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November 27, 2024
 

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A food delivery worker rides through Shenzhen's Futian district in May 2022.
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Sep 3, 2024

China's economic malaise seen accelerating obesity rates

Job stress, long work hours and poor diets are growing high-risk factors in cities, while in rural areas, agriculture work is becoming less physically demanding.
Hiromi Kawakami’s “Under the Eye of the Big Bird” takes place in a future where humans have developed genetic mutations that allow them to read minds and have powers of prescience.
CULTURE / Books
Sep 3, 2024

'Under the Eye of the Big Bird': Hiromi Kawakami's speculative future sets civilization adrift

The author reimagines sexual reproduction, family ties and societal roles in a passionless world that is neither a dystopia nor an improvement on reality.
Lee Ha-yeon, a recognized kimchi grand master and her apprentices prepare kimchi at the Kimchi Culture Institute in Namyangju, South Korea, on Aug 21.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Sep 4, 2024

Kimchi no more? Climate change puts South Korea's beloved cabbage dish at risk

Data from the government statistics agency shows the area of highland cabbage farmed last year was less than half of what it was 20 years ago.
Mylene de Joya Garcia-Albano
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / The Big Questions
Sep 4, 2024

Philippine envoy highlights climate and smart farms

A native of the Philippine city of Davao, Mylene de Joya Garcia-Albano arrived in Tokyo in December 2022 as ambassador of the Philippines to Japan.
Alimentation Couche-Tard’s bid to acquire Japan’s Seven & I Holdings has sparked discussions about Japan’s approach to foreign investment and whether rejecting or accepting the bid reflects an openness to international business.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 4, 2024

7-Eleven deserves more than shareholder supremacy

While Japan should consider investor interests, it should not forsake the broader social and community benefits that its businesses provide.
Weighting the total number of medals won by each country by value — three points for gold, two for silver and one for bronze — reveals that the 12 countries with the highest medal count in Paris are all advanced economies.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 4, 2024

The geopolitics of Olympic medals

A larger population offers a broader talent pool, and economic development supports better sports infrastructure and policies.
A young woman visiting a rural backwater from Tokyo (An Ogawa) finds an unlikely playmate in Tatsunari Ota’s “There Is a Stone.”
CULTURE / Film
Sep 5, 2024

‘There Is a Stone’ finds beauty in the inconsequential

While very little happens, Tatsunari Ota’s slow-moving debut feature offers stirring moments of simplicity.
A cold and self-centered 21-year-old (Yuumi Kawai) drifts through life in Yoko Yamanaka's “Desert of Namibia.”
CULTURE / Film
Sep 5, 2024

'Desert of Namibia' makes its difficult protagonist hard to hate

Yoko Yamanaka's enigmatically titled drama is true to the messy complexity of human beings and their relationships in its own quirky and sharply observant way.
Pasocom Music Club’s “Love Flutter” marks an important moment for Japan’s electronic community as project members Aoi Shibata (left) and Masato Nishiyama step into a role other artists once held for them — scene veterans who are inspiring the next generation.
CULTURE / Music
Sep 5, 2024

Pasocom Music Club returns to the pure pleasures of the dance floor

For the Kansai-born duo, new album “Love Flutter” isn’t just an evolution of its sound — it’s the next step in pushing the boundaries of electronic music.
Sao Paulo's Neo Quimica Arena on Wednesday, two days before the first NFL game to be staged in Brazil.
MORE SPORTS / Football
Sep 5, 2024

NFL breaks new ground with game in Brazil

For one night only, the land of Pele and "The Beautiful Game" will get a rare glimpse into the bone-crunching world of American football.
A sumo referee performs the dohyō matsuri, or ring purification ceremony, in January 2017 at Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo.
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Sep 5, 2024

No talking, no eating, no standing: Inside sumo's ring purification ceremony

Spectators are required to stay seated for its duration, and refrain from using flash when taking photos.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv on Wednesday
WORLD / Politics
Sep 6, 2024

Zelenskyy overhauls Cabinet with slew of new ministers and top diplomat

Andrii Sybiha, 49, an experienced diplomat who does not have a prominent public profile, takes the reins of the foreign ministry, replacing Dmytro Kuleba.
In Hiromi Kawakami’s novel “The Third Love,” modern-day Tokyoite Riko travels between life in 19th-century Edo (old Tokyo) and the courts of the Heian Period, examining her relationship with her husband in the process.
CULTURE / Books
Sep 6, 2024

