Search - life

 
 
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Dec 26, 2015

Flipping back through the good reads of 2015

Before we turn the page on the year, here's a selection of our reviewers' favorite books.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / THE UNRELIABLE FOOD CRITIC
Dec 22, 2015

In the gutter of Osaka, but not looking at the Michelin stars

Cycling through one of the poorer quarters of Osaka, I start feeling peckish. So I park my bike in one of the rundown shopping arcades that crisscross this working-class city and duck, almost at random, into a cheap eatery. The ancient proprietress waves me to the counter and, without even asking, serves...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Dec 22, 2015

Manga artist Hasumi stirs outrage again with new book slammed as racist

After gaining the spotlight at home and abroad a few months ago over a controversial manga illustration denigrating a Syrian refugee girl, artist Toshiko Hasumi seemingly remains unrepentant.
EDITORIALS
Dec 21, 2015

Supreme Court's surname ruling

The Supreme Court's ruling upholding the constitutionality of requiring a married couple to use the same surname included a call on the Diet to examine the issue — which lawmakers should follow.
LIFE / Language / MORNING ENGLISH
Dec 21, 2015

Let's discuss the Akatsuki space probe

Japan's space agency says its Akatsuki probe has successfully entered into orbit around Venus.
ASIA PACIFIC
Dec 21, 2015

Canadian diplomats say pastor jailed in North Korea in good spirits: church

Canadian diplomats were allowed to meet a Canadian pastor soon after he was sentenced to life in prison in North Korea last week and found him in good spirits and health, a church spokeswoman said on Sunday.
EDITORIALS
Dec 20, 2015

How to combat the Islamic State

Islamic State and other radicals must be confronted, contained and destroyed, and how modern societies go about this effort will determine its success or failure.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Dec 19, 2015

Recommended reading for the holidays and beyond

'Black Dragon River' stands out among the nonfiction books that caught the eye of columnist Jeff Kingston over the past year.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Dec 18, 2015

Japan hangs two prisoners, including first convicted in lay judge trial

The executions cast a spotlight on the moral and emotional burden of nonprofessionals being asked to hand down death sentences.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Dec 16, 2015

Japan's top court upholds same-name rule for married couples, overturns remarriage moratorium for women

The Supreme Court confirms the constitutionality of a controversial law requiring married couples to use the same surname in official matters.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 16, 2015

In defense of Donald Trump's name-calling

Winner or loser, Donald Trump has done political debate in America a huge favor by freeing 'stupid' from the rhetorical prison of words and phrases polite people aren't allowed to use.
Japan Times
JAPAN / CHUBU CONNECTION
Dec 14, 2015

Boy who pushed for hospital high school education passes away

An 18-year-old boy from Kasugai, Aichi Prefecture, who had called for hospital schooling for sick high school students and helped establish a teacher dispatch system, passed away last month.
Japan Times
CULTURE
Dec 10, 2015

CNN's Paula Newton: The key to covering other cultures is maintaining 'respect'

The topic of cultural appropriation has been a hot one in 2015, with a kimono display at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts drawing a small protest and a slew of articles that discussed culturally insensitive Halloween costumes. With this in the background, how easy is it to do a show about experiencing...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / FOREIGN AGENDA
Dec 9, 2015

Sexual harassment at bōnenkai, inept handling, a suicide

Hokkaido Shimbun case shows how far Japan still has to go to safeguard women's rights in the workplace.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Dec 9, 2015

'Comet' is not your typical feel-good love story

A personal theory of mine is that all relationships are phases we go through. Though not all phases are equal — some are more memorable than others. To Kimberly (Emmy Rossum) and Dell (Justin Long) in "Comet," their relationship was a long, incredibly eventful phase that neither of them ever really...
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Dec 9, 2015

Taiwan's likely first female president keeps quiet on possibility of independence from China

Taiwan's elections are just weeks away, with little clarity about how a likely win by a party that traditionally favors independence from China will be viewed in Beijing, which has threatened force to ensure the island never goes it alone.
Japan Times
WORLD / Society
Dec 7, 2015

Afghan brain drain threatens to cause severe economic damage

Afghan software entrepreneur Farshid Ghyasi, chief executive of the Netlinks company, is struggling to keep his best employees, as more plan to join a wave of migrants leaving for Europe that risks causing long-term damage to the country and its economy.
Japan Times
JAPAN / GENERATIONAL CHANGE
Dec 6, 2015

Entrepreneur envisions world where elderly care is fulfilling work for young people

Amid the government's fight with the issue of Japan's aging society, and concerns over whether it can truly cope with the problems involved — including worker shortages in the nursing care sector — one young entrepreneur may have found the key.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 4, 2015

U.S. military announces return of two slivers of land in Okinawa in 2018

The United States and Japan announce the return in 2018 of two strips of land from military bases in Okinawa to widen civilian roads.
Japan Times
JAPAN / CHARITY DRIVE 2015
Dec 3, 2015

Priest's aid effort provide education in rural Cambodia

A Japanese nonprofit organization committed to helping disadvantaged Cambodian children receive an education celebrated the completion of its 19th school there in February.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Dec 2, 2015

International robot show powers up in Tokyo

The biannual International Robot Exhibition kicked off Wednesday in Tokyo, showcasing the latest advances in robotics — including technology for use in disaster scenarios and in the nursing-care field.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 2, 2015

Don't feel sad when George H.W. Bush dies

George H.W. Bush is a very elderly man and likely won't be with us much longer. When he dies, do not believe the soon-to-be-everywhere hype. Dubya's dad is and was a very bad man.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Dec 2, 2015

'The Peanuts Movie' stays true to its comic strip roots

There are no grown-ups in "The Peanuts Movie." More importantly, there are no villains or evil schemes. There's a gentle, insecure little boy named Charlie Brown, his beagle and a gaggle of friends — that's about it.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Dec 2, 2015

'Persona Non Grata' a dramatic nod to Sugihara's legacy

Refugees are much in the news now, though the U.S. media commonly refers to the Syrians struggling to enter Europe as "migrants." The reason: Together with genuine refugees fleeing from slaughter are so-called economic migrants seeking a better life in the West — and a news article is not always the...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Dec 2, 2015

Bertrand Bonello's edgy portrait of Yves Saint Laurent

"When I close my eyes, I see piles of clothing. When I open them, I see only darkness." So says Yves Saint Laurent (in a stunning performance by Gaspard Ulliel) in the movie "Saint Laurent," which opens here more than a year after it took Cannes by storm. It has since bagged multiple awards on the film...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Dec 2, 2015

Gifu city's sexually suggestive tourism promotion sparks Twitter outrage

A controversial flyer featuring an anime character with accentuated breasts has landed a small city tourism agency in hot water, with calls it is tantamount to sexual harassment.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 1, 2015

Why is Einstein famous?

Albert Einstein's solitary brilliance, personal integrity and public activism combined with his lifelong gift for witty aphorism when dealing with the press and public gave him a unique and enduring fame.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Dec 1, 2015

Otto Kunzli's real 'statement jewelry'

"Cozticteocuilatl is the Aztec term for gold and it literally translates into 'the yellow feces of the gods,' " says Swiss artist Otto Kunzli, who is standing before his work at the Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum. "It's the yellow poops of the gods," he emphasizes as he breaks into a broad smile....

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