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Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / G20 host cities special
Mar 5, 2019

Japan's lively 'gateway to Asia'

Fukuoka, the biggest city in Kyushu and considered a gateway to Asia with its historical and geographical background, is a lively metropolis that has both urban and countryside charm with its fantastic shopping, eateries and abundant nature to explore.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Mar 5, 2019

More marine heat waves threatening fish and corals: study

The frequency of ocean heat waves has surged more than 50 percent since the early 20th century in a threat to fish, corals and other marine life stoked by global warming, an international study showed on Monday.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHY DID YOU LEAVE JAPAN?
Mar 2, 2019

Tomoko Houtzager: Moving to the bush just to live off the land

A WWOOF trip to Australia leads to a new way of life for a former city girl.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 28, 2019

Tokyo restaurateur develops spore sheet to speed up aging of meat — and fish

Mikio Atobe carefully peels a layer of rayon netting from a chunk of farmed bluefin tuna, revealing a secondary sheet of cloth clinging to its exposed flesh, partially yellowed by the mold coating it.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Feb 27, 2019

'The Island of Cats': Stress-free living with furry friends

Japanese movies about cats and their human companions are by now an established local genre — or rather a feel-good-movie sub-genre since nearly all try to leave the audience with warm smiles and lowered blood pressures. This has proven to be a reliable box office strategy: The owners of Japan's nearly...
Japan Times
LIFE / Language
Feb 25, 2019

Japanese that's so beautiful it belongs in a museum

What if there was a Museum of Exceptional Japanese? Daniel Morales discusses the kinds of words he would like to see in such an institution, but what words would you donate?
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KYOTO RESTAURANTS
Feb 23, 2019

Sho: Oden, but not as you'd ever imagine it

At Nami Kawahara's oden restaurant, Sho, she hasn't been afraid to depart from tradition in both decor and dishes, opting for simplicity and elegance over a rough-and-tumble vibe.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / RECENTLY PUBLISHED BOOKS ABOUT JAPAN
Feb 23, 2019

'From Truant to Anime Screenwriter': A raw glimpse into the soul of an impressive talent

Filmmaker Mari Okada's own story, 'From Truant to Anime Screen Writer,' that of a child trapped in the prison of her hypersensitivity, is baldly and grimly told, a struggle against her demons of isolation, humiliation, and self-loathing.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Feb 19, 2019

Hikaru Uzawa blends old and new to add vitality to the world of noh

Hikaru Uzawa is a noh performer who marries her work within the traditional confines of the art form with performing in contemporary pieces internationally, bringing freshness to the traditional world of noh.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Feb 19, 2019

Toshiko Okanoue gives us pieces of her mind

Despite being unaware of the surrealists in Europe, Toshiko Okanoue created collages that were so unusual for the 1950s, they caught the attention of Shuzo Takiguchi, the leader of Japan's surrealism movement.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / WORKS BY JAPANESE WOMEN
Feb 16, 2019

Discover new worlds beyond the 'here and now' with Nahoko Uehashi's inventive fictions

Nahoko Uehashi revolutionized the fantasy genre in Japan with her naturalistic works of fiction, using her background as a cultural anthropologist to craft realistic imaginary worlds that garnered her legions of fans across genders and ages.
Japan Times
JAPAN / History / THE LIVING PAST
Feb 16, 2019

There are many sides to a great warrior

Almost nothing is known of Toyotomi Hideyoshi's early years with warlord Oda Nobunaga, but by 1570 we see him commanding a detachment, 3,000 strong, in battle against a Nobunaga rival. The peasant boy has come a long way.
Japan Times
JAPAN / History / Heisei Icons
Feb 14, 2019

Sadako Ogata: Waging peace on war

A 1993 photograph of a diminutive, sexagenarian woman surveying the front lines of conflict has left an indelible mark on the international community as a true example of commitment to humanitarian aid.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Feb 13, 2019

Lovers, comrades! Forbidden love in North Korea finds a way in Vietnam

A young couple with matching expressions stare nervously into the camera with deep brown eyes. He, a Vietnamese student, has just met the love of his life. She, a North Korean, is forbidden to love him back.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Feb 12, 2019

Japanese companies warming up — slowly — to four-day workweek

Once synonymous with long work hours, Japanese companies are beginning to embrace — or at least consider — the idea of a four-day workweek.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Feb 12, 2019

