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Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WORDS TO LIVE BY
Aug 13, 2009

Fish master Tatsuo Ichikawa

Tatsuo Ichikawa, 69, is an English-speaking volunteer tour guide and an expert on all things fishy in Tokyo's Tsukiji Fish market. He's not only a serious history buff, but also an osakana meister (fish master), whose mission is to educate the public on the health benefits of eating his favorite food....
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
May 24, 2009

Hitching through Japanwith friends at every turn

Second in a two-part series
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Aug 10, 2008

Nanjing now: philosophy, history and Jacuzzis

Nanjing is a bustling city of 7 million, about six times its population before the Japanese rampage of 1937, and looks like many of the other modern, gleaming urbanscapes that have mushroomed up across China.
LIFE / Travel
Oct 18, 2007

A country caught in the grip of a regime

MYANMAR — Rangoon (or Yangon as it is now called) seen from the air seems subdued, at least after brilliant nighttime Bangkok. Just a light here and there, otherwise a carpet of darkness. This extends even down into the new and otherwise imposing "national" airport where the light is so dim that officials...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives
Dec 28, 2006

A lifetime's observations

He saw Ginza when it was a blackened plain but for the bombed-out Mitsukoshi department store, the Hattori Building and a handful of other structures left standing. He observed the city as it was rebuilt, and its people. He observed, and then he wrote.
MULTIMEDIA
Oct 30, 2005

Speaking volumes

Kaori Shoji
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Dec 8, 2004

Film it and they will come

When in Rome, visitors might not necessarily do as the locals do, but many certainly follow the example of Audrey Hepburn's character in "Roman Holiday" by sticking their hands in the "Mouth of Truth" near the church of Santa Maria in Cosmedin, or buying a gelato on the steps of Piazza di Spagna.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Jan 16, 2004

Lost Nambu citadel of the North

With Morioka, you know where you stand from the outset. As the title to the official English guide declares, Morioka is "the castle town of northern Japan."
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / VINELAND
Nov 14, 2003

On the road to wine-country romance

There has always been a friendly rivalry between Napa and Sonoma, California's two premier wine-growing regions. We think of Napa as Kyoto -- containing stunning vistas, but marred by a tour-bus mentality. To paraphrase Gertrude Stein, we sometimes feel "there's no there there." Sonoma, on the other...
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Jun 10, 2003

Finding acting work, reducing phone bills and ditching old stuff

Freighter travel Judi Sullivan's daughter, who lives in Japan, sent her a Lifelines column with an enquiry from reader Lisa Beretta, who wanted info on cargo ships willing to take a passenger to Europe.
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Mar 10, 2002

'Genji': the long and the shorter of it

The Tale of Genji, by Murasaki Shikibu, translated by Royall Tyler. Viking, 2001, 1,174 pp., $60 (cloth) In the February 2002 issue of the monthly journal Eureka, Fusae Kawazoe gives a rundown of translations of Murasaki Shikibu's "The Tale of Genji" -- not only into foreign languages, but into modern...
MULTIMEDIA / SPORTS SCOPE
Mar 1, 2001

IOC delegates: the questions they should be asking

The International Olympic Committee has come Japan to check out Osaka's facilities for staging the 2008 Olympics.
LIFE / Travel
Aug 10, 1999

Dive into the dazzling Philippines

Ask scuba divers what attracts them to the sport, and they'll probably tell you that it's the exotic underwater world. A dive in Japan, however, often means endless train rides, big crowds, small spaces and exorbitant sums of money -- all too similar to the everyday world.
JAPAN
Feb 23, 1998

Jury still out on Nagano Olympics

NAGANO -- The pavilions are closed and the Olympic banners have disappeared. The souvenir shops are half-empty and Zenkoji Temple has regained its calm demeanor. The city's infamous traffic jams are back, and the taxis once again form long lines waiting for customers.
Japan Times
PODCAST / deep dive
Mar 23, 2023

