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COMMENTARY / World
Apr 14, 2015

South China Sea standoff

Beijing must be feeling the pressure from the U.S. to stop its campaign of turning tiny reefs in the South China Sea into artificial islands capable of military use.
BUSINESS / Economy / YEN FOR LIVING
Apr 11, 2015

Outdated Otsuka Kagu business model is at the root of family feud

Retailers know that image maintenance is important for their bottom lines, as proven by Otsuka Kagu Ltd.'s 37.8 percent drop in sales last month compared to March 2014.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 9, 2015

The BBC's worldwide coverage is losing its way

BBC worldwide coverage is increasingly losing its way, suffering from budget cuts, dumbing down of content, loss of news priorities and a sacrifice of a true world view.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / ON: GAMES
Mar 27, 2015

Limited editions to keep you ahead of the game

Build up your character
LIFE / Language / COMMUNICATION CUES
Mar 16, 2015

Snowman record set in Nagano

Some 630 people succeeded in setting a new Guinness World Record by building 1,585 snowmen in one hour at a Feb. 15 event in the city of Iiyama, Nagano Prefecture.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Mar 10, 2015

Monkey ski, monkey brew as Shiga Kogen hosts annual beer-and-bands festival

Two of the bigger booms of the last few years in Japan seem like they would be a great match. But nobody thought to merge the worlds of craft beer and music festivals until Eigo Sato did so in 2012.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Mar 3, 2015

Fact takes post-hardcore to a rawer place on 'Ktheat'

It has been a year since post-hardcore group Fact released an artist photo with the six members' faces revealed. Before then, the band always wore traditional Japanese noh masks.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / ON: GAMES
Feb 27, 2015

This month's latest games — from play dough to gangsters

Nintendo molds a new Kirby
CULTURE / Music
Feb 17, 2015

AKB48 "Koko ga Rhodes da, Koko de Tobe!"

Idol group AKB48 elicits extreme reactions from people. The unit has nurtured a rabid fanbase who are willing to buy multiple copies of a single CD to show their devotion. On the other hand, critics despise the group's brand of by-the-book pop and the sideshow shenanigans the members engage in (or are...
Japan Times
JAPAN / NATIONAL SPOTLIGHT
Feb 15, 2015

Mainstream Japanese society slowly working to accommodate sexual minorities

When she was in her teens, Yumiko Higuchi was suicidal.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Science & Health / ADVANCES IN PROGRESS
Feb 9, 2015

3-D printers take center stage in Japan's regenerative medicine

As public expectations for regenerative medicine mount, scientists are turning to the vast potential of 3-D printing technologies in their quest to re-create skin, blood vessels, cartilage and other complex human tissue.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Jan 31, 2015

Hallucinating in print with Keiichi Tanaami

Prolific is a word that hardly does justice to Keiichi Tanaami. Born in Tokyo in 1936, Tanaami has worked ceaselessly, imparting a lasting legacy on the landscape of Japanese Pop Art. He has been described as "Japan's Andy Warhol," but unlike Warhol, Tanaami's works are consistently psychedelic; full...
Japan Times
Places
Jan 28, 2015

Tokyo's menagerie of pet cafes

Japan's animal cafes fill a very important niche, as many people, especially in urban areas, live in cramped apartments with strict no-pets policies. The pet cafe allows them to connect with the domesticated animal kingdom for the price of a cup of tea. Cat cafes got the ball rolling (after the first cat cafe landed in Osaka in 2004) and over the years that's expanded to a menagerie that includes rabbits, birds, goats and even penguins. Here is a selection of pet cafes in Tokyo.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Dec 27, 2014

Learning to love robots

With half the decade complete, we examine an industry that has significantly changed the way we think about ourselves.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media
Dec 25, 2014

Japan Times Advisory Board serves up brickbats, praise for newspaper's coverage

Ichiro Fujisaki, who formerly served as Japan's ambassador to the United States, praised the paper for its "readability." He said he senses that the editors try to choose phrases and words that are easy for Japanese readers to understand.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / HOTELS & RESTAURANTS
Dec 11, 2014

