Search - things-to-do

 
 
Japan Times
JAPAN / History
Oct 1, 2016

Religious reflections: Pope John Paul II's enduring legacy in Japan

The iconic pontiff's visit 35 years ago may offer some insights into what we can expect from a possible papal stopover in 2017.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / OLD NIC'S NOTEBOOK
Oct 1, 2016

Passing on ancient steel production techniques

When the first Portuguese merchants and missionaries reached Japan in 1543, the warriors they encountered were armed with steel swords that were equal to, or better than, any being produced in Europe.
Reader Mail
Sep 30, 2016

Structural changes need time to work

The Bank of Japan announced its latest initiatives ("BOJ targets yields in new strategy" in the Sept. 22 edition) and the financial press was filled with the same old comments about "need for structural change," "failure of Abe's third arrow," etc.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 30, 2016

From bit actor ‘bum’ to managing $2.7 billion Japanese fund

Takahiro Kusakari went from being a self-described bum getting by on bit-part acting roles in Tokyo to calling the shots at a $2.7 billion stock fund.
WORLD / Politics
Sep 27, 2016

Clinton, Trump dive into attack mode in blistering debate

Democrat Hillary Clinton accused Republican Donald Trump of racism, sexism and tax avoidance on Monday, putting him on the defensive during a debate that a snap poll said boosted her White House chances.
Japan Times
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / NPB NOTEBOOK
Sep 25, 2016

Ramirez working to get BayStars ready for Climax Series

Yokohama BayStars manager Alex Ramirez is wearing two hats as the regular season winds down.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Sep 25, 2016

If you don't feel accepted in Japan, join the far-from-exclusive club

If you feel you've never been accepted in Japan, then welcome to the club: Many Japanese people don't feel accepted here either.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Sep 24, 2016

Is this the first great Tokyo novel by a non-Japanese writer?

Non-Japanese have written great books about Japan. Almost all of these masterpieces are nonfiction: essays, memoirs, monographs, histories, travel books. One might place, for example, Alan Booth's "The Roads to Sata," Donald Richie's "Ozu," Edward Seidensticker's "Genji Days," and Nicolas Bouvier's "The...
Japan Times
WORLD / ANALYSIS
Sep 24, 2016

All-out effort to crush moderate Syria rebels may leave Obama successor with 'problem from hell'

The United States was relegated to the sidelines of the Syrian war on Friday as an all-out assault by Syrian and Russian forces on opposition-held Aleppo threatened to unleash a new wave of refugees and drive U.S.-backed rebels into the ranks of al-Qaida's Syrian branch, U.S. officials and experts said....
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / B. League
Sep 19, 2016

B. League chairman heralds new era

This last decade has marked the darkest period in Japan basketball history, with the sport divided between two rival men's leagues.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / B. League
Sep 18, 2016

Basketball veteran Orimo skeptical of B. League's benefit to national team

Just like other players, Levanga Hokkaido veteran guard/forward Takehiko Orimo is delighted about the inauguration of the B. League, the new men's top professional basketball league in Japan.
Japan Times
JAPAN / View from Osaka
Sep 17, 2016

There must be a sense of deja vu in Osaka after Yuriko Koike's election

Wasteful bureaucratic spending. Local politicians who smell money as they make Olympics-related plans. An assembly dominated by a clique of good ol' boys in the Liberal Democratic Party who run local government as their fiefdom. All challenged by a hawkish outsider of a governor who is media-savvy and...
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Sep 17, 2016

Trump finally backs off Obama birth claim, falsely says Clinton started it

Republican U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump on Friday abandoned his false claim that Barack Obama was not born in the United States after spending five years peddling conspiracy theories that the country's first African-American president started life as a foreigner.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 15, 2016

7-Eleven's new boss bides time on turnaround as stock falls

After his appointment in May, the president of 7-Eleven's floundering parent company promised to deliver a turnaround plan in about 100 days. Ryuichi Isaka is on day 112 and counting.
Japan Times
WORLD
Sep 15, 2016

Hidden data: the new weapon that could beat hunger

With a single smartphone app, you can now get a pretty accurate forecast of the weather anywhere in the world. That is largely thanks to a decision by science agencies, a decade ago, to put online their satellite data and make it available for free.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
Sep 14, 2016

Japan's dual citizens get a tacit nod but keep their status in the shadows

Is the 'don't ask, don't tell' status quo the ideal situation for a country that tends to be reflexively conservative on issues of race and nationality yet benefits from the dual-citizen population?
Japan Times
JAPAN
Sep 14, 2016

Japan tries to decode Duterte after joint U.S. patrols halted

A day after the Philippine president said he plans to halt joint maritime patrols with foreign navies, Japan's government was trying to make sense of developments, with one senior official saying Tokyo will persevere with a nuanced approach to ties.
Japan Times
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Sep 11, 2016

Carp fans savor end of 25-year championship itch

The Hiroshima Carp have strived for the moment for 25 years, and their fans are full of emotion about the team's long-awaited league championship.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Sep 9, 2016

China responds strongly to North Korean nuclear test but is unlikely to do much

China criticized North Korea's nuclear test on Friday, but Beijing is unlikely to follow up with strong action because its influence is limited and it believes the United States and South Korea share responsibility for growing tensions in the region.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Sep 7, 2016

The delicate notes of 'Someone's Xylophone'

Japanese directors now routinely do dozens of media interviews to publicize their new films, especially if they are on the indie end of the spectrum. The stars of said films also sit down with the press, if not as commonly, but though I have been writing about local film folk since 1991, an interview...
Japan Times
SPORTS / MAN ABOUT SPORTS
Sep 6, 2016

Kaepernick putting career on line with anthem issue

MAS comes today to neither bury nor praise San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 6, 2016

Kerry's soft words blunt U.S. hard power at sea

Washington's friends need to know their most important ally is willing to stand up to Beijing in the South China Sea.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Sep 5, 2016

Populist backlash against trade dominates chatter at China G-20 summit

Global economic leaders stepped up warnings that the populist mood sweeping many developed nations is a threat to trade and growth, calling from the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit for governments and businesses to fight to keep goods flowing across borders.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / JUST BE CAUSE
Sep 4, 2016

JBC marks 100 columns and a million page views

Column has been shining a critical light on issues affecting Japan's foreign residents since 2008.
Japan Times
SOCCER / World cup
Sep 2, 2016

Honda slams referee after 'ghost goal' haunts Japan's loss to UAE

Japan forward Keisuke Honda once again issued a damning verdict on the standard of Asia's referees after the Samurai Blue were denied a seemingly legitimate goal in Thursday's 2-1 World Cup-qualifying loss to the United Arab Emirates.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Aug 31, 2016

Japan's team spirit remains youthful in anime

The word "seishun" ("youth") comprises the kanji characters for the words "blue" and "spring," which connotes the freshness and innocence of those earlier years in life. It's also the name of a genre of anime and manga. Even as the population ages, seishun manga and anime seem to lock themselves to the...
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 29, 2016

The iconoclast of Timbuktu and the world court

Making the act of deliberately 'destroying cultural heritage' a crime is a step in building an international human rights law that applies to everybody.
LIFE / Language / WELL SAID
Aug 29, 2016

'Kakeru' and 'kakaru': two very useful Japanese verbs worth hanging on to

Introduce some meanings and usages of the verbs u639bu3051u308b and u639bu304bu308b (both 'to hang').

Longform

Totopa in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward was picked by consultants TTNE as the best sauna of the year.
Japan’s sauna movement: Relax, refresh, repeat