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Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Jul 24, 2021

We’re still in the middle of the pandemic. So why do new restaurants keep opening in Tokyo?

Despite the pandemic straining Japan's hospitality industry, new restaurants across the capital continue to open their doors. Has opening during the “new normal” allowed them to adapt?
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
May 2, 2021

‘Tokyo Junkie’: Robert Whiting recounts a lifelong addiction to his adopted city

The author and longtime Japan resident tackles his hardest writing project ever — “interviewing himself” for a memoir on his life, the changing urban landscape and, of course, baseball.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Jan 23, 2021

‘Indian Migrants in Tokyo’ sheds light on an overlooked community

There are currently around 40,000 Indians living in Japan and their stories, similar to minority groups in other countries, are often ignored or pushed aside. This lack of public awareness and representation can lead to cultural misunderstanding, or worse, discrimination.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Sep 13, 2020

Keerthana Mariappan: 'People recognize the potential of India as an economic and cultural partner'

Keerthana Mariappan balances a fast-paced job with a life of practicing and teaching yoga.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
Jun 21, 2020

Pandemic leaves Indian cooks in Japan dependent on bosses and the state

When your life revolves around your work, a shutdown makes things extra hard.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Mar 18, 2020

An Indian take on making a Japanese film

Indian filmmaker Anshul Chauhan opted to make his first feature film in Japan, but discovered just how difficult working with the local industry can be.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 18, 2020

Tokyo commuters set for Olympic crush as many firms rule out telework

When Emi Tanimura failed to find a day care slot for her newborn daughter, the need to avoid long periods away from her job at communications firm Sunny Side Up made it necessary to take what is a radical step in Japan; she started working from home.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / TELLING LIVES
Feb 6, 2020

Yogendra 'Yogi' Puranik: The first Indian voice in Tokyo politics

After seeing miscommunication and bullying firsthand, Yogendra 'Yogi' Puranik decided to stand up and do something about it. Now, as a politician, he hopes to be a bridge between two communities.
JAPAN
Aug 7, 2019

Citizen groups push to get Nagoya exhibit featuring 'comfort women' statue reopened

Citizen groups and a group of publishers on Wednesday sought to reopen an exhibit in Nagoya that featured a statue of a girl symbolizing "comfort women."
JAPAN / Crime & Legal / FOCUS
Aug 5, 2019

Dignity, privacy and the right to know: Mixed feelings on disclosure of Kyoto arson victims' names

The release of the names of 10 of the 35 people who died in last month's arson attack on a Kyoto Animation Co. studio has prompted mixed responses from the public, including concerns over the privacy of grieving families.
JAPAN / G20 Osaka Summit Special
Jun 27, 2019

Women's empowerment equals economic growth

For Haruno Yoshida, co-chair of the Women 20 (W20) committee, a G20 engagement group, female empowerment is something like the construction behind Nara Prefecture's famed ancient wooden Horyuji Temple.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / FOREIGN AGENDA
Jun 23, 2019

Cleaning toilets with a smile: The lessons you can learn from a convenience store side job

Learning Japanese and want a bit of extra cash? Getting a part-time job in the service industry can teach you a lot more than the language.
JAPAN
Jun 20, 2019

Japanese-American director of 'comfort women' documentary sued by interviewees

A group of seven Japanese intellectuals and activists has sued the director and the distributor of a documentary film that covers the political debates over "comfort women," demanding the screenings be terminated and seeking compensation totaling ¥13 million.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Jun 8, 2019

Documentary juxtaposes both sides of contentious debate on 'comfort women'

On May 30, three people held a news conference in Tokyo to speak out against a documentary titled "Shusenjo: The Main Battleground of the Comfort Women Issue," which focuses on the rhetorical battle over the women who sexually serviced Japanese soldiers before and during World War II. The participants...
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
May 27, 2019

Trump stays on script in Tokyo summit with Abe covering trade and North Korea

Instead, it appears Tokyo was able to avoid the embarrassments that Trump is famous for.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Apr 27, 2019

Carlos Ghosn's release on bail is part of a wider trend in Japan's criminal justice system

The rate of bail approval increased from roughly 15 percent in 2007 to about 32 percent in 2017, according to the Japan Bail Support Association.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / The Big Questions
Dec 30, 2018

Hard work, nonstop play in the world of Japanese TV

It is hard to imagine Dave Spector doing anything else. Although tempting to call the fun- and pun-loving force of energy that is Spector a workaholic, he enjoys what he does so much that his palpable passion makes 'playholic' more accurate.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 27, 2018

Constitutional referendum would unleash TV blitz never before seen in Japan

If Japan ever calls a referendum on whether to revise the postwar Constitution, it could spark a heated TV advertising war, akin to what the U.S. goes through for its presidential election campaigns.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Nov 23, 2018

Tuna, tradition and opportunities for sustainable tourism

Sustainable tourism is a hot topic, and in light of Japan's goals to grow the number of inbound tourists to 40 million by 2020 and all the way up to 60 million a decade later, it's one that deserves attention. Fortunately, there are concrete ways to ease the environmental impact of the tourism boom in Japan.
JAPAN / Society
Nov 20, 2018

As foreign labor system evolves, education has to play catch-up

Japanese-language education is becoming more important for children of foreign residents in Japan at a time when the government is planning to introduce a new visa system to increase the number of foreign workers.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan / japan since the Meiji Restoration
Nov 5, 2018

A contextual look at the Heisei Era

To lament the 'fall of Japan' during the Heisei Era, as some pessimists do, misses the big picture.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 11, 2018

Japan's top government spokesman denies Trump asked Abe to 'strongly consider' giving casino license to one of his benefactors

Yoshihide Suga responded tersely to an investigative report during a regular press briefing, referring to Abe's past denial in the Diet of the allegation.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHY DID YOU LEAVE JAPAN?
Jul 14, 2018

From 'big in Japan' to far better in America

Megumi Ijiri Haskin felt so different to other children when growing up in Japan, that she aspired to live in the U.S. at the age of 17.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jul 4, 2018

John Williams presents a made-in-Japan take on one of Kafka's classics

Written at the start of World War I and published in 1925 after its author's untimely death, Franz Kafka's "The Trial" is one of those novels everyone knows by reputation (or, in my case, from a fevered reading in high school).
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / The Big Questions
Apr 15, 2018

As HMI expands, sights set on drawing Indian visitors

When 24 million people visited Japan in 2016, it marked the first time the number surpassed 20 million, a figure that the government had hoped to meet by 2020.

Longform

Visitors to Kyoto walk along a street near Kiyomizu Temple in April. A popular tourist spot, Kyoto has seen what locals feel to be an overwhelming amount of tourists in 2024.
Is Japan ready for 60 million tourists?