Perfect combination of burgers, beer; Christmas dinner, room packages; traditional cuisine gets new look

Perfect combination of burgers, beer
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Dec 9, 2014

U.S. artist gets a major photo opportunity from Mr. Children

Rock act Mr. Children's newly released single "Ashioto — Be Strong" ("Footsteps, Be Strong") has attracted a lot of attention. This is par for the course with a Mr. Children song, but it's also the opening track for the ongoing Fuji TV drama series "Nobunaga Concerto," which features stars such as...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Dec 4, 2014

'The Power of a Pencil: Susumu Kinoshita and Yoshio Yoshimura'

A special exhibition focusing on pencil works, "The Power of Pencil" features the drawings of Susumu Kinoshita and Toshio Yoshimura. Both artists focus on portraits for this show, though each produces very different works. Kinoshita illustrates models, capturing their lives through the careful observation...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / THE KIDS' TABLE
Nov 25, 2014

Grab a patio lunch before winter arrives

Nothing spells fall like a pile of leaves just waiting to be jumped in, especially for children or those who are still kids at heart. Add to that a steaming hot beverage and some scrumptious eats, and a perfect fall afternoon is born.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Nov 19, 2014

New 'Dick Whittington' pantomime spells fun for all the family

Now a language-school teacher in Tokyo, Gareth Hinchley worked for Britain's chief forestry agency before coming to Japan in 2005. Originally from Manchester, he'd done a bit of writing as a child but hadn't pursued it seriously before he wrote "Dick Whittington," the upcoming production by Tokyo Theatre...
LIFE / Language / COMMUNICATION CUES
Nov 10, 2014

Aso designated as global geopark

The caldera of active volcano Mount Aso in Kumamoto Prefecture in southwestern Japan was added to a list of global geoparks on Sept. 23, according to the UNESCO Global Geoparks Network.
WORLD / Science & Health
Nov 10, 2014

U.S. officials hope new HealthCare.gov avoids last year's problems

U.S. officials planned to unveil an improved health care insurance website on Sunday they hope will allow the second enrollment period under President Barack Obama's health reform plan to avoid the technical meltdown that plagued its launch last year.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Nov 6, 2014

Antique fair offers a hunt for treasure

When you see an antique, what catches your attention? Some people imagine the history or story behind it, perhaps there's a bit of romance or mystery involved. Some people look at the object and see dollar signs, and some see a piece of art. Dedicated collectors often see all three.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Nov 1, 2014

Hello Kitty: still fabulous at 40

Who is only five apples high and has no mouth — yet is one of the country's biggest cultural ambassadors?
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / ON: GAMES
Oct 24, 2014

This month's newest game and hardware updates

PS Vita is in the pink
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media
Oct 17, 2014

BIFF 2014 plays down unavoidable controversies

The biggest event of the year for South Korea's film industry is the opening night of the Busan International Film Festival (BIFF), which marked its 19th year Oct. 2 to 11. Whether or not they have films screening at the festival, almost all the major Korean movie stars show up and strut the red carpet...
Japan Times
JAPAN / CHUBU CONNECTION
Oct 17, 2014

Documentary puts survivors' accounts of Isewan Typhoon on film

A Japanese documentary on the 1959 Typhoon Vera, titled "Sorezore no Isewan Taifu" ("Each Person's Isewan Typhoon"), will begin screening on Saturday in three prefectures in the Tokai region.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / FOREIGN AGENDA
Oct 15, 2014

For Americans abroad, old 'Duke' flicks can transport us home

As expats, our Americatown is the corner DVD shop, where we know who we are and have roots.

Longform

Professional cleaner Hirofumi Sakurai takes a moment to appreciate some photographs in a Gotanda apartment whose occupant died alone.
The last cleanup: Life and death in a lonely Japan