'The Third Love' is a time-bending meditation on romantic love

Hiromi Kawakami's novel draws from “The Tales of Ise" and “Takaoka’s Travels” to immerse readers in an intertextual exploration of who we are in and out of love.
Director Pedro Almodovar poses with his Golden Lion Award during the 81st Venice Film Festival on Saturday.
CULTURE / Film
Sep 8, 2024

Almodovar wins top Venice prize for end-of-life film

The winners were among 21 contenders vying for the top prize in a festival that swarmed with top Hollywood talent, from Angelina Jolie to George Clooney.
Attorney General Merrick Garland sits between Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco and FBI Director Christopher Wray during a meeting of the Justice Department’s Election Threats Task Force, in Washington on Sept. 4. Federal prosecutors say Russia secretly paid the American company Tenet Media to push pro-Kremlin messages from social media influencers including Benny Johnson, Tim Pool and Dave Rubin.
WORLD / Politics
Sep 9, 2024

Russia secretly worms its way into America’s conservative media

The latest indictment reflects the growing sophistication of the Kremlin’s long-standing efforts to shape American public opinion and advance its geopolitical goals.
India's Kerala-based Mollywood film industry is known for critically acclaimed movies with strong and progressive themes.
CULTURE / Film
Sep 5, 2024

India's 'Mollywood' cinema convulsing in response to #MeToo abuse claims

An explosive government report has opened discussion on chronic violence against women in India.
James Earl Jones in the Broadway revival of "Gore Vidal’s The Best Man” at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theater in New York in March 2012. Jones, once a stuttering farm child who became a voice of rolling thunder as one of America’s most versatile actors in a stage, film and television career that plumbed race relations, Shakespeare’s rhapsodic tragedies and the faceless menace of Darth Vader, died on Monday at his home in Dutchess County, New York. He was 93.
CULTURE / Film
Sep 10, 2024

James Earl Jones, actor whose voice could menace or melt, dies at 93

He gave life to characters like Darth Vader in “Star Wars” and Mufasa in “The Lion King,” and went on to collect Tonys, Golden Globes, Emmys and an honorary Oscar.
"Shogun" actors (from left) Hiroyuki Sanada, Anna Sawai and Tadanobu Asano are all up for Emmys at this year's awards show.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming
Sep 10, 2024

'Shogun' clinches record-breaking 14 Creative Arts Emmys

The FX network series set in feudal Japan claimed some of the highest honors at the awards show, including those for costumes, makeup and cinematography.
Apple CEO Tim Cook unveils the iPhone 16 at the Steve Jobs Theater on the company's campus in Cupertino, California, on Monday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 10, 2024

iPhone 16 to land in Japan without Apple Intelligence 

The new feature, which uses generative artificial intelligence to analyze text and photos, will only be activated in 2025 in several markets, including Japan.
Vadim Morus, a Russian professional skater and trainer, practices for his performance in Belgrade, Serbia, on June 19.
WORLD / Society
Sep 11, 2024

A mini-Russia emerges in Serbia as thousands flee war

Russian-owned clubs, kindergartens and medical practices have sprung up in Belgrade, a city of less than two million people.
Pope Francis blesses a child during his visit to Dili, East Timor, on Tuesday. The pontiff's Asia-Pacific tour is a strategic step toward a larger goal: a visit to China, a country that could soon have the largest Christian population in the world.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 10, 2024

Pope Francis’ Asia trip is all about China

The Vatican is among 12 diplomatic allies Taiwan still has left. There are concerns these loyalties could shift as the Holy See attempts to improve ties with Beijing.
Cosplayer Xu Yunting (left), dressed as Jesse, a male character from the video game Light and Night, and video game enthusiast Feng Xinyu visit a crafts shop during their 'cos commissioning' date in Shanghai.
LIFE / Lifestyle
Sep 11, 2024

'Dream men': Female cosplayers in China fulfill fantasies for young women

A trend called "cos commissioning" is allowing young women in China to perform idealized heteronormative relationships — with other women.
J-pop superstar Hikaru Utada wore a resplendent rainbow dress while performing songs from their more recent albums “Hatsukoi” and “Bad Mode” during the second section of the Science Fiction tour.
CULTURE / Music
Sep 11, 2024

Hikaru Utada celebrates 25 years of hits with a sold-out finale

The J-pop superstar wrapped up their nostalgia-laden 18-show tour in front of 18,000 people at Yokohama’s K-Arena.
Masami Nagasawa looks fabulous in a range of outfits as the eponymous protagonist of “All About Suomi.”
CULTURE / Film
Sep 12, 2024

