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Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / Longform
Apr 11, 2022

As the crow flies: A bird’s eye view of Japan’s urban ecology

Tokyo's once booming crow population has plummeted amid the COVID-19 pandemic. What does that mean for the world's largest city?
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Mar 1, 2019

Fukui’s Obama: Overshadowed by a president

Although the presidential-themed euphoria surrounding the city of Obama has faded, the area's very tangible cultural legacies make it well worth a visit for the foodie and the history buff alike.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Aug 14, 2013

Shimanto strikes while the iron is hot

The city of Shimanto, Kochi Prefecture, which on Monday became Japan's hottest city with a record-setting temperature of 41.0 degrees, is now rushing to capitalize on its new title with a string of unique projects.
COMMUNITY
Mar 6, 2001

Utsunomiya brings 'gyoza' lovers into fold

UTSUNOMIYA, Tochigi Pref. -- At the bottom of the steps leading out of JR Utsunomiya Station is a statue of Venus quite unlike any other.
CULTURE / Books
Apr 27, 1999

The Tokyo guide for Tokyo-lovers

A View of the City, by Donald Richie, with photographs by Joel Sackett. London: Reaktion Books, 143 pp. No one is indifferent to Tokyo. Most people dislike it. It's huge, it's ugly, it's loud, the water's metallic, and movies arrive six months late. But a few people like Tokyo.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Dec 27, 2016

Take your pick of the year's highlights in Japanese theater

From soccer minnows Leicester City winning the English Premier League to "That Election" in the (dis)-United States, 2016 has been a year of surprises, shocks and new directions.
Japan Times
WORLD / Society
Jun 3, 2013

Join Wall Street, save the world: The rise of the benevolent class

Jason Trigg went into finance because he is after money — as much as he can earn. The 25-year-old certainly had other career options. An MIT computer science graduate, he could write software for the next tech giant. Or he might have gone into academia in computing or applied math or biology. He could...
LIFE / Travel
Feb 2, 2000

The last paradise

Special to The Japan Times In the early years of the last century, the wife of a French colonial doctor in Laos wrote in her journal, "Oh! What a delightful paradise. The fierce barrier of the stream protects this country from the progress and ambition of which it has no need. Will Luang Prabang be,...
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Dec 3, 2022

Tokyo named among the world's best destinations for disabled travelers

Amsterdam, Las Vegas, Paris and Tokyo were all among the most accessible cities according to a recent report, but there's still more work to be done.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Dec 8, 2021

Two Tokyo bars make the World’s Best 50 List

It's award season for the world's food and drink establishments, and venues in Tokyo continue to be rewarded.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Sep 16, 2016

Hakata, Nagahama, Kurume: A guide to Fukuoka's best ramen styles

Fukuoka was named the world's seventh most-livable city by Monocle magazine this year for its eco- and business friendly initiatives — but its status as a ramen mecca couldn't have hurt. Within Japan, Fukuoka is known, perhaps more than anything else, for tonkotsu (pork bone) ramen, thanks in part...
Japan Times
LIFE
Sep 27, 2009

Bike tours offer a new view of the city

Despite long-standing conflicts between cyclists and others with a stake in using Tokyo's streets, Japan's capital can be a great place to tour by bike — as I discovered last weekend while participating in the "Tokyo Great Cycling Tour," a one-day guided trip organized by Tokyo-based operator Alive...
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Mar 8, 2009

Luck, trickery and treasure in Koka City

What do underground treasure troves, ninja lairs and drunken raccoon dogs have in common? Shiga Prefecture's Koka City, that's what.
Japan Times
MORE SPORTS
Nov 2, 2018

George Foreman went from juvenile delinquent to world champ

George Foreman's boxing career defied logic. To be heavyweight champion of the world in his 20s and to repeat the feat in his 40s, was unexpected — and historic, too.
Japan Times
CULTURE
May 31, 2014

Essential summer festivals 2014

A summer without festivals simply wouldn’t be a proper summer in Japan, so now that the humidity has returned, it’s time to slop on an extra layer of sunscreen and line up some outdoor activities.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Aug 4, 2016

Hitting Japan's best beaches

The summer is here. You've kept your New Year's resolution and stuck with that diet or new exercise regimen ... right? It doesn't matter. These beaches are so beautiful, nobody will be looking at the people.
Japan Times
CULTURE
Jun 18, 2015

Do's and don'ts that will make your night of fireworks a blast

Summer in Japan means hanabi taikai (firework festivals), and if you're unprepared you may find your night quickly fizzling out.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle / CHILD'S PLAY
Mar 20, 2014

Our guide to family hanami hot spots

The transition from winter to summer is just beginning, and that means something magical is about to arrive: cherry-blossom season. As winter loosens its grip, delicate pastel petals push their way out of gnarled sakura-tree branches — an early indicator of the warmth that will slowly envelop the archipelago....
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / BEST OF BOOKS: 2008
Dec 14, 2008

Ready for a little Yuletide reading?

YOJOKUN: Life Lessons From a Samurai, by Kaibara Ekiken (Kodansha International)
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Sep 7, 2004

What's a (Western) woman to do?

Many Western women in Japan complain that, despite plentiful romance in their home countries, they now face a dating desert.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / JAZZNICITY
Dec 9, 2001

A rough guide to buried local treasures

Even though many jazz players in Japan do get a chance to record, it can sometimes be a challenge to find their CDs -- even in the biggest stores. With limited pressings and uneven distribution, last month's release from a popular live performer in Tokyo can be harder to find than an obscure 1950s hard...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KANPAI CULTURE
Jan 12, 2019

A new year taste for Tokyo's best speciality sake bars

With the start of a new year comes a new set of resolutions. An increasingly popular choice is Dry January, a campaign led by the British charity Alcohol Change UK, in which participants vow to abstain from drinking for 31 days. Millions of people around the world have been documenting their virtuous...
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 2, 2019

Watch this, ignore that: A guide to U.S. politics in 2019

The impeachment of Donald Trump is possible, but actually removing him from office is unlikely.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Mar 18, 2017

The Japan tabloid guide to health and happiness

An alien first encountering Japan's weekly tabloid magazines might conclude he has come to Earth in a nation of inquisitive hypochondriacs.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Apr 1, 2016

Chef Zaiyu Hasegawa presents creative takes on dishes that a mother would be proud of

Zaiyu Hasegawa pauses for a moment when I comment on the diversity of the clientele at Den, his restaurant in Tokyo's Jinbocho neighborhood.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
May 31, 2013

Why it matters where our food comes from

The latest trend in fine dining has nothing to do with molecular gastronomy or pan-Latin fusion: Sustainability is the new order of the day. At the influential World's 50 Best Restaurants awards ceremony in London last month, the organizers presented their first Sustainable Restaurant Award to Narisawa,...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Mar 21, 2008

Words from the food wise on finding the best izakaya

The izakaya, of course, is much more than a pub in the Western sense of a drinking establishment. While there will always be plenty of sake and other kinds of inebriants, food is an integral part of the experience — ranging from tried-and-true traditional "comfort cooking" to inventive cuisine with...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Feb 20, 2004

Yakitori for gourmets: a 1-2-3 guide

There was a time when yakitori shops were hole-in-the-wall grills, often under railway tracks, where cheapness made up for the lack of sophistication and rotgut sake or rocket-fuel shochu were the libations of choice. Much has changed, though, and "upmarket yakitori" no longer seems a contradiction in...

Longform

Construction takes place on the Takanawa Gateway Convention Center in Tokyo, slated to open in 2025.
A boom for business tourism in Japan?