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Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Mar 23, 2019

Hiroki Ogasawara: Looking for a truly multicultural Japan

From the Olympics to English education, sociology professor Ogasawara has plenty to say about the state of Japan today.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / The Big Questions
Mar 10, 2019

Passion nurtures growth and innovative floristry

Dawn breaks over Tokyo. The streets surrounding Ota Shijo market are still dark and the air is quiet, but inside the Tokyo Bay market's expansive hangars, a different story emerges.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / G20 host cities special
Mar 5, 2019

Premium produce, delicious dishes

Niigata, which will host the Agriculture Ministers' Meeting on May 11 and 12, is known for many things, but premier Koshihikari rice is likely the prefecture's most notable product.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / How-tos
Jan 30, 2019

Thinking of working in Japan? It's good to know what you're in for

So you're thinking of working for a Japanese firm. You might be wondering whether what you've heard about working in Japan is true. Or, if you're already working here, you may wonder if what you're experiencing is typical.
Japan Times
Austria report 2019
Jan 28, 2019

An excellent bilateral relationship celebrates 150 years

In 1869 Austria and Japan concluded the Treaty of Friendship, Commerce and Navigation. One hundred and fifty years later, diplomatic relations between the two continue to flourish.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / FOCUS
Dec 10, 2018

Huawei CEO Ren Zhengfei survived a famine. Can he weather Trump?

At the sprawling Huawei Technologies Co. campus in Shenzhen, the food court's walls are emblazoned with quotes from the company's billionaire founder and CEO Ren Zhengfei. Then there's the research lab that resembles the White House in Washington. Perhaps the most curious thing, though, are three black...
Japan Times
Spain report 2018
Nov 12, 2018

150 years on, Spain and Japan strengthen their commitment to one another

To mark the 150th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Japan and Spain, Synergy Media Specialists (SMS) interviewed Masashi Mizukami, the Japanese Ambassador to Spain.
Japan Times
CULTURE / TV & Streaming
Nov 1, 2018

A blond Swedish landscape artist flexes for NHK — remember his name ... Tatsumasa Murasame

Who's that hunk of blond beefcake crunching his abs on NHK's workout program "Minna de Kinniku Taiso"?
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / FOREIGN AGENDA
Oct 7, 2018

Gaijin Day: How an event in Hamamatsu about unity proved to be divisive

Referring to Nikkei Brazilians and Peruvians as 'gaijin' was at the very least inaccurate and, at most, deeply offensive.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Sep 18, 2018

Japan and China: Forging ties in the electronic underground

WWWβ — a subterranean space under Shibuya's WWW and WWWX venues dedicated to "club alternative" — is a frequent stop for DJs and producers at the cutting edge of electronic music. But when a large crowd packed itself into the venue on April 20 for an evening of dark, experimental and at times abrasive...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Aug 8, 2018

Manga and kabuki collide in an action-packed 'Naruto'

Here's a sight you may not expect at a kabuki performance: A blue-haired boy bolts toward a massive snake that writhes menacingly on stage. He brings his sword down on the beast, slicing it into sections that fall apart dramatically. I thought a kabuki performance would've been a bit less extravagant,...
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
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHY DID YOU LEAVE JAPAN?
Apr 21, 2018

Naoyuki Kawahara: Helping Sudan heal with medicine and more

Naoyuki Kawahara quit his job as a medical attache for the Embassy of Japan in Sudan to set up a non-profit organization, Rociantes, and provide much-needed medical care in Sudan.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHY DID YOU LEAVE JAPAN?
Mar 17, 2018

Miki Bartley: A guiding spirit for Japanese tourists

After 27 years in the United Kingdom, Blue Badge tourist guide Miki Bartley still loves to show visitors around.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / TELLING LIVES
Feb 28, 2018

Florian Busch, the architect who floated the Tokyo 2020 Olympic stadium

Japan-based German architect warns that Tokyo risks squandering a historic chance to offer an ambitious, sustainable vision in 2020.
COMMUNITY / Voices / COMMUNITY CHEST
Dec 18, 2017

In case you missed them: a year of responses to Community stories, part 3

The last in a series of selections of unpublished letters about Community stories from the previous year.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design
Sep 24, 2017

Japanese fashion goes pop

Cast your mind back to the giddy days of 2010, when the group of subcultural artists Chaos Lounge issued its first proclamation. While its stated goal was earnest and postmodern, the output was seen as a shock to the art world as it brought the dregs of Japanese pop culture to "white cube" galleries....
Japan Times
JAPAN
Sep 17, 2017

Students taking part in annual SKIP exchange program say more Japanese need overseas work experience

To better expose Japan to global perspectives and work culture, a group of students from Keio and Stanford universities participating in an two-week exchange program said more Japanese students need to gain work experience abroad.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Sep 16, 2017

Beverage giant looks to spread the intricacies of washoku abroad

Seventeen students from the United States stare at a garden of eggplant. "You can take pictures, just don't touch anything," the group's translator informs them, most of whom are in their early 20s. A minute of silence passes as they gaze at the circular vegetables. Then they pull out their smartphones...
Japan Times
JAPAN / 50 years of ASEAN
Aug 9, 2017

ASEAN, Japan offer tourists great diversity

Tourism is one of the key industries in the respective ASEAN member states. The ASEAN member states are enriched with attractive tourism destinations that include renowned resorts surrounded by breathtaking nature and historical places that are designated as World Heritage sites.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / The critics who shaped modern Japan
Aug 5, 2017

Junichiro Tanizaki: Speaking to the light from the shadows

In 1933, when Junichiro Tanizaki (1886-1965) published his short but landmark essay "In Praise of Shadows," it could hardly be seen as anything other than a riposte to the "enlightening" agenda of the great cultural critic Fukuzawa Yukichi of the preceding Meiji Era (1868-1912).
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / CULTURE SMASH
Apr 23, 2017

Anime gives Japanese bands a new route to potential fans

"Retro" was the theme at this year's Anime Boston, the largest anime convention in the Northeastern United States, and that idea extended to the event's featured musical acts: veteran pop duo Puffy AmiYumi and 1960s-styled rock quartet Okamoto's.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Mar 18, 2017

Taiwan: Where Japanese go to feel at home on vacation

Taiwan was Japanese soil for about five decades until the end of WWII. Amazingly, this is the one country where the Japanese imperialists managed to do more good than harm when they colonized it in 1895.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
Mar 12, 2017

Seeing Ainu as they want to be seen

Portrait project on show in Tokyo is the result of months spent living as part of Hokkaido village community.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 28, 2017

A feeling of dread descends on Baltics again

The people of Estonia and the other Baltic states fear being consigned to Russia's sphere of influence yet again.
Japan Times
JAPAN / GENERATIONAL CHANGE
Feb 5, 2017

Efforts afoot to revive Japan's traditional small tea farms by offering global reach

Japanese green tea, known for its health benefits and centuries-old brewing and serving rituals, has won the hearts and taste buds of people around the world.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Nov 5, 2016

Washed up? Tokyo's iconic communal bath houses face an uncertain future

Walking around Tokyo, you may have noticed a number of tall, narrow chimneys rising above the skyline every so often. Such stacks are a good indication that you've stumbled across a sento, or communal bath house.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / BLACK EYE
Oct 16, 2016

Dancing from Dakar to Tokyo, my brother Baye

Abdou Baye Fall, who used to dance in exchange for fish in Dakar, now travels the length and breadth of Japan teaching children about the cultures of Senegal.

Longform

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