she prepared an astounding feast that included delicacies such as boar, fresh oysters and...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KYOTO RESTAURANTS
Dec 11, 2015

Ippodo: Enjoying tea without tradition

Japanese tea can be beguiling and bitter. And the ceremonial tradition that surrounds it can be disconcerting and dull.
Japan Times
WORLD / Society
Dec 7, 2015

Afghan brain drain threatens to cause severe economic damage

Afghan software entrepreneur Farshid Ghyasi, chief executive of the Netlinks company, is struggling to keep his best employees, as more plan to join a wave of migrants leaving for Europe that risks causing long-term damage to the country and its economy.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Dec 5, 2015

Oku-Nikko: Once home from home for Japan's diplomats

‘One of the principal points to which travelers will direct their steps is the Lake of Chuzenji,” writes Ernest Mason Satow (1843-1929) in “A Guide Book To Nikko,” the first English tourist guide of the area published in 1875. Satow, a British diplomat and Japanologist, arrived in Japan in 1862...

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