Search - places

 
 
JAPAN
Aug 8, 2016

Text of Emperor Akihito's unprecedented video message

This is the official translation of Emperor Akihito's video message broadcast Monday.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / BACKSTREET STORIES
Jul 30, 2016

Inky points of interest in Tabata

Under glowering clouds, I decide to explore the area around Tabata Station in Tokyo. Though recently renovated, the station is one of Tokyo's oldest depots, dating from 1896. The station offers nifty spots for watching shinkansen trains bullet by, but I take the north exit to find the Tabata Bunshi Mura...
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 28, 2016

Tokyo race front-runners seen as short on plans for day care, Olympics

As Tokyo residents gear up to vote in Sunday's gubernatorial election, candidates are making last-ditch bids for ballots.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Jul 25, 2016

Better to holiday at home than endure a resort during the Japanese summer

In the late-capitalist scheme of things, the Japanese resort probably makes sense. But speaking as a reformed resort junkie, I believe we can do better.
LIFE / Language
Jul 25, 2016

Looking at vocabulary in the runup to 'Pokemon Go'

'Pokemon Go' fans in Japan are vexed by the wait for the popular game.
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Jul 16, 2016

Terrorism and sexual assault cast shadow over Japanese travelers

Surely if a prize were to be awarded for the week's most controversial article, it would go to Shukan Shincho's piece titled "If you're traveling abroad, here is a phrase from the Quran you should memorize."
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Jul 13, 2016

With no release date, Japan's 'Pokemon Go' fans are fed up waiting

Nintendo's "Pokemon Go" smartphone game may have scored instant addicts upon release in Australia, New Zealand, the U.S. and Germany, but fans in Japan are vexed that they have been left out with no release date announced.
Japan Times
WORLD
Jul 11, 2016

Three nations urge U.S.-bound travelers to be cautions, amid protests

Three countries have warned their citizens to stay on guard when visiting U.S. cities rocked by sometimes violent protests that erupted after a string of police shootings of black Americans.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle / CHILD'S PLAY
Jul 9, 2016

Test the white waters this summer

As much as I love Japan's major cities, I quite enjoy leaving them as well. Places like Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto have played crucial roles in my family's life, but it has been equally important for the four of us to get out of town and back in touch with the natural world. Now that summer is in full swing,...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Jul 1, 2016

For summer dining, escape to the sunny Shonan coast

The Shonan coast in Kanagawa Prefecture, about an hour south of Tokyo by train, has something for just about everyone. Some head to Chigasaki to ride the waves or to Enoshima to luxuriate in its spa. Others explore the hills and temples of Kamakura or just get away from it all in sleepy Hayama. Few make...
CULTURE / Music / STRANGE BOUTIQUE
Jun 26, 2016

Wrapping up a musical trip across Japan

When I first embarked on my attempt to visit every prefecture in Japan and learn about the local indie music scene in each one, the idea that I would be able to draw any meaningful generalizations from the adventure seemed ludicrous. The music scene of Tokyo alone is an incomprehensible mess, so how...
COMMUNITY / Issues / LAW OF THE LAND
Jun 22, 2016

Japan's koseki system: dull, uncaring but terribly efficient

Family registry system can seem schizophrenic but its authority keeps citizens out of the courts.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jun 21, 2016

City mayors forging alliance over Airbnb and Uber

Uber Technologies Inc. and Airbnb Inc. have set their sights on global expansion. They are about to face a global response.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 14, 2016

The working women windfall

The world has a $12 trillion incentive to accelerate progress toward achieving gender parity.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / JUST BE CAUSE
Jun 5, 2016

Japan's police still unfettered by the law, or the truth

Repeat-offending Ibaraki police called to account for backsliding on the issue of hotel snooping.
JAPAN / Politics
May 22, 2016

Security tightens in Tokyo and Mie ahead of summit

The superintendent-general of the Metropolitan Police Department has called for public cooperation in keeping the capital safe during the Group of Seven summit in Mie Prefecture later this week.
COMMENTARY / World
May 21, 2016

Governments paranoid over free media

Many of the world's leaders are developing a form of paranoia about legitimate journalism.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
May 14, 2016

G-7 venue preparation shouldn't deter Mie tourists

With world leaders gathering at the G-7 Ise-Shima summit on May 26 and 27, the international spotlight will briefly focus on picturesque Mie Prefecture and its considerable charms. For residents of the prefecture, however, this moment in the spotlight apparently won't be brief enough; a recent Kyodo...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Apr 25, 2016

Hayao Miyazaki's films provide inspiration for You Say Party music video

You Say Party has a knack for getting pop culture references into its music videos. Past works have given visual nods to both "Twin Peaks" and "Little Red Riding Hood," and the four-piece's latest pays homage to Japanese animator and Studio Ghibli co-founder, Hayao Miyazaki.
Japan Times
JAPAN / KANSAI PERSPECTIVE
Apr 24, 2016

Kyushu quakes kick off fault-finding search in western Japan

The recent, and continuing, earthquakes in Kyushu once again have many people consulting maps to determine just where Japan's fault lines are situated, and whether where they live is more, or less, likely to see a large temblor anytime soon.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Apr 23, 2016

Will Swallows become a 'gypsy' team in 2020?

A recent news item indicates Tokyo's Jingu Stadium may be closed from May to October in 2020 because of the Olympic Games. I am not certain why it has to be closed for five months but can understand.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Apr 22, 2016

A monthly subscription to the craft of specialty coffee

Finding good coffee roasters in Tokyo wasn't always easy. Though there's no shortage of chain cafes and canned coffee, roasters that focus on quality beans seemed few and far between.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Apr 18, 2016

Trump campaign taking 'banana republic' tack by griping over GOP nomination process: Cruz adviser

A senior adviser to Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz on Sunday accused rival Donald Trump's campaign of taking a "banana republic approach" by complaining that party rules for selecting a nominee are rigged against him.
Japan Times
SPORTS / MAN ABOUT SPORTS
Apr 5, 2016

Time in Japan transformed Vogelsong into clutch playoff pitcher

Pittsburgh Pirates hurler Ryan Vogelsong is different things to different people.
EDITORIALS
Mar 24, 2016

Greater opportunities to vote

Municipalities must do their best to make it easier for residents to vote in upcoming elections.
Figure Skating / ICE TIME
Mar 22, 2016

Honda joins select group with win at world juniors

The depth of Japan's skating prowess was on full display at the world junior championships in Debrecen, Hungary, over the weekend, where Marin Honda, Wakaba Higuchi and Yuna Shiraiwa took three of top four places in the women's competition.

Longform

Visitors walk past Sou Fujimoto's Grand Ring, which has been recognized as the largest wooden structure in the world.
Can a World Expo still matter? Japan is about to find out.