Search - i

 
 
At the new teamLab Borderless museum, the crowd-favorite room of lamps from Borderless 1.0 has evolved into a room of light bubbles, which interact with each other and the bodies passing by.
CULTURE / Art
Feb 8, 2024

Have we reached teamLab saturation?

The art collective re-opens its Borderless museum in Azabudai Hills. But the experience is starting to feel stale.
Around 55,000 fans showed up for Taylor Swift's first show on the Tokyo leg of her world tour.
CULTURE / Music
Feb 8, 2024

Fans share love for Taylor Swift at sold-out Tokyo shows

Swifties from all over the world flew into Japan to see the pop superstar perform at The Eras Tour’s only stops in East Asia.
Israeli history teacher Meir Baruchin
WORLD / Society
Feb 9, 2024

Pressure piled on Israelis who speak up for Palestinians

Israeli schoolteacher Meir Baruchin has paid a high price for denouncing the war in Gaza: being let go from his teaching job and even being detained.
The Marines' Roki Sasaki pitches in the bullpen during spring camp in Okinawa on Thursday.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / NPB NOTEBOOK
Feb 9, 2024

Roki Sasaki gets back to business after weeks of speculation about future

After weeks of rampant rumors, the "Monster of the Reiwa Era" is back to the business of baseball, and the MLB questions are back on the shelf for now.
Taylor Swift performs at Tokyo Dome as part of her Era's Tour on Wednesday.
MORE SPORTS
Feb 9, 2024

Football fans embrace 'Taylor Swift effect' before Super Bowl

Pop superstar Taylor Swift is no distraction to the upcoming Super Bowl — she's an enhancement, excited fans in Las Vegas said Wednesday.
Michelin guides are published yearly, but there are only a handful of Black chefs whose restaurants have been awarded Michelin stars.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 9, 2024

Black chefs are scoring with new Michelin stars; but they deserve more

Michelin stars were recently announced for restaurants in the U.K. and Ireland: The number of Black chefs increased, but the pace is still too slow.
Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes will be vying for his third Super Bowl title when Kansas City faces San Francisco in Las Vegas on Sunday.
MORE SPORTS
Feb 9, 2024

Chiefs and 49ers ready for another Super Bowl showdown

The same two teams met in the Super Bowl four years ago.
Seiji Ozawa shows his humorous side during a photo shoot with The Japan Times in 2017. The influential conductor died Feb. 6.
CULTURE / Music
Feb 10, 2024

The story behind my favorite photo of Seiji Ozawa

A lot of photography comes down to luck and reflexes. Once you get that magic shot, though, it can stay with you forever.
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp during a match in London on Feb. 4.
SOCCER
Feb 10, 2024

Premier League bosses unconvinced by 'blue card' plan

It has been reported that, under a new system, blue cards could be shown to players, who would then be sent to a sin bin for 10 minutes.
A tsugumi (dusky thrush). Bird-watching increasingly plays a critical role in mapping bird behaviors and paving the way for policy and conservation initiatives.
ENVIRONMENT / Wildlife / OUR PLANET
Feb 11, 2024

How a new flock of bird-watchers is contributing to science

The hobby increasingly plays a critical role in mapping bird behaviors and paving the way for policy and conservation initiatives.
Naomi Osaka hits a return against Danielle Collins during their match at the Abu Dhabi Open on Feb. 6.
TENNIS
Feb 12, 2024

Naomi Osaka remains optimistic despite string of losses after return

Osaka will face Caroline Garcia in the first round of the Qatar Open on Monday.
Human rights activists hold placards during a demonstration outside the Russian Embassy in Kathmandu on Feb. 5. Nepali mercenaries are fighting for Russia in Ukraine, lured to kill far from their Himalayan homeland by promises of a passport and cash, but wounded returnees warn anyone tempted to join the war: "Do not come."
WORLD / Politics
Feb 12, 2024

'There to die': Nepali mercenaries fight for Russia in Ukraine

While Nepali soldiers-for-hire can earn nearly double what they make at home, conditions are brutal and many are killed or wounded.
Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant driver Fernando Alonso (front) during the Formula One Las Vegas Grand Prix on Nov. 18
MORE SPORTS / Auto Racing
Feb 13, 2024

Alonso says he is 'attractive' to other F1 teams

Fernando Alonso said he is "attractive" to other Formula One teams but denied any contact with Mercedes, after Lewis Hamilton announced he was quitting to drive for Ferrari in 2025.
Wang Xiuting chats with her virtual boyfriend on Wantalk — an AI chatbot created by Chinese tech company Baidu, on her phone in Beijing.
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Feb 13, 2024

'Better than real men': Young Chinese women turn to AI boyfriends

Users say they are driven by a desire for companionship because China's fast pace of life and urban isolation make loneliness an issue for many.
Ayelet Khon and Shar Shnurman walk through Kibbutz Kfar Aza in southern Israel following the Oct. 7 attack by Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, and after they returned to live there, on Jan. 13.
WORLD / Society
Feb 14, 2024

Israeli family returns to Kfar Azza kibbutz after Oct. 7 attack

Eight hundred people used to live on the kibbutz. The unspoken question on everyone’s mind is whether they will ever feel it is safe enough to return.
Elementary, junior high and high school girls represented 76 different sumo clubs from across the nation on Sunday at the Dream Girls Cup, with the tournament also given a slight international flavor by the inclusion of one athlete from the United States and one from Brazil.
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Feb 15, 2024