The cherry blossoms are here and business is blooming

Kathleen Benoza explains what's at stake during the hanami season, while Thu-Huong Ha and Alyssa I. Smith discuss the science, symbolism and culture of sakura in Japan.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Dec 25, 2022

A year in, Gucci Osteria is Ginza’s sharpest Italian

Chef Antonio Iacovelli's Italian cuisine wins hearts, minds and a Michelin star.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 9, 2022

High school newspapers are a thrifty way to teach civics

Supporting news outlets at schools in low-income communities would have the added benefit of creating a pipeline for minority journalists who have long been underrepresented in the media.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
Mar 8, 2021

Ten years on from 3/11, do you think you're ready for the 'Big One'?

What if the quake that hit Tohoku 10 years ago happened along the Nankai Trough to the south of Japan? Well, experts are predicting this very scenario.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY
Jul 6, 2020

What’s in a name? Princeton University faces its racist past

U.S. President Woodrow Wilson's image as a promoter of democracy and equality is being replaced with that of a stone-cold racist, extreme even for his time.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / Top 5
Feb 22, 2020

Tokyo's most affordable Michelin-starred restaurants

There's no need to overspend to eat well in Tokyo. Here are The Japan Times' picks of Tokyo's best affordable Michelin restaurants, all under u00a53,000.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / Top 5
Nov 23, 2019

Ramen worth lining up for in Tokyo

Overwhelmed with how many ramen choices there are in Tokyo? Here's The Japan Times' pick of Tokyo's five best — and most innovative — ramen shops.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Jun 23, 2019

A Buddhist priest reflects on growing up on Shiraishi Island during a time of war

Living on an island that was too small to receive direct attacks didn't stop the people living there from having to take extreme measures.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Jan 20, 2019

Be it ever so graying, there's no place like home

On a recent bus trip in Indonesia, I struck up a conversation with the man sitting next to me who told me he was Malaysian but living in Australia, which prompted me to admit that I was American but living in Japan. This seemed to pique his interest as he next said, "I am very interested to see how Japan...
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / B. League
Jan 5, 2019

Grouses maintain composure in pivotal fourth quarter, defeat Sunrockers

The Toyama Grouses can't play every game at home.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Aug 31, 2018

The Tango Peninsula: A grand day out for the geologically inclined

The remote Tango Peninsula might be off the typical traveler's itinerary for Kyoto Prefecture, but its scenic views, unique geological formations and stunning coastline make this 'Kyoto by the Sea' a worthwhile trip.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / B. League
Mar 18, 2018

SeaHorses beat Sunrockers for 12th straight win

The SeaHorses Mikawa opened the season with a road loss to the defending champion Tochigi Brex in late September.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Mar 16, 2018

Canoeing with a twist on Hokkaido's volcanic Lake Kussharo

To experience the best of canoeing in Japan, many choose Hokkaido for its wide-open spaces and relatively easy access to wilderness. Hokkaido boasts six national parks, 12 prefectural parks, and countless wetlands and undisturbed forests. Lake Kussharo is in Akan National Park and is the largest caldera lake in all of Japan.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Nov 18, 2017

Going electric: Celebrating Japan's powerful e-bikes

With electric bikes accounting for nearly 6 in 10 bicycles manufactured nationwide last year, the future looks especially bright.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Sep 30, 2017

Slovenia's Ana Ros on Japanese cuisine and gender equality among chefs

Early one September morning, Ana Ros, Slovenia's most famous chef, is receiving a crash course in Japanese seafood at Tsukiji fish market.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / COMMUNITY CHEST
Jul 9, 2017

Tributes to Jean Pearce, who shaped the foreign community's experience of Japan

Jean Pearce, who for decades helped Japan's foreign community feel more at home in their adopted country through her columns in The Japan Times, passed away peacefully on June 14 at the age of 96 in Washington, D.C.

Longform

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