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Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 1, 2014

Meet the real turkeys in America

Americans should give thanks for living in such an entertaining country.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Dec 1, 2014

Abe needs to butter up dairy industry as weakening yen wreaks havoc

Japan's dairies and cake lovers just cannot seem to catch a break.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Dec 1, 2014

Reality took the shine off Abe's hopes for women in 2014

So this is what I heard: This past year, women were supposedly kagaiteiru (輝いている, shining) in Japan — and their sheen is part of a national policy to value and honor the Japanese female. Excuse me for saying so, but "Usssooo! (うっそおお!, That's a lie!)" As my friend Naoko likes to...
BUSINESS / Economy
Dec 1, 2014

Hong Kong counts cost of protests on city's core shopping districts

Hong Kong is expected to report a drop in October retail sales on Monday, providing the first broad look at the impact of pro-democracy protests on core shopping areas after demonstrators blocked key roads and scared off mainland Chinese tourists.
BUSINESS
Dec 1, 2014

Dairies seen losing cost battle as Abe weakens yen

apan's dairies and cake lovers just can't seem to catch a break.
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Nov 29, 2014

Debating milk, names and workplace blues

Milk — liquid innocence. If milk lets you down, what won't? It looks healthy, tastes healthy — surely it is healthy? Appearances, we know, are deceiving; still, this particular illusion dies hard.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Nov 28, 2014

A modern annex for an old favorite

I always feel a little inadequate arriving at the Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum, shambling up its gravel drive in my slovenly journalist garb and running one hand over my face to check if I've shaved that day. It's such an elegant venue that I feel I really should be arriving in more style, possibly...
Japan Times
JAPAN / FOCUS
Nov 26, 2014

Tabelog.com's customer-generated restaurant reviews prompt food fight

By getting diners to post over 5.9 million reviews of nearly 800,000 eateries, Tabelog has brought unprecedented transparency to one of the world's best dining scenes. It has also infuriated chefs and owners along the way.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Nov 26, 2014

Celebrated Japanese-American California farm sows seeds for next generation

Growing up among rows of purple haze carrots, delicate Mara des Bois strawberries and corn sweet enough to eat raw, Makoto Chino might have been one of the best-fed kids in America.
LIFE / Language / WELL SAID
Nov 24, 2014

Getting your words just right with pittari

Today, we will introduce some uses of u3074u3063u305fu308a, an adverb that shows the state of something.
WORLD
Nov 21, 2014

Oxford chooses 'vape' as word of the year for 2014

The Oxford English Dictionary named "vape" — the word used for drawing on an electronic cigarette instead of a burning stick of tobacco — as its 2014 word of the year.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Nov 19, 2014

Open Windows: 'Sliding into the creep zone'

What has happened to Elijah Wood? The former child star whose career out-survived most of his contemporaries is slipping further and further into the creep zone. In the decade since his signature role as Frodo in the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy, his roles have gone from nerdy and vulnerable to nerdy...
WORLD / Politics
Nov 19, 2014

Republicans shop for shutdown alternatives in immigration fight with Obama

House Republican leaders are trying to persuade members not to risk a U.S. government shutdown in responding to President Barack Obama's plan to ease the deportation of undocumented immigrants.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO BAR ADVENTURE
Nov 18, 2014

Step into another era at Cafe Streamline

Leaving the tranquil streets of Tokyo's Daikanyama district and entering Cafe Streamline is like going back in time. The bar contrasts the modern architecture outside with antiques and old kitchen appliances cluttering the interior and soft jazz music playing on a radio. Then again, the bar counter and...
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT
Nov 15, 2014

Shrinking well: Is depopulation affecting Japan's energy, climate goals?

Keishi looks a lot like it did when Toshiko Nakamura first moved there four decades ago. The quiet farming community in Nagano Prefecture is a patchwork of verdant rice fields, lush kitchen gardens and picturesque post-and-beam houses nestled between pine and chestnut trees on the slopes of Mount Hijiri....
Japan Times
JAPAN / Science & Health / NATURAL SELECTIONS
Nov 15, 2014

Eels face the slippery slope to extinction

Last week I was crossing the River Thames on the way to work in London, and I happened to see a cormorant emerge from the water with a thrashing eel in its mouth. The bird juggled the fish, skillfully managing to position it so it could swallow the wriggling animal headfirst.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Nov 15, 2014

Holiday gifts they'll cherish from cover to cover

As the holiday season rolls around, it's time to dash about in a mad panic in search of gifts that say "I've given this one some thought, honest." Or you can just let us do the thinking for you, with gift suggestions from our regular book reviewers — tailor-made for the Japanophile reader.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Nov 12, 2014

Tatsumi: Godfather of alternative manga is reborn on film

Manga artist Yoshihiro Tatsumi has always enjoyed a certain level of fame in his home country, where he's known as the originator of gekiga, a hard-boiled style of manga from the 1960s-'70s. Overseas, however, it's only since 2009 that his reputation has risen meteorically, after an English-language...
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Nov 8, 2014

Kendama: a whole new ball game

Almost every child that has grown up in Japan has seen a kendama, a wooden traditional Japanese toy consisting of a ken (sword) and tama (ball) connected by a length of string.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Nov 8, 2014

Yamadera: 1,000-step staircase to paradise

We're only a few minutes into our climb up one of Yamagata Prefecture's holy mountains, Mount Hojusan, and already our pace has slowed considerably. Our destination is Risshakuji Temple, more colloquially known as Yamadera (literally: "mountain temple"), a far-north outpost of Tendai Buddhism since 860....
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle / CHILD'S PLAY
Nov 7, 2014

'S' is for 'Starting to teach your kids ABC'

My toddler is hissing like a pantomime villain as she runs along an S-shaped snake made from sticky tape curled across the living room floor.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / COMMUNITY CHEST
Nov 7, 2014

Readers' letters: carrying ID, subway 'saviors,' JA rackets, Taiji alternatives and goats

A selection of emails received in response to recent Community articles.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Nov 6, 2014

Antique fair offers a hunt for treasure

When you see an antique, what catches your attention? Some people imagine the history or story behind it, perhaps there's a bit of romance or mystery involved. Some people look at the object and see dollar signs, and some see a piece of art. Dedicated collectors often see all three.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO BAR ADVENTURE
Nov 4, 2014

Drunk Bat: Attune your sonar to this cozy craft-beer bar

Admittedly, the only reason craft-beer bar Drunk Bat in Mitaka caught my attention was because of its name. For English-speakers, it comes off as amusing; for Japanese speakers with only a few years of compulsory English education under their belt, it can be misheard as "Drug Bad," which leads to some...
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 2, 2014

China's rule by law, not of it

China is embarked on a major reform dedicated, leaders claim, to improving the rule of law, but subject to the will of the ruling Communist Party. This is really rule by law, not the rule of law.
Japan Times
WORLD / Society
Oct 30, 2014

In France, kebabs get wrapped up in identity politics

In a country whose national identity is so closely connected to its cuisine, France's hard right has seized on a growing appetite for kebabs as proof of cultural Islamization.
Japan Times
Places
Oct 29, 2014

Dig into a smorgasbord of autumn food and drink events

Japan seems to always be celebrating food and drinks, whether it's classics like ramen and sake, or less-common fare like cheese and vegetarian dishes. Here is a roundup of tasty festivals that will leave you satiated and satisfied.

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