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CULTURE / Music / MUSIC NOMAD
Jul 25, 2000

From the streets of Tokyo to Royal Albert Hall

The night before they left for Europe, Japanese group Cicala Mvta (pronounced Chicala Muta) played for about 50 people in Tokyo -- about par for the course for them. When they arrived in London the next day, theirs was the hottest ticket in town. Sort of.
CULTURE / Music
Mar 31, 2000

Evolution of grunge and the cutting edge of simian style

It used to be that a band had to be dead and buried for a good decade before popping up in interviews and liner notes as an "influence." Not anymore. Though Kurt Cobain has been dead less than 10 years, the reverberations of the Seattle sound are beginning to be felt in Tokyo's live houses, most especially...
CULTURE / Books
Jan 18, 2000

A life between East and West

THE MASK CARVER'S SON, A Novel by Alyson Richman. Bloomsbury Pub Plc USA, 371 pp., $23.95. This is an imagined autobiography of a Japanese artist who studied in Paris around the year 1900.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Jan 15, 2000

The seven-flavored spice of life

For more than 370 years, Yagenbori's merchandise has added zest to Japanese meals. The seven-colored seasoning is sprinkled on a variety of dishes, from a steaming bowl of soba (buckwheat) noodles to grilled fish.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 28, 1999

Pakistan's Sharif fights for his political life

ISLAMABAD -- Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif faces a rising political storm in his nuclear-capable country, just halfway through his five-year term in office. The significance of Pakistan's worsening political environment has been noted by the United States, which has campaigned for over a year...
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jun 4, 2023

Saunas helping revitalize rural tourism in Japan

In rural areas, outdoor saunas that take advantage of the natural environment, such as by using tents, have been set up one after another.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Apr 8, 2023

A long and winding visit to 'secret' Ubayu Onsen

Secluded and remote hot springs are yet another example of Japan's deep bathing culture.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 8, 2023

Boosting young workers' pay key to reversing Japan's low birthrate

More support to child-rearing and wage growth are two key engines to reverse the low birthrate trend, economists have said.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Mar 20, 2023

Inside the payoff to a porn star that could lead to Trump’s indictment

Manhattan prosecutors investigating a payout to Stormy Daniels may be poised to make Donald Trump the first former president ever to be criminally indicted.
Japan Times
SOCCER
Mar 6, 2023

Liverpool roars back to life with seven-goal rout of Manchester United

Liverpool's record 7-0 rout of the visitors reduced United's new-found swagger to a stagger.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Jul 8, 2023

Drinking off the rails on Niigata’s sake train

The Koshino Shukura is one of Japan’s 44 “Joyful Trains” — on-rail experiences themed around a regional specialty. This particular one is about sake.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 26, 2023

A fulfilling job is a luxury of modern times

The idea that your work should pay emotional dividends — and not just the bills — would have seemed strange to most people before the 20th century.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Jun 24, 2023

Airbnb’s newest venture is in Japan’s most hidden village

Airbnb has partnered with one rural family to offer two lucky guests a free two-night stay in their traditional thatch-roofed home.
Pages from a new Otaku Dictionary catalog the lexicons of Japan’s various subcultures.
PODCAST / deep dive
Nov 30, 2023

A problematic otaku dictionary and the Japanese approach to sitting

An “Otaku Dictionary” has Japan’s subcultures upset at an attempt to define them.
BASEBALL / MLB
Aug 4, 2023

Bobby Valentine enjoying more relaxed time with Angels

Former Marines manager Bobby Valentine is viewing the game from a different perspective these days.
Aoi Suzuki and her two sons head back down to a barbecue after watching the sun set.
PODCAST / deep dive
Sep 28, 2023

Traveling Okinawa with a broken heart

Writer and photographer Lance Henderstein reads us his article on traveling Okinawa during the rainy season.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Dec 29, 2023

20 Questions: The best answers of 2023

Our interviewees this year gave a lot of advice for living a good life and paying attention to the things that matter most.
Leaves of marijuana plants from which hemp fibers are extracted at Japan's largest legal marijuana farm in Kanuma, Tochigi Prefecture, on July 5, 2016
PODCAST / deep dive
Sep 21, 2023

Does a university cannabis scandal point to a larger trend?

A drugs scandal at Japan’s biggest university draws attention to a troubling statistic: Cannabis use among young people is on the rise.
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Oct 4, 2023

JSA on right track with new rules to increase pro sumo participation

Revisions to the tsukedashi system will see more spots reserved for top amateur performers in the third and fourth divisions.
"The Ones Left Behind" documents the successes and struggles of single mothers in Japan.
PODCAST / deep dive
Nov 2, 2023

Why single mothers in Japan have been left behind

Filmmaker Rionne McAvoy joins us to discuss the hidden poverty present in one of the world’s richest nations.
Alexis Ryoko Nishizawa (left) facilitates workshops for people with curly hair during which she shares the basics with attendees.
JAPAN / Society
Aug 20, 2023

In Japan, curly hair makes you stand out. This entrepreneur says 'embrace it.'

Nishizawa has become a go-to guide for people in Japan looking to tame and style their natural wavy, curly and coily hair.
A still from The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
PODCAST / deep dive
Dec 14, 2023

Big in Japan 2023: Anime, Murakami and The Legend of Zelda

Our guests tell us why anime dominated in 2023, which books stood out among a lackluster crowd and why the Zelda franchise is experiencing a renaissance.
Bears doing yoga? If you’re in the city, why not?
PODCAST / deep dive
Nov 16, 2023

Bear goes the neighborhood? Japanese wildlife is on the move.

This week, Alex K.T. Martin joins us to discuss why people are encountering bears, boars and other wildlife in the most unlikely of places.
JAPAN / FOCUS
Aug 23, 2023

Nihon University scandal puts focus on 'collective responsibility'

Critics of the approach of punishing an entire team for wrongdoing by some say it can unfairly affect athletes that weren't involved.
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Sep 27, 2023

Frustrating September tournament contained silver linings

The worst possible outcome for a playoff has set up an even more intriguing storyline for the final grand tournament of the year in November.
A banner at the entrance to Shibuya’s Center Street makes it clear this is no place for a party.
PODCAST / deep dive
Oct 26, 2023

The specter of Itaewon has Shibuya spooked

One year on, Elizabeth Beattie joins us to discuss where Itaewon stands after its Halloween disaster, and what its legacy means for celebrations in Japan.
A man stands atop a float holding a portable shrine at this year’s Sanja Festival in Tokyo.
PODCAST / deep dive
Jul 20, 2023

Why 2023 will be a deciding year for Japan’s iconic summer festivals

As the population gets older do we risk losing the summer festivals that make Japan unique?
A child stands in front of the Hibiya Music Hall, which collapsed during the 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake.
PODCAST / deep dive
Aug 31, 2023

The earthquake that turned Tokyo to ash

This week we commemorate the 100-year anniversary of the Great Kanto Earthquake.

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