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LIFE / Digital / IGADGET
Sep 12, 2007

Burn CDs from old records; copy audiotapes to computer

They don't make 'em to last any more. Well, in truth, capitalism never intended any product to last forever; making things that never need replacing is after all a lousy business strategy. While that may be understandable, one of the more insidious tricks of capitalism is to get consumers to indulge...
LIFE / Digital / IGADGET
Sep 5, 2007

Robokitties, Hello Dr. Kitty

Space is not so much the final frontier as the last aggravation that drives you to the bottle in a Tokyo apartment. Short of a rich relative passing on their fortune, or robbing a bank, you won't be getting any more of it. So, you just have to get creative with what little you do have. In keeping with...
LIFE / Digital / IGADGET
May 30, 2007

DIY bread makers fill big gap in Japanese menus; robot cubes mimic people

Japanese cuisine does for seafood what French wineries do for the gift of the grape. But what it does for bread is more akin to the imposition the English have made on the world's palate. The alleged loaf consisting of six thick white slices with not a crust in sight at either end of it, and apparently...
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / IGADGET
Apr 18, 2007

The iPod universe just keeps growing -- even Sony is catering to it

Alarm clocks and iPods span the aural spectrum -- from the noisemaker that most of struggle to live with to the iconic music player that many of us just can't live without. I guess merging the two was inevitable. Logitec performed the deed with its LDS-iALARM, making use of the i designation. It looks...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Mar 30, 2007

Seafood cuisine to set you reeling

Being an archipelago of about 3,000 islands, Japan's best dining often revolves around fruits of the sea. The average Japanese person consumes a whopping 66 kg of fish each year, more than four times the world average. Though very tasty, seafood experiences in Japan can also be challenging, most typically...
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design / ON: DESIGN
Jan 30, 2007

Between the crafty and the user-friendly

Receptacle for the respectable It wouldn't seem that much could be done to improve on the functionality of the lowly water dispenser -- all you need is a receptacle and a tap. Enter Kai House with the Adhoc product from their Kitchen Design Movement collection. It features both a paired-down design --...
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Dec 26, 2006

Looking for just the right balance

Having trouble managing life, work and sundry commitments as 2006 speeds to a close? Looking for a refreshing resolution -- something challenging or even cultural -- to ring in the new year?
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Feb 8, 2005

Wills, holistic dentistry and cash

More on wills "To quote your column from some time ago," writes MJ, " 'Japanese inheritance law states that at the death of one spouse, half the estate goes to the remaining partner and half to the children of the marriage.'
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Feb 17, 2004

Posting food to the U.S. and big clothes

U.S. posting rules Dear Lifelines; Is there some new prohibition against sending Japanese foods to the U.S.?
LIFE / Digital
Jan 23, 2003

Move over MP3; purists demand 'lossless'

There's a whole industry built around the MP3 data-compression format, but did you know that by using MP3s to burn music CDs, you lose part of the original recording as the data compressor does its work?
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Sep 12, 2002

Words on Apple, more on pets and culture vultures

Last Apple bite As promised last time, Apple-man Anthony Walter of Caliburn responds to queries about Macintosh computers in Japan.
CULTURE / Music / JAZZNICITY
Sep 9, 2001

Kichijoji ain't nuthin' but a jazz thang

Kichijoji offers more jazz per tsubo than almost any place in the city. Not only are rents cheaper than inside the Yamanote Line, but small-niche businesses seem to thrive here. Teeming with shops, restaurants and clubs, it is dynamic without being overwhelming. With clubs presenting live jazz every...
LIFE / Digital / SURFERSPUD
Oct 4, 2000

Quick -- while no one's looking

infiltration.org This isn't about corporate espionage but rather sightseeing in "places you're not supposed to go." One of the myriad subcultures exposing themselves to the rest of the world via the Internet is all about urban archaeology: crawling around slimy drain pipes, forgotten subway tunnels and...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Dec 16, 2018

Cultural differences can present a challenge when giving or receiving care

Coping with a sudden illness or unexpected injury is difficult enough in your own country, but it can be even harder when you're unfamiliar with the customs or language of the country you live in.
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Jun 26, 2012

