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Japan Times
LIFE / Language / NEWS IN NIHONGO
Feb 18, 2020

Sumo meet to be held as part of 2020 Games cultural program

A Kyodo article slams us with some sumo-related vocabulary and information on how the traditional Japanese sport will figure into Olympic festivities.
Japan Times
GLOBAL MEDIA POST / U.S. Pacific Northwest report 2020
Feb 7, 2020

Global Business Passport: Navigating the global marketplace

To thrive in today’s complex global marketplace, businesses need to quickly adapt to the market, which requires learning the nuances of differences in culture.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / TELLING LIVES
Feb 6, 2020

Yogendra 'Yogi' Puranik: The first Indian voice in Tokyo politics

After seeing miscommunication and bullying firsthand, Yogendra 'Yogi' Puranik decided to stand up and do something about it. Now, as a politician, he hopes to be a bridge between two communities.
Japan Times
CULTURE / CULTURE SMASH
Feb 3, 2020

GeeXPlus brings anime YouTubers to Japan

One Japanese major publisher and producer is seeking to capitalize on YouTube influencers with a highly unusual approach: inviting non-Japanese anime YouTubers to live and produce content within Tokyo.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHY DID YOU LEAVE JAPAN?
Jan 25, 2020

Hiroko Tanahashi: A journey from film studies to multimedia art

Inspired by manga featuring New York, Francis Ford Coppola's 'The Godfather' and the diversity of Western cities, Hiroko Tanahashi moved to the U.S. and Germany to pursue multimedia arts.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHY DID YOU LEAVE JAPAN?
Jan 4, 2020

Motoki Hirai: Spreading the power of music

As an 'artistic emissary for the Japanese government, pianist and composer Motoki Hirai travels the world to promote Japanese culture and heal hearts with music.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / 2010S: DECADE IN REVIEW
Dec 29, 2019

Looking back at the most influential Japanese songs of the 2010s

Given how Japanese music takes time to receive widespread recognition, what gems would the kids of the 2040s unearth from the decade that just passed?
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Dec 21, 2019

'The Pine Islands': No ordinary death is enough for two misfit souls

Marion Poschmann's 'The Pine Islands' follows two haunted travelers on their journey across Japan, guided by the poems of Matsuo Basho.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Dec 14, 2019

A cut above the rest: A new generation of barbers is trying to overcome an image problem

A group of men sporting tattoos and smoking cigarettes chats casually on benches outside Mr. Brothers Cut Club in Tokyo's trendy Harajuku neighborhood.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle / Kateigaho International Japan Edition
Dec 14, 2019

Mizuhiki: Paper with a spiritual twist

Mizuhiki are an indispensable part of the country's new year celebrations, embodying people's hopes and prayers for the 12 months ahead.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 12, 2019

Tourism's effect on historic cities and sites in focus as global conference kicks off in Kyoto

Rising concerns worldwide about what an increase in tourism is doing to historic cities, cultural sites and the environment loomed over the start Thursday of a two-day gathering in Kyoto on tourism and culture organized by the United Nations World Tourism Organization and UNESCO.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / How-tos
Dec 12, 2019

Working with the Japanese at a senior level when you're a non-Japanese woman

While stories about mandatory heels and a ban on glasses are making the rounds in the media, the reality of working at a Japanese firm when you're a woman is not as bad as you may think.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Dec 1, 2019

Japan is a soft power superpower

Japan has never looked more attractive to the world as it entered the new imperial Reiwa era on the precipice of the Tokyo Olympics next year.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / RECENTLY PUBLISHED BOOKS ABOUT JAPAN
Nov 30, 2019

'Kojiki: The Birth of Japan': Picture this, a nation's creation myth

Artist Kazumi Wilds retells Japan's creation myth, the 'Kojiki,' through vivid and accessible illustrations.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Society / FOCUS
Nov 27, 2019

No money, no hope: South Korea's 'dirt spoons' turn against President Moon Jae-in

Hwang Hyeon-dong lives in a 6.6-square-meter (71-square-foot) cubicle near his university campus in Seoul, which comes with a shared bathroom and kitchen plus all the rice he can eat, that he rents for 350,000 won ($302) a month.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Nov 22, 2019

Reborn Shibuya Parco hopes to regain iconic status amid tough times for brick-and-mortar stores

After a three-year renewal project, Shibuya Parco, an iconic shopping complex in the bustling central Tokyo district, is back in the game.
Japan Times
WORLD / Society
Nov 22, 2019

Study reveals music's universal patterns

From love songs to dance tunes to lullabies, music made in disparate cultures worldwide displays certain universal patterns, according to a study by researchers who suggest a commonality in the way human minds create music.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / TELLING LIVES
Nov 20, 2019

Building a home in Fukuoka one salsa step at a time

Latin Bar Salsa offers Fukuoka's international community a place to enjoy music and food, and proprietors Natsumi Vanessa Hernandez and Yusei Maeda are planning a new project for December.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / FOREIGN AGENDA
Nov 18, 2019

It's time for Japanese universities to emerge as global brands

Overseas students are looking for a school with personality and some operational tweaks should help.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 16, 2019

Millennials missed their own boom times

Too many economic forces were against them when they came of age.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design
Nov 9, 2019

Nakagin Capsule Tower: Can Tokyo's urban utopian dream secure a new lease on life?

The future of Ginza's iconic building hangs in the balance as architectural enthusiasts attempt to preserve the fading landmark.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHY DID YOU LEAVE JAPAN?
Nov 9, 2019

From hot bands to hot pots, Naoko Takei Moore's time in California pays off

Working in the Japanese music industry, Naoko Takei Moore's job was to wine and dine famous artists. What she picked up from that was a desire to cook that took her to the United States.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Nov 2, 2019

Portals of the past: Peering into Tokyo's traditional kissaten coffee shops

"Sorry, we're full," I hear someone say as I open the door to Ladrio, a pre-eminent kissaten (traditional coffee shop) situated in a tumbledown alley in Tokyo's Jimbocho neighborhood.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / 2010s: Decade in Review
Oct 31, 2019

Halloween's rise in the 2010s provided Shibuya crossing with plenty of tricks and treats

While Halloween has been around in Japan for a few decades it wasn't until recently that it became a true phenomenon, especially at Tokyo's iconic Shibuya crossing.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design
Oct 27, 2019

When street style eclipses the runway

Tokyo fashion week's battle for identity has always been between that of the runway and the fashion on streets — has the event finally found a happy medium?
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
Oct 16, 2019

Building bridges with Islam at Tokyo Camii

With hoodies and scarves covering their heads, a group of Japanese high school students point and whisper in awe upon entering the main hall of Tokyo Camii as Muslim worshippers prostrate beneath a glittering dome set against a bright sky.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / The Big Questions
Sep 29, 2019

Stand-up plans: Trading caricatures for awareness

A half-hour into chatting with Patrick Harlan over coffee at a Yotsuya bakery, two women grab seats nearby.

Longform

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