‘All About Suomi’: The leading lady shines, but the film lacks sparkle

Masami Nagasawa’s performance as a woman whose true self is hard to pin down elevates an otherwise middling Koki Mitani comedy.
A young boy (Keitatsu Koshiyama, center) and his skating partner (Kiara Nakanishi, left) blossom under the dedicated guidance of their coach (Sosuke Ikematsu) in “My Sunshine.”
CULTURE / Film
Sep 12, 2024

‘My Sunshine’ brings together realism and lyricism to a rare degree

Hiroshi Okuyama’s feature about teen skaters is a gentle masterwork that illustrates Japanese society’s deep conservatism with poignance and bite.
Since opening in 2022 in Shibuya Ward, Tokyo Comedy Bar has hosted comedy workshops, roast battles, open mics and international guests.
CULTURE / Stage
Sep 12, 2024

Tokyo Comedy Bar supersizes laughs with 11-night festival

Spanning 46 different shows, this month’s comedy festival spotlights rising local talent and international names in both English and Japanese.
Japan has many rivers that run through its cities, but few offer the level of serenity and relaxation as Kyoto's Kamo River.
LIFE / Travel
Sep 14, 2024

The enduring allure of Kyoto’s Kamo River

Many foreign tourists seek advice online about how much time they should devote to lounging by the lazy currents of the Kamo River.
A model displays a creation by Japanese designer Norio Surikabe during a runway show on Sept. 6 for the latest edition of Rakuten Fashion Week Tokyo.
LIFE / Style & Design
Sep 14, 2024

Tokyo’s top fashion showcase pushes rising stars to the world stage

Rakuten Fashion Week Tokyo celebrated industry veterans while shining a spotlight on emerging talent.
An attendee wears an Apple Vision Pro while holding the Apple iPhone 16 Pro during an event at Apple Park campus in Cupertino, California, on Monday. Apple introduced the latest version of its flagship device, the iPhone 16.
EDITORIALS
Sep 13, 2024

The genie is out of the bottle and headed for your phone

The touchscreen smartphone is now humankind's ubiquitous companion, and with each new product release, phone makers unveil new innovations.
Oasis band members Liam and Noel Gallagher are the subjects of a mural by artist Pic.One.Art in the Burnage area of Manchester, England.
CULTURE / Music / Sound Off
Sep 14, 2024

A potential reunited Oasis gig in Japan should have promoters salivating

The British rock act has a huge Japanese following, one that could provide a much-needed shot in the arm for the country's summer festivals.
Bluesky is booming in Japan — mainly for reasons other than U.S. politics
According to Similarweb, average monthly user numbers for Bluesky on Android in Japan quintupled in the 12 months to October.
Trump pledges 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico, deeper levies on China
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump attends a viewing of the launch of the sixth test flight of the SpaceX Starship rocket, in Brownsville, Texas, on Nov. 19. Trump on Monday threatened to slap China, Mexico and Canada with hefty tariffs upon his return to the White House.
AI boom makes 139-year-old cable maker Japan’s hottest stock
Fujikura's headquarters in Tokyo's Koto Ward. The company's share price has surged by more than 400% this year.
Japan’s sauna movement: Relax, refresh, repeat
Totopa in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward was picked by consultants TTNE as the best sauna of the year.
Kotozakura unburdened by weight of history after claiming first title
Kotozakura speaks during a news conference in Fukuoka on Monday
Bluesky is booming in Japan — mainly for reasons other than U.S. politics
According to Similarweb, average monthly user numbers for Bluesky on Android in Japan quintupled in the 12 months to October.
How Japan can exit the fossil fuel subsidies it can’t seem to quit
A man walks past a gasoline station in Tokyo on Thursday.
Are you leaving your loved ones digital legacies or headaches?
The National Consumer Affairs Center reports a growing number of consultations regarding "digital legacies" — data and online services left behind when people die.
Rayssa Leal and Chloe Covell on Japan’s teen skaters: We are friends, not rivals
Brazil’s Rayssa Leal celebrates after winning the women's Street League Skateboarding competition on Saturday in Tokyo.
An iconic 32-foot doughnut might give Randy’s an edge in Japan
Randy's Donuts in Inglewood, California. Replicas of the giant doughnut sculpture will be installed, where possible, at shops in Japan.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

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
By Greg Dvorak

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