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December 23, 2024
 

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HAPPINESS

Decades after Bhutan introduced its Gross National Happiness index, the idea that gross domestic product is an inadequate indicator of human well-being and social progress is gaining ground.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 22, 2024
Is gross national happiness the way forward?
The World Happiness Report's top-ranked countries tended to be smaller Western countries, led by Finland. Larger Western economies tend to perform worse.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle / Longform
May 30, 2022
Is Japan happy? Exploring the nation’s evolving views of well-being
Why does a prosperous nation known for its efficient transportation networks, accessible education and universal health care rank so low when it comes to personal views of happiness?
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Dec 11, 2021
What is happiness? These individuals appear to have found the answer.
Personal anecdotes suggest that happiness is a private pleasure, something that can be best enjoyed away from the chaos of the world outside.
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Jan 13, 2018
In a nation that favors so much, why are Japanese teens so glum?
The world's happiest teens live — no, not in Japan — in the Dominican Republic. It's a beautiful Caribbean country, much and justly beloved by tourists yet plagued by poverty, crime, child marriage, teen pregnancy and inadequate education. Tourists needn't worry about that, but local kids, you'd...
CULTURE / Books
Nov 4, 2017
'Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life': Does happiness lie in your purpose in life?
Ikigai is the idea that having a purpose in your life is key to happiness. Curious whether ikigai and longevity have a causal connection, software engineer Hector Garcia and writer/translator Francesc Miralles set out to interview the residents of Ogimi, Okinawa, the so-called Village of Longevity. Their...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Oct 14, 2017
'Yuki Means Happiness': A foreign nanny novel set in Japan
Although cultural mores are changing, foreign nannies remain a rarity in Japan compared with many Western countries. Rarer still is the foreign nanny novel set in Japan.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Aug 26, 2017
Definition of happiness in Japan remains a mystery
Try defining "happiness." "A state of well-being and contentment," says Merriam-Webster's dictionary, unhelpfully. It's like saying happiness is happiness.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Science & Health / NATURAL SELECTIONS
Jul 21, 2017
Did DNA influence Japan's collectivist society?
If you've spent any time in Japan you will have heard the expression, "Deru kugi wa utareru" ("The nail that sticks out gets hammered down"). The phrase is used to explain how Japanese society traditionally prefers conformity and social harmony to independence and individual expression. There is a similar...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jul 19, 2017
Japanese firms needs to boost worker happiness to survive, well-being expert says
Feeling blue at work? According to Keio University professor Takashi Maeno, there are science-backed reasons explaining why workers may feel so distressed.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Feb 18, 2017
Japan tries to shed its pessimistic image
Japan ailing? Japan suffering? Nonsense. "Japan is the richest country in the world," proclaims Sapio magazine. And the best. And the happiest. The brightest future looms.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Apr 9, 2016
Japan is as happy as it feels — miserable
Who are the unhappiest people, asks Spa — the married, the single or the divorced?
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 28, 2016
Happiness is serious business in the UAE
Happiness is neither a transitory moment of delight nor a constant condition. It is a state of being beyond satisfaction, a flourishing and ambient joy.
EDITORIALS
Mar 26, 2016
Happiness in short supply
Ranked 53rd out of 156 countries, Japan is a less happy place now than it was a decade ago, according to the World Happiness Report.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 16, 2015
The time has come for happiness by design
Until recently, it seemed sensible to assume that our happiness was determined by factors, such as luck or genes, beyond our control. New discoveries, however, point to a fresh way of thinking.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 27, 2015
Why North Europeans are the happiest people
What are Switzerland, Iceland, Denmark and Norway doing that make them the world's happiest countries?
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 9, 2014
Aging brings gray hair ... and greater happiness
In our mind's eye, old age is to be endured as much as enjoyed, since people fear declining health, growing dependence and increasing social isolation. Then why do public opinion surveys show that, on average, people count themselves happier after age 65?
WORLD
Aug 26, 2014
Happiness study draws frowns from critics
A high-profile 2013 study that concluded that different kinds of happiness are associated with dramatically different patterns of gene activity is fatally flawed, according to an analysis published on Monday that tore into its target with language rarely seen in science journals.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 1, 2014
Calculating a nation's well-being instead of GDP
As leaders in Germany, France, the U.K. and U.S. call for a new, more comprehensive policy target to replace gross national product, a group of economists see promise in the measurement of 'wellbeing' or life satisfaction.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 14, 2014
Is it better to win Olympic bronze than silver?
Research suggests that in the Olympics, those who finish third are likely to be a lot happier than those who finish second. There are broader implications as far as our emotional reactions to other events are concerned.
LIFE / Lifestyle
Feb 1, 2014
Pursuit of happiness
The merry residents of Japan have long sought to attain the 'pleasantest of all diversions
Bankruptcies and suicides rise as Japanese struggle with mounting debt
Lawyers estimate that personal bankruptcies in Japan are on track to reach the highest since 2012 this year.
Honda and Nissan consider mutual production of vehicles, report says
Honda CEO Toshihiro Mibe at the Japan Mobility Show 2023 at Tokyo Big Sight in October 2023.
The mighty Mekong River's growing plastic problem
A group of elephant keepers in Chiang Saen, Thailand, remove plastic waste from the Ruak River, a tributary of the Mekong River, as a pair of Asian elephants bathe behind them.
Record 78% of people in Japan feel anxious, government survey finds
The public opinion survey on people's lives, conducted by the Cabinet Office, found that 28.1% of respondents think that their standard of living is at a lower-middle level among the general public — the highest percentage to give that response in 35 years.
Nippon Steel alleges undue White House influence on doomed deal review
U.S. President Joe Biden delivers remarks on the economy at the Brookings Institution in Washington on Dec. 10.
Casual workouts, cool living, ‘complete’ food: Japan’s health trends of 2024
In 2024, efficiency trumped effort among Japan's fitness-focused aspirants.
The mighty Mekong River's growing plastic problem
A group of elephant keepers in Chiang Saen, Thailand, remove plastic waste from the Ruak River, a tributary of the Mekong River, as a pair of Asian elephants bathe behind them.
Japanese officials inspect Yokota Air Base over PFAS concerns
The Yokota Air Base in western Tokyo in September 2019. An inspection of the base by Japanese government officials on Friday came amid public pressure to investigate suspected links between the use of PFAS-containing firefighting foam by the U.S. base and contamination of soil and groundwater in western Tokyo.
Crime numbers rise in Japan for second straight year
A police officer stands in front of the residence of a man alleged to have stabbed two junior high school students in Kitakyushu.
A year of Oscar wins and a quiet push for diversity
Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s “Evil Does Not Exist,” released in Japanese theaters in April, sharply dramatizes the clash between rural and urban values. The film won five awards at the 2023 Venice Film Festival, including the second-place Silver Lion prize.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

Yasuyuki Yoshida stirs a brew in a fermentation tank at his brewery in Hakusan.
The quake that shook Noto's sake brewing tradition
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