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Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Feb 17, 2007

Niseko -- snowflake Mecca

It snowed 30 cm last night. And another 30 cm today. Nature is expressing herself.
COMMENTARY
Nov 30, 2006

The sleeping dog has woken in Canada

LONDON -- "Michael Ignatieff strode back into Canada bearing gilt-edged promises that he had kept a close watch on our political evolution during his decades on foreign soil and that he would be appropriately sensitive to our sociopolitical nuances. He then, by stating a position on Quebec as a nation,...
COMMUNITY
Jan 3, 2006

Immunize yourself the natural way

As the temperature dips lower in January and February we often encounter an expected but not exactly welcome house guest -- the winter cold, or the even more demanding and obnoxious visitor, the flu. The cold brings a headache, sore throat, congestion, runny nose, sneezing and exhaustion. If it's the...
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Jan 3, 2006

Immunize yourself the natural way

As the temperature dips lower in January and February we often encounter an expected but not exactly welcome house guest -- the winter cold, or the even more demanding and obnoxious visitor, the flu. The cold brings a headache, sore throat, congestion, runny nose, sneezing and exhaustion. If it's the...
JAPAN / Science & Health / NATURAL SELECTIONS
Jul 14, 2005

No need to blush if you become red-faced after a few

Whatever your job and background, drunken conversations between work colleagues have much in common. However, a phrase that I often heard in Japan but have heard nowhere else is, "I have an inactive form of aldehyde dehydrogenase."
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / WILD WATCH
Nov 7, 2002

A venerable flash in the pan

Among Japan's amazing diversity of plants that can overwhelm a visitor from overseas, there are (thankfully) some familiar forms. Astonishingly, given the literally hundreds of thousands of plant species on Earth, some here will be familiar whether you hail from North or South America, from Europe, Africa,...
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Oct 13, 2002

Confessions over a cup of coffee

ON TSUKUBA PEAK: Tanka by Hatsue Kawamura. Five Islands Press: Wollongong, Australia, z2002, 93 pp., $20/1,500 yen (paper) MEMORIES OF A WOMAN: Tanka by Harue Aoki. Mura Press, Tokyo, 2001, 204 pp., 1,800 yen (paper) Women poets have a long and industrious history in Japan, where they have been writing...
COMMUNITY
Jul 26, 2000

The homesick cycad tree of Myokokuji Temple

On a hot August day last year I took the train and tram to Sakai City in the south of Osaka. I wanted to see the ancient Japanese sago palm (sotetsu, Cycas revoluta), a member of the Cycad family, which grows in the grounds of Myokokuji Temple. The temple was first built in 1562 by a wealthy merchant...
JAPAN / ELECTION 2000
Jun 3, 2000

Ruling coalition awaits voters' judgment at polls

The coming Lower House election will give voters their first chance to express their support, or lack thereof, for the tripartite coalition led by the Liberal Democratic Party.
JAPAN
Dec 11, 1998

Extra Diet session smooth sailing for LDP

Staff writer
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Feb 18, 2023

Is this Yayoi Kusama's final evolution?

A recent branding campaign with luxury brand Louis Vuitton raises the question: Is she still interesting?
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jul 19, 2023

‘Thailand is not ready to change’: Prime minister vote puts coalition at risk

The progressive Move Forward Party has failed to form a government, leaving members of the liberal opposition scrambling to find alternatives.
Japan Times
PODCAST / deep dive
Mar 2, 2022

The sublime boredom of walking Japan

In a world where getting from A to B is dominated by cars, planes and trains, we all walk far less than people used to. 10,000 steps a day is an aspirational target for many. But for Craig Mod, that's just a stroll before lunch.
Graphite, now deemed an essential mineral by the U.S., is the single biggest ingredient by weight in the batteries that go into electric vehicles and the power grid. It is also used in a variety of defense applications.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 8, 2023

Biden deploys Pentagon to beat climate change and China

A $37.5 million grant to Graphite One acts as a relaxed form of venture capital as the White House supports nascent parts of the domestic cleantech supply chain.
Members of the Philippines, Japan, South Korea, and U.S. armed forces carry national flags during the opening ceremony of joint military exercises in Taguig, Philippines, in October 2022.
COMMENTARY / Japan / Geoeconomic Briefing
Aug 27, 2023

How Japan can make the most of its latest diplomatic tool

Japan recently decided to establish a policy of Official Security Assistance. But how can it ensure its success?
Ichiro Ozawa (third from right) with other members of parliament at a ceremony to launch a new party in Tokyo in July 2012.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 15, 2023

Ichiro Ozawa is once again looking for a way to defeat the LDP

The octogenarian political veteran is looking to cap his long career with another successful drive to defeat the ruling LDP at the polls.
A contingency in the event that China invades Taiwan is emerging as a key focus in Japan’s new defense policy.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Dec 17, 2023

Will Japan intervene in a Taiwan contingency? It depends.

