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Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Aug 8, 2015

Weeklies' summer specials feature sports, crimefighting, frozen treats and horror

The National High School Summer Baseball Tournament this year observes its 100th anniversary, and Asahi Geino (Aug. 13) recalls 10 hard-fought games at Koshien Stadium that fans still remember. In a short follow-up, the magazine introduces the "new monster," as he's being called, 16-year-old Kotaro Kiyomiya,...
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design / ON: FASHION
Aug 8, 2015

Tokyo's cool beasts of fashion

Monstrously cute dining in Harajuku
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Aug 6, 2015

The ship that lays the Internet's backbone

Many people are probably unaware that the Internet used everyday to connect to content and people around the world is supported by undersea optical cable.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Aug 4, 2015

Dinh Q. Le's art of nuanced criticism

Dinh Q. Le says he's not angry about the American war in Vietnam anymore. This makes our interview a lot easier; we are both of Vietnamese descent and there is a chance that talking about the war could polarize us very quickly, even though we are one generation removed from those that fought.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Aug 4, 2015

Of kimono and cultural appropriation

Clueless identity politics activists in the U.S. are no friends of Japan's struggling kimono industry.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 3, 2015

Retty plans IPO to fund global expansion of restaurant review app

Retty Inc., the Japanese restaurant-review app backed by an arm of Fidelity Worldwide Investment, plans a domestic initial public offering by mid-2017 to fund expansion into global cities, from San Francisco to Hong Kong.
Japan Times
JAPAN / CHUBU CONNECTION
Aug 3, 2015

Deep-sea creepy crawlies turned into crackers in Japan

Here's a novel treat: a senbei rice cracker made of giant isopods, creepy crawlies from the ocean deeps. The snacks are now on sale at a range of outlets in Japan and are quickly gaining popularity.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Aug 2, 2015

Moriumius project brings young life and learning back to the Tohoku disaster zone

A unique educational project aims to revitalize the Miyagi town of Ogatsu, which lost around 80 percent of its buildings and 10 percent of its 4,300 population to the 3/11 disasters.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Aug 1, 2015

Arita fires up a love of pottery, both historical and contemporary

The streets of Arita's Uchiyama porcelain district are mostly deserted this overcast Sunday, a boon for me as I am looking anywhere but at the sidewalk in front of me. My eyes are drawn instead to the parade of restored buildings that front the street, a veritable "name that era" of architectural styles....
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Aug 1, 2015

A political turning point for Japan's youth

July 15, 2015, will go down in Japanese history. As what, though? The day democracy's decline became irreversible? Or the day democracy's decline was reversed?
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jul 28, 2015

Artist Aida defiant over latest work

Controversial artist Makoto Aida is refusing to bow to demands that he alter a politically sensitive submission to the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo after museum chiefs and Tokyo Metropolitan Government officials deemed it unsuitable for children.
Japan Times
JAPAN / CHUBU CONNECTION
Jul 27, 2015

Tokai broadcaster pushes ninja idol adventure overseas

Tokai Television Broadcasting Ltd. has started to air a new series called "Ninja Boimenkun" ("Ninja Boys and Men") earlier this month.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Jul 25, 2015

Housecleaner of the dead; ridiculous quizzes; CM of the Week: Family Mart

The housekeeper who cleans the homes of dead people, Aiko Tanizaki (Atsuko Takahata), returns in the special two-hour drama "Ihin Seirinin: Tanizaki Aiko 5" ("The Cleaning Lady of Things Left Behind: Aiko Tanizaki 5"; TBS, Mon., 9 p.m.).
Japan Times
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Jul 25, 2015

America still rules the world of Japan's theme parks

The success of Tokyo Disney Resort and Universal Studios Japan has a lot to do with their business models and the way they've exploited their appeal to certain demographics in Japan.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 25, 2015

The Iran nuke deal is fine, but 10 years late

Everything gained in the Iran nuclear agreement could have been accomplished 10 years ago if not for stubborn resistance by Europe and the U.S.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Jul 23, 2015

Drug companies study why some people are 'superhuman' and how the rest of us can benefit

Steven Pete can put his hand on a hot stove or step on a piece of glass and not feel a thing, all because of a quirk in his genes. Only a few dozen people in the world share Pete's congenital insensitivity to pain. Drug companies see riches in his rare mutation. They also have their eye on people like...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jul 23, 2015

Hocori to give Fuji Rock a groove to be proud of

Tagging their work as electronic "buddy" music, Takuji Sekine and Yosuke Momono say their group, Hocori, is a way for two instrumentalists to indulge in artificial beats.
Japan Times
WORLD
Jul 23, 2015

Pot pasta: Italian food fest in London features hemp oil-infused cannabis fare

Any Italian will tell you: pasta is healthy and makes you feel good. But what about spaghetti made from cannabis?
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Jul 21, 2015

Performing arts poised to bloom at ETAT 2015

The sixth Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale is set to start July 26 in Tokamachi City and Tsunan Town in Niigata Prefecture, north-central Honshu.
ASIA PACIFIC
Jul 21, 2015

China Protests U.S. Pacific Fleet Commander's Spy-Plane Flight

China renewed its protests over U.S. spy planes entering what it claims as territory after the commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet joined a surveillance flight over the disputed South China Sea.
Japan Times
JAPAN / CHUBU CONNECTION
Jul 20, 2015

Centrair emerges as key freight hub for agricultural exporters

Chubu Centrair International Airport in Aichi Prefecture has emerged as a key hub for agricultural exporters as they capitalize on local subsidies, a global washoku food boom and weakening yen.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Jul 18, 2015

A handy guide to fright nights in and around Tokyo

In an attempt to tap into the growing interest in the supernatural during summer, a number of companies are offering services that allow participants to experience a taste of what lives in the shadows.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Jul 18, 2015

Tales from the crypt: ghost stories from Japan

On a damp afternoon in early July, almost two dozen people sat in silence in a dark room on the sixth floor of a building located right next to Sensoji Temple in Tokyo's Asakusa district. The audience has come to Amuse Museum to hear two presenters — storyteller Chinatsu Ushidaki, who performs under...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jul 18, 2015

National Stadium architects return fire, say design not behind high costs

Zaha Hadid Architects hit back at the decision to scrap their plan for Tokyo's new National Stadium, insisting the ambitious design was not responsible for spiraling construction costs.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / DESSERT WATCH
Jul 17, 2015

Mister Donut is building a pastry bridge to Brooklyn

Mister Donut recently unveiled their summer doughnut roster and it's themed on Brooklyn, New York. Well, it's "Brooklyn themed" in the sense it combines several foodstuffs together into one, in the style of New York-born fusion treats such as the Cronut.
Japan Times
CULTURE
Jul 16, 2015

Museums are the place to be this summer thanks to new dinosaur discoveries

Whether you live with a 4-year-old expert in dinosaurs, or were once one yourself, this summer offers some exciting opportunities for further discovery about the giant animals that long ago roamed the Earth. And best of all, they're all right here in Japan.

Longform

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