'Kinkakuji': Staging a Japanese classic with a German twist

A new opera based on the quintessentially Japanese novel "Kinkakuji" is set to open in Tokyo following a premiere held not in Kyoto, where the famed golden pavilion of its title is to be found, but at the Opera National du Rhin in Strasbourg, France.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society / GENERATIONAL CHANGE
Feb 10, 2019

Japanese makeup guru on crusade to revamp men's grooming habits

As a university student, Hiroki Takahashi could barely step outside his home without a surgical mask on. Even when he did venture out, he was terrified of the fluorescent lighting ubiquitous in convenience stores and trains that ruthlessly illuminated what he was desperately trying to hide — a mass...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / RECENTLY PUBLISHED BOOKS ABOUT JAPAN
Feb 9, 2019

'Beneath the Sleepless Tossing of the Planets': Revisiting the work of one of Japan's most celebrated contemporary poets

A new edition of popular contemporary poet Makoto Ooka's 'Beneath the Sleepless Tossing of the Planets' includes the original Japanese texts of each poem, early drafts, photos from the poet's life and a new introduction by translator Janine Beichman.
Japan Times
BASEBALL / MLB
Feb 8, 2019

Hall of Famer, pioneer and first African-American MLB manager, Frank Robinson dead at 83

Hall of Famer and trailblazing baseball legend Frank Robinson passed away Thursday at the age of 83.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Feb 6, 2019

'Whistleblower': Corporate drama dialed up to 11

Japan is justly praised for its law-abiding citizenry. Drop your wallet on the street here and a kind local is likely to come running after you to return it. On the corporate level, though, scandal follows scandal. One of the most common sights on Japanese news shows is company bigwigs bowing in apology...
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Feb 6, 2019

Rohingya refugee women take on new roles as workers and learners amid 'forced societal change'

On a blue mat in their mud-and-bamboo home in the middle of the world's largest refugee settlement, Mohammad Selim is pacing his 9-year-old daughter Nasima Akter on her taekwondo drill.
ASIA PACIFIC
Feb 5, 2019

Acid attack survivors say Cambodia is illegally denying them care

For Moung Sreymom, survival comes down to accessing doctors that will treat her wounds for free.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Feb 4, 2019

Breaking the spell of aging

Extending the working lives of the elderly by offering better employment conditions is a top priority for Japan.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / The Big Questions
Feb 3, 2019

Adventurous choices lead to broadcasting in Japan

Peter Barakan is a familiar and comforting presence to many. People around the nation look forward to his radio programs, where he acts as a sound sommelier of sorts, serving up an eclectic dose of music.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / DARK SIDE OF THE RISING SUN
Feb 3, 2019

Rethinking the media's coverage of 'theatrical crime' in Japan

Ten minutes after midnight on Jan. 1, Kazuhiro Kusakabe drove a rental car into pedestrians on Harajuku's famed Takeshita-dori, injuring nine people.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / How-tos
Jan 30, 2019

Demand for non-Japanese engineers is growing, but know what you're in for before you apply

IT engineering is a field in which there are a lot of opportunities for non-Japanese who possess sufficient skills to work in Japan. There are 28,000 non-Japanese IT engineers working in Japan currently, comprising about 3 percent of all IT engineers in Japan, according to the Ministry of Economy, Trade...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Jan 30, 2019

'The Shutendoji Picture Scroll': Japan's grisly tale of demonic drama

The Nezu Museum showcases Sumiyoshi Hironao's 'Shutendoji Monogatari' ('The Tale of the Drunken Demon' scrolls in their entirety for the first time in the museum's history.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 25, 2019

Planning group for 2025 Osaka expo looks to design event showcasing Japan's cutting-edge tech

A planning committee for the 2025 World Expo in Osaka held its first meeting Friday afternoon, with members emphasizing that the event should be a collaborative effort involving the broader Kansai region and an occasion to showcase Japan's cutting-edge technologies.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Jan 25, 2019

Ice diving in Hokkaido: All adrift beneath a frozen sea

Hokkaido's Shiretoko Peninsula is a treasure trove of forests, wild animals and birds. But from early February to early March it is the home of ice diving, scuba diving beneath the drift ice that blows south from the Sea of Okhotsk.

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