If Taiwan puts up a fight against a Chinese invasion, it would likely engender a U.S. intervention that would not be possible without Japan’s assistance.
Supporters of Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Party block the Peshawar to Islambad highway on Sunday in protest against the alleged skewing of election results in Pakistan's national election.
WORLD / Politics
Feb 11, 2024

Pakistan police threaten crackdown after Khan party calls protests

PTI leaders claim they would have won even more seats if not for vote rigging.
PVV's Geert Wilders addresses the media at The Hague on Feb. 7.
WORLD / Politics
Feb 13, 2024

Dutch government formation still a puzzle 12 weeks after election

A right-wing majority or minority government are both possible, but its unclear if poll winner Geert Wilders' Freedom Party can string one together.
A statue of "Dragon Ball" character Goku stands outside the offices of Bandai Namco in Tokyo. The figure is now as recognizable as such characters as Mickey Mouse and Spider-Man.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / Longform
Mar 15, 2024

Akira Toriyama's gift to the world

The artist's impact was such that he should be considered alongside greats such as Walt Disney and Stan Lee when it comes to cultural contributions.
The titular city in Haruki Murakami's most recent novel, "The City and Its Uncertain Walls," appears to exist in the protagonist's dream world.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Apr 19, 2024

Before Murakami’s English release, try him in Japanese one more time

An English version of "The City and Its Uncertain Walls" won't come out till fall, so practice reading it in Japanese before checking the translation.
Voters show their index fingers marked with indelible ink after casting their ballots at a polling station in Amritsar, India, on Saturday.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 6, 2024

India keeps its glorious, messy tradition alive

"People were fed up with the BJP,” a local business leader said. "People will not always fall for the caste or temple-mosque politics."
Ami Yuasa performs in the b-girls breaking competition final during the Paris Summer Olympics earlier this month. She won gold in the event.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Aug 21, 2024

The victories, viral moments and vocabulary of Paris 2024

When following the Olympics in Japanese, knowing all the buzzwords that spring up could be a competition of its own.
Sahra Wagenknecht (center), the leader of left-wing party BSW, stands on stage with members after being sprayed with red paint during a campaign event for the upcoming state elections, in Erfurt, eastern Germany, on Thursday.
WORLD / Politics
Aug 30, 2024

Far-left rebel seeking peace with Putin rocks German politics

Sahra Wagenknecht, 55, also calls for an end to the government's support for Ukraine and a radical crackdown on immigration.
Wozme, founded by dancer and choreographer Wakaba Kohei, is composed of Kana Kitty, Ami Ishii, Akane Watanabe and Natsuki. Its aim is to inject elegance and beauty, traits traditionally associated with femininity, into the sometimes grotesque art form of butoh dance.
CULTURE / Stage / Longform
Sep 29, 2024

Wozme, an all-women dance troupe, wants to move the needle in butoh

The art form’s younger dancers are experimenting with long-standing approaches to the choreography, marketing and image of this captivating piece of Japanese culture.
Familiarizing yourself with different types of honorifics and formal verb structures will be crucial to successfully completing a job interview in Japanese.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Nov 2, 2024

Get to know basic honorifics before you head into that Japanese job interview

Honorific language, or “keigo,” is something you’ll want to get a handle on before you head out to hunt for a job in Japan.
Japan's success isn't rooted in mystical Eastern wisdom; it's driven by practical public policies, social standards and education, not secret life hacks.
COMMENTARY
Dec 10, 2024

Two words for current ‘ancient Japanese wisdom’: think again

Japan's success isn't rooted in mystical Eastern wisdom; it's driven by practical public policies, social standards, and education, not secret life hacks.
Ayumi Matsuki, a priestess at Yoshiwara Shrine, shows off some "o-mamori" charms. She says visitors to the shrine have increased since the NHK drama “Unbound” began airing this month.
JAPAN / History / Longform
Jan 26, 2025

Tracing Tsutaya Juzaburo, Edo’s media maverick

Discover the hometown of the Yoshiwara publisher who helped shape Japan’s artistic legacy and inspired NHK’s latest period drama.
German conservative candidate for chancellor and Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party leader Friedrich Merz reacts after the exit poll results are announced in Berlin on Sunday.
WORLD / Politics
Feb 24, 2025

German election victor Merz plans pivot from U.S. as coalition talks loom

Friedrich Merz and his opposition conservatives have vowed to help give Europe "real independence" from the U.S. as he looks to cobble together a government.
Trump tosses a MAGA hat to the crowd during an event in which he unveiled new tariffs in the White House on Wednesday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Apr 3, 2025

Trump unveils 10% global tariff, with Japan levy set at 24%

The higher "reciprocal” rates are based on a government tally of levies and nontariff barriers that countries impose on U.S. goods.

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