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Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / ESSENTIAL READING FOR JAPANOPHILES
Jun 2, 2018

Yukio Mishima's demons are out in full force in 'Runaway Horses'

'Perfect purity is possible,' Mishima writes, 'if you turn your life into a line of poetry written with a splash of death.'
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / DARK SIDE OF THE RISING SUN
Jun 2, 2018

Can Hirokazu Kore-eda's success with 'Shoplifters' shed some light on poverty in Japan?

Director Hirokazu Kore-eda recently won the Palme d'Or at Cannes for "Shoplifters," a critically acclaimed family drama that was partially inspired by real-life events.
Japan Times
WORLD
May 31, 2018

Kremlin critic Arkady Babchenko turns up alive after reported murder

A dissident Russian journalist who was reported murdered in Kiev dramatically reappeared alive on Wednesday in the middle of a televised briefing about his own killing by the Ukrainian state security service.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LABOR PAINS
May 27, 2018

Devilish Japanese TV drama makes a mockery of workplace rights

In 'Miss Devil,' each firing has some deeper purpose that in the end benefits the hapless victim. The lesson boils down to 'I know what's good for you more than you do yourself.'
Japan Times
WORLD
May 27, 2018

Alan Bean, moon-walker turned painter, dies at 86

American astronaut Alan Bean, who walked on the moon in 1969 during the Apollo 12 mission and commanded a crew on the Skylab space station in 1973 before giving up his career to become a full-time painter, died in Houston on Saturday, officials said.
Japan Times
JAPAN / History / Defining the Heisei Era
May 26, 2018

Defining the Heisei Era: Japan indulges in excess

The Japan Times presents the first installment of a monthly 12-part series that looks back at the leading issues of the past three decades.
Japan Times
WORLD / Society
May 26, 2018

Ireland set to end abortion ban in landslide vote, exit polls show

The people of Ireland are set to liberalize some of the world's most restrictive abortion laws by a landslide, two exit polls from a referendum showed on Friday, as voters demanded change in what two decades ago was one of Europe's most socially conservative countries.
Japan Times
MORE SPORTS
May 25, 2018

Takuma Sato set for title defense at Indy 500 after historic win

It's a little ironic the only time Takuma Sato might really be able to slow down, as he prepares to defend his title in the Indianapolis 500 on Sunday, is when he's strapped into a car and about to take off in a machine that can reach speeds in excess of 200 mph (322 kph).
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / FOREIGN AGENDA
May 23, 2018

Zen and the art of Premier League dominance: Buddhist philosophy links Manchester United, Arsenal and Japan

Can the success of Alex Ferguson's 'kids' and Arsene Wenger's 'Invincibles' be linked to Buddhist philosophy? It's worth a try.
Japan Times
MORE SPORTS
May 22, 2018

Brett Favre reveals he went to rehab multiple times

Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre revealed that he went to rehab multiple times in addition to the one well-documented 1996 rehab stint during his playing days.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
May 21, 2018

Japan's refugee-screening system sets high bar

Last year, Japan granted refugee status to just 20 out of a record-high 19,629 applicants. After the figure was released in February, global and domestic coverage was noticeably polarized.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / The Big Questions
May 21, 2018

Greece's outbound ambassador passes torch

Loukas Karatsolis, the outgoing Greek ambassador, met with The Japan Times at the embassy in April to share upcoming developments. He predicted a busy time ahead, with Japan and Greece celebrating 120 years of diplomatic ties in 2019.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
May 19, 2018

Through the lens: Japanese photographers explore nuclear narratives

Whether it's the work of Robert Capa in the Spanish Civil War (1936-39) or Richard Drew's iconic "Falling Man" picture of a man free-falling from the World Trade Center in 2001, photography has provided us with the images that we've used to visualize every disaster of the 20th century and beyond. But...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
May 19, 2018

Mount Fuji is the gift to writers that keeps on giving

'Mountain/Home: New Translations from Japan' shows Mount Fuji from a variety of literary angles in this comprehensive anthology of translations.
Japan Times
JAPAN / History / THE LIVING PAST
May 19, 2018

Watanabe Kazan: Too open-minded for Edo

Imagine living in a 'closed country.' Japan was such for over two centuries, from the anti-Christian hysteria of the 1630s to the incursion in the 1850s of the American 'Black Ships.'
Japan Times
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Fukushima
May 18, 2018

Aspiring brewer taps Fukushima town's hops in bid to boost sagging farming industry

"I can't wait to drink delicious beer made from homegrown hops," Makoto Honma, the president of Hop Japan Inc., told farmers with a smile in April when he visited them in Tamura, Fukushima Prefecture.
Japan Times
JAPAN
May 18, 2018

All aboard: Exploring Japan's abandoned train lines

Admiring the decaying beauty of abandoned railroads is just one of myriad hobbies Japan's railway enthusiasts indulge in.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / TELLING LIVES
May 16, 2018

Swedish-Japanese swordsmith forges his destiny in Yamaguchi after trial by fire

Driving through the valleys outside Hofu in Yamaguchi Prefecture, Yasha Yukawa scours the surrounding rice paddies for the raw material he covets. He is constantly on the lookout for rice straw, but only the farmers that harvest the traditional way preserve it.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
May 16, 2018

Diet passes nonbinding legislation aimed at increasing women in politics

The Diet passed a bill Wednesday seeking to boost the number of female lawmakers and assembly members in a nation where women have long been underrepresented in politics.
COMMENTARY / World
May 15, 2018

America is one of the few cultures with insults for smart people

Americans enjoy the dubious distinction of having a high degree of linguistic diversity it comes to mocking the smart and the educated.
Japan Times
JAPAN / GENERATIONAL CHANGE
May 13, 2018

Young social entrepreneur seeks to help asylum-seekers integrate into Japanese society, even while they're in limbo

It's tough for asylum-seekers to keep their hopes up in Japan, where only 1 in every 1,000 applicants was granted refugee status last year.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
May 10, 2018

Cracks in British nuclear reactor ring power alarm bells

Cracks in the core of a Scottish nuclear reactor could signal that most of Britain's aging plants will not be able to supply the country with much-needed power for as long as predicted.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
May 8, 2018

Keishi Nagatsuka navigates cultural differences in bringing play about capital punishment to Japan

For casual fans of film, the name Martin McDonagh only became familiar after the movie he wrote, directed and produced, "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri," became the talk of this year's awards season.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
May 5, 2018

Susaki otter Chiitan leads a new generation of mascots with personality

Registration for this year’s Yuru-kyara Grand Prix opens on May 7, with eyes nationwide turning to see which cute and cuddly mascot will snap up the prestigious award in 2018.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
May 5, 2018

Why cleaning is good for you, according to Buddhist monk Shoukei Matsumoto

Turn cleaning from the ultimate chore to a restorative feature of your life.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
May 3, 2018

How Japan can fix its gaping gender gap

The World Economic Forum's 2017 gender gap index ranks Japan 114th out of the 144 countries surveyed — this must change.
Japan Times
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
May 2, 2018

Ancient banzuke adds human touch to sumo

"I can't do this for 10 years. I want to have a normal job. I want to live in a normal house. I want to eat normal food. I want to live a normal life."

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