All-time great Hakuho hopes to help girls realize their sumo dreams

The inaugural Dream Girls Cup saw 76 sumo clubs from across the nation gather in Tokyo for an event that Hakuho hopes will spur big dreams.
Telecoms giant KDDI plans with Mitsubishi to take convenience store operator Lawson private could help it as it currently stands behind FamilyMart and Seven & I Holdings in a three-horse race.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Feb 14, 2024

There are clouds on the horizon in Japan’s 'conbini-land'

Industry consolidation has pushed minor players out of the conbini game.
Naomi Osaka hits a forehand during her match against Petra Martic on Tuesday in Qatar.
TENNIS
Feb 14, 2024

Osaka takes a page out of Djokovic's playbook to improve return

Osaka said that a conversation with her coach Wim Fissette sparked the adjustments to her game.
Established in December 2021 in the middle of the pandemic-fuelled gaming craze, Sega Sapporo Studio is remarkable for growing amid a recent slump in the industry.
LIFE / Digital
Feb 17, 2024

Sega developers say new Sapporo studios lead to better lives

Aside from quality-of-life benefits that come from living outside a major metropolis, Sapporo also has a history of game development.
Virgilio Martinez (left) and Santiago Fernandez, head chef at Tokyo's Maz, are finding massive success bringing elevated Latin American cuisine to Japanese diners.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Feb 18, 2024

At two-starred Maz, ‘the experience extends beyond the meal’

“We see Maz as a kind of ‘culture house’ for Latin America in Japan,” says head chef Santiago Fernandez.
Naomi Osaka hits a return against Karolina Pliskova during their quarterfinal match at the Qatar Open in Doha on Thursday.
TENNIS
Feb 16, 2024

Naomi Osaka falls against Karolina Pliskova in Qatar Open quarterfinals

Osaka went down 7-6 (8-6), 7-6 (7-5) after saving three match points.
Japanese author Banana Yoshimoto came onto the scene in 1987 with “Kitchin.” In it, her main character talks about the comfort she finds in her kitchen.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Feb 16, 2024

Take your first dive into Japanese literature from the comfort of your kitchen

There are levels to understanding Japanese literature. First there's basic comprehension, but after that you can take time to appreciate the wordplay.
At the Akan International Crane Center, just north of the city of Kushiro proper, visitors can see the majestic red-crowned crane — a symbol of Hokkaido.
JAPAN / Society / Longform
Feb 17, 2024

Faces of the north: A Hokkaido town grapples with depopulation

Residents of Kushiro face an issue that more and more communities in Japan are having to deal with. The city may be young, but it's rich with tradition.
Iga Swiatek of Poland celebrates after winning against Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan in the final of the Qatar Open in Doha on Saturday.
TENNIS
Feb 18, 2024

Swiatek holds off Rybakina to capture third straight Qatar Open crown

The Pole became the first player to capture a title at an event in three successive years since Serena Williams triumphed in Miami from 2013 to 2015.
Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic had a season-high 73 points in a single game. Scoring has risen across the NBA, but the league's commissioner, Adam Silver, says he isn't concerned.
BASKETBALL / NBA
Feb 18, 2024

NBA season's scoring surge doesn't worry Adam Silver

Speaking Saturday to reporters on the eve of the NBA All-Star Game, Silver said scoring was only about one point per game higher than last season.
Israel's Anastasia Gorbenko waves on the podium after earning silver in the women's 400-meter individual medey at the 2024 World Aquatics Championships in Doha on Wednesday.
MORE SPORTS / Swimming
Feb 19, 2024

Israeli swimmer booed at world championships

Anastasia Gorbenko shrugged off boos from the crowd at the world swimming championships in Doha on Sunday.
Anastasiia Pelykh (left) and Daria Datsenko talk about their lives in Japan after evacuating from Ukraine during an interview in Kyoto earlier this month.
JAPAN / Society
Feb 19, 2024

Two years after invasion, Ukrainians in Japan forge their own paths

A pair of women have taken different paths, but echoed the same refrain: They want the war to end as soon as possible so they can see their families.
Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto throws live batting practice during spring training in Glendale, Arizona, on Saturday.
BASEBALL / MLB
Feb 19, 2024

Dodgers hurler Yoshinobu Yamamoto will be tough code to crack for MLB hitters

His mix of power, stuff and command have some wondering if the 25-year-old right-hander is already the best pitcher on the planet.
A supporter of jailed Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti in the West Bank city of Ramallah in front of a poster depicting Barghouti.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 18, 2024

Can Marwan Barghouti be the Palestinian Nelson Mandela?

Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti, who has spent two decades in an Israeli prison, could unite Palestinians in getting behind a compromise solution.
Italy's Ange Capuozzo in action with Ireland's Craig Casey at Dublin's Aviva Stadium on Feb. 11.
MORE SPORTS / Rugby
Feb 20, 2024

Capuozzo defends Italy's place in Six Nations ahead of France test

Italy heads to Lille on Sunday to play France, facing the possibility of earning another Six Nations wooden spoon.

Longform

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