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Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / The Big Questions
Apr 19, 2020

Bridging cultures through ‘food diplomacy’ and more

Peter Tan Hai Chuan was looking forward to enhancing opportunities for bilateral cooperation when he took up his position as Singapore's ambassador to Japan last October.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Fincity.tokyo
Apr 6, 2020

Finance experts note importance of workforce diversity, global collaboration

Against a backdrop of startling international developments, such as Brexit and the Hong Kong protests, Japan’s financial sector is uniquely positioned to step out of the shadows of its competitors in Singapore and Hong Kong.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / The Big Questions
Mar 29, 2020

A leap from academia to first Armenian ambassador

As ambassador of a country with one of the longest histories in the world, Grant Pogosyan is eager to share his homeland's unique culture with Japan. Just as unique, however, is Pogosyan's path to becoming the first ambassador for Armenia in Japan.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design
Feb 29, 2020

Classic kicks: Japan’s sneaker obsession rebounds

The 1990s sneaker craze eventually cooled off, but over the past four or five years a new wave has risen, towering over anything that came before.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Feb 27, 2020

Werq the World: Bringing the queens of 'RuPaul's Drag Race' to Tokyo is nothing less than a crowning achievement

When Tom Hall had the idea to take monthly 'Drag Race' viewing parties and turn them into performance events he found an unlikely partner in Ni-chome impresario Yuta Furukawa.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Feb 15, 2020

Virtual idols, anime and a rock 'n' roll spirit: Nakamura Shido II leads kabuki's evolution

The audience, most of whom are in their 20s and 30s, wave glow sticks and holler as the lights go down for the start of the show. Above the stage, a frame of blue lights throbs and pulses like a circuit board before the curtain draws back.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / How-tos
Feb 13, 2020

Corporate Japan's paralyzing fear of the unhappy customer

Avoiding risks in business can help to keep your company safe, but it also lessens the chance you'll do something truly game-changing.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
Feb 3, 2020

Japanese society warms to asylum-seekers despite the government's cold shoulder

Hilmneh Tegegn came to Japan from Ethiopia 11 years ago seeking refugee status here and seemed to do everything right. After more than a decade of waiting, he finally got a visa — to the United States.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / 2010s: Decade in Review
Nov 23, 2019

Social media became part of the mainstream conversation in Japan during the 2010s

Internet culture has changed significantly over the past decade. In the 2000s, sites such as 2chan and Nico Nico Douga sat comfortably on the edges of the world wide web, offering a form of alternate reality from traditional media. The 2010s, however, saw social media platforms such as Twitter and YouTube...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Nov 1, 2019

Japan's shrine meant to celebrate Hokkaido's Ainu divides them

On a wooded lake shore in southwest Hokkaido, the government is building a modernist shrine that has divided the indigenous Ainu community whose vanishing culture it was designed to celebrate.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHY DID YOU LEAVE JAPAN?
Sep 28, 2019

Kazuko Hohki: A 'frank chicken' in London

For Kazuko Hohki — member of performance group Frank Chickens as well as theater director and writer, '80s London —squats and all — provided the right community to foster artistic liberation.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / Food Sustainability in Japan
Sep 28, 2019

Plant-based cuisine: Modernizing Japan's vegetarian traditions

From vegan and vegetarian to organic and superfood, plant-based cooking concepts are rooted in how Japanese people have approached eating for centuries.
Japan Times
Thailand report 2019
Sep 25, 2019

Thailand focuses on industry, investment and innovation

Foreign investors are upbeat regarding Thailand’s economic outlook. With a desire to improve the country’s competitiveness, the Thai government’s planned megaprojects and Industry 4.0 (technology in industry) initiatives are creating new investment-driven business opportunities. For Japanese investors,...
Japan Times
Rugby
Sep 20, 2019

Rugby World Cup kicks off in Tokyo

The 2019 Rugby World Cup kicked off in spectacular style on Friday night with an opening ceremony that paid homage to traditional Japanese culture and featured All Blacks legend Richie McCaw emerging from a giant model of Mount Fuji with the trophy.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 9, 2019

How Japan can win in the ongoing AI war

It is time to reshape the conversation about the country's 21st century technologies away from niche technologies and toward a narrative of global leadership.
Japan Times
JAPAN / View from Osaka
Aug 17, 2019

For Kyoto, international meeting of museum directors and creators is an opportunity to learn

From Sept. 1 to 7, Kyoto will host thousands of museum directors, curators and art historians from Japan and around the world for the general assembly meeting of the Paris-based International Council of Museums (ICOM).
Japan Times
JAPAN / Science & Health / NATURAL SELECTIONS
Jul 26, 2019

The happiness of the otaku: Daydreaming to well-being

Using the imagination to daydream may be more useful than we thought. But who would have guessed that a key to unlocking its benefits would be pursuing manga, anime and games — otherwise known as 'otaku' culture.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / TELLING LIVES
Jul 10, 2019

The man behind some of Japan's most stylish denim has one main rule: fabric first

Mehervan Sethi began promoting Japanese denim as a way to give back to the country that has 'done so much for me and my family.'
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jul 3, 2019

Japan is cool but has no clue about selling itself

The country is still struggling to make money off of its worldwide cultural cachet
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / The Big Questions
Jun 30, 2019

Transition to heated tobacco products ongoing

With each passing day, more and more smokers are choosing heat-not-burn products over conventional cigarettes.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
Jun 30, 2019

'A kimono is not supposed to be fast fashion'

After Kim Kardashian West revealed her Kimono shapewear line, the American celebrity and fashion designer received a dressing down from fans of the garment.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design
May 12, 2019

Can a new era prepare Japanese style to let go of Heisei trends?

It's early days of Reiwa, but so far, Japan's fashion industry looks set to continue playing it safe in the new era.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / TELLING LIVES
May 8, 2019

Photographing Tokyo's human side: Isaac Aquino finds an 'interloper' in us all

Isaac Aquino has just quit his job as a reporter, and he seems quite pleased with himself. The soft-spoken Filipino recently decided to go all in on Tokyo Interlopers, an Instagram account he launched three years ago, by focusing on a business MBA.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
May 5, 2019

South Korea's booming 'webtoons' put Japan's print manga on notice

Japan has long prided itself on being a manga powerhouse, but intense competition from overseas has left the industry at a crossroads.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
May 5, 2019

The power of Generation Reiwa

The Reiwa generation of university and high school graduates will enjoy a natural tailwind propelling them toward economic prosperity.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Apr 21, 2019

Ichikawa Kagura: Saving the dances of the gods

As performers of Shinto theatrical dance age, the Sanriku International Arts festival hopes to encourage youth to help preserve tradition.

Longform

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