Local orphanages may be best bet for volunteers

L.P. would like to volunteer at a Catholic orphanage in the Tohoku region, near the March 11 disaster areas, but isn't sure how to get started.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Feb 24, 2021

As pandemic took hold, suicide rose among Japanese women

In Japan, 6,976 women took their lives last year, nearly 15% more than in 2019. It was the first year-over-year increase in more than a decade.
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Jan 1, 2013

Myriad options for studying Japanese in the sticks

Reader JA is seeking a Japanese language school in the countryside here for his 18-year-old son.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Apr 26, 2009

Fans point way to watch NPB games online

There were several responses to the column of April 12 with information on how and where fans can find Japanese baseball games streamed via the Internet.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
Oct 14, 2015

Animal advocates divided over shelter practices

Foreign volunteers break off contact with Tokyo NPO over conditions at dog facility.
COMMUNITY / Issues / JUST BE CAUSE
Mar 6, 2012

Japan's revolving-door immigration policy hard-wired to fail

Last December, the Japanese government announced that a new visa regime with a "points system" would be introduced this spring.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Dec 3, 2011

A graceful hand to help elderly Japanese in Holland

In 1941, in the then Dutch East Indies, thousands of people were forced into internment camps by the invading Japanese army. It is a slice of history almost forgotten today, along with so many other wartime atrocities. It is something Chieko van Santen remembers every day, as the Japanese widow of a...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Oct 26, 2010

Foreigners victims, perpetrators of sekuhara

When "Tracy," an American then in her late 20s, started her career in Japan as a JET instructor at a high school in Kagoshima nearly 20 years ago, nothing in her training could have prepared her for what she witnessed.
Father's Day is said to have come to Japan around 1950, shortly after the establishment of Mother's Day.
JAPAN / Society / Longform
Jun 15, 2024

The evolving nature of fatherhood in Japan

Meiji Era fathers were stern, those from Showa had to be productive for the nation. Heisei dads were told to get involved at home. What will the "Reiwa Dad" look like?
If you spot a wild animal in the city, it's likely lost. Still, alert authorities immediately to prevent any unpleasantness.
ENVIRONMENT / Wildlife / Longform
Nov 13, 2023

The concrete forest: Bears, boars and more head to the cities

Warmer winters, less food and an aging society all play a part in why wild animals are increasingly venturing into human-populated areas.
Rachel Accurso, in character as the internet personality Ms. Rachel, in New York on Nov. 4.
LIFE / Lifestyle
Nov 30, 2024

Ms. Rachel’s improbable journey from toddler whisperer to holiday toy sensation

A series of toys depicting children’s YouTube sensation Ms. Rachel is quickly becoming one of the hottest holiday gifts.
Aoi Suzuki’s son runs past a home in Taketomi on Iriomote Island (not to be confused with Taketomi Island, which lies to the east of Iriomote). The Suzukis run the Takemori Inn, one of the few hotels on Iriomote.
LIFE / Travel / Longform
Aug 14, 2023

My annual pilgrimage to Okinawa

Navigating between different ferries can open up whole new worlds in Japan's southernmost islands.
Aoi Suzuki and her two sons head back down to a barbecue after watching the sun set.
PODCAST / deep dive
Sep 28, 2023

Traveling Okinawa with a broken heart

Writer and photographer Lance Henderstein reads us his article on traveling Okinawa during the rainy season.
During a time in which Western acts have seen their place of prominence in the Japanese market drop in favor of K-pop, Swift is a notable exception.
CULTURE / Music
Feb 22, 2024

What makes a Taylor Swift show worth flying in for?

Swifties say the pop star's concerts provide camaraderie and a sense of validation.
Aoi Suzuki’s son runs past a home in Taketomi on Iriomote Island (not to be confused with Taketomi Island, which lies to the east of Iriomote). The Suzukis run the Takemori Inn, one of the few hotels on Iriomote.
PODCAST / deep dive
Feb 29, 2024

[Rebroadcast] Traveling Okinawa with a broken heart

This week on Deep Dive we get contributing writer and photographer Lance Henderstein to read us his article on traveling Okinawa during the rainy season.

Longform

Professional cleaner Hirofumi Sakurai takes a moment to appreciate some photographs in a Gotanda apartment whose occupant died alone. 
The last cleanup: Life and death in a lonely Japan