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July 24, 2026
 

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Tim Hornyak
Sonau Okamoto poses inside the Beatles Art & Culture Museum he founded in Ako, Hyogo Prefecture, after spending decades collecting memorabilia and promoting the band's legacy in Japan.
CULTURE / Music
Jul 17, 2026
It was 60 years ago today: Japan¡¯s top Beatles fan keeps the Budokan flame burning
A lifelong collector turned one unforgettable concert into a museum celebrating the Fab Four¡¯s enduring impact in Japan.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Mar 23, 2026
¡®Alone in Japan¡¯ travels towns in decline and talks to the people left
While Japan¡¯s depopulation is a much discussed issue, Tom Feiling¡¯s book ¡°Alone in Japan¡± tackles the topic face to face as he travels to remote parts of Japan.
Tsuyoshi Domoto in Tokyo's Shinjuku Ward on March 28. As an entrepreneur, Domoto experienced plenty of setbacks but maintains a positive attitude and continues to pursue his dreams.
BUSINESS / Tech
Mar 30, 2025
Tokyo tech failures lean into misfortune, mistakes and missteps
At a Tokyo Fail Club gathering, speakers share candid talks about ventures gone wrong, bankruptcy and depression, touting a message of persistence in the face of adversity.
Though he didn't win the recent gubernatorial election in Tokyo, the 96-year-old Dr. Nakamats' run was seen as inspirational in Japan's aging society.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / Society
Nov 18, 2024
For Dr. Nakamats, aging is just experience in action
Always trying to solve the problems of modern life, the perennial candidate refuses to bow to societal expectations of age.
In some cases, it's up to individual foreign residents to understand the unique tax implications of their home countries and Japan in order to avoid a penny-pinching retirement.
COMMUNITY / How-tos / Age Wise
Nov 5, 2023
Retiring in Japan? Be prepared to foot your own bills.
¡°In an ideal world, everyone should have retirement planning on their radar as soon as possible when working life begins.¡±
Pictured in his Kyoto kitchen, Alain Ducasse has the largest collection of Michelin stars of any chef alive ¡ª not that he puts much stock in such accolades.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Sep 3, 2023
Alain Ducasse: ¡®The Kyoto customer wants refinement¡¯
The world¡¯s most Michelin-starred chef sees those stars as a ¡°reward¡± instead of an ¡°objective.¡±
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / History / Longform
Jun 19, 2023
Resurrecting a prince¡¯s home with a dark wartime past
Tekigaiso hosted meetings that helped set Japan¡¯s course during World War II. But with an extensive renovation taking place, how much of its story is set to be told?
51³Ô¹ÏÍø
Dec 22, 2022
A controversy forces Tokyo to define ¡®public park¡¯
A plan to redevelop the capital¡¯s Meiji Jingu Gaien park and its sporting venues has drawn ire from people who want the area¡¯s trees to be spared.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech / Longform
Dec 5, 2022
Armed with anime avatars, Japan bids to conquer the metaverse
The nation¡¯s penchant for online anonymity and well-established love of virtual idols could boost adoption, but early attempts offer cautionary tales.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / History / Longform
Oct 10, 2022
Empire of steel: Where Japan¡¯s railways stand after 150 years of evolution
Much has changed since the country¡¯s first railway line between Tokyo and Yokohama laid the foundation for a world-renowned network of trains to be created.
Japan Times
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / Politics
Aug 18, 2022
No backpedaling for Suginami Ward¡¯s bicycling mayor
Satoko Kishimoto is a breath of fresh air in local politics. But can she bring about change?
BUSINESS / Longform
Apr 4, 2022
Reimagining Japan¡¯s growing glut of empty homes
Entrepreneurs see an opportunity in Japan¡¯s abandoned properties as businesses try to change them from liabilities into assets.
CULTURE / Books
Jul 4, 2021
¡®The War on Wheels¡¯: Head-butts, broken bones and big bets
Justin McCurry gets readers up to speed on the gritty sport of keirin, Japan¡¯s premier cycling competition.
Japan Times
OLYMPICS
Dec 31, 2020
Tokyo Olympics face threat that no vaccine can tame: the weather
Even though the weather conditions during the original games schedule were not as bad as they could have been, experts caution that it¡¯s a dangerous time of year for outdoor sports.
ENVIRONMENT
May 11, 2019
Reading the air: Tokyo still has work to do on air pollution
There are days when Makiko Ishikawa can barely breathe. Indeed, the 62-year-old Tokyoite has been short of breath for decades. In the early 1970s, she began feeling the effects of the miasma of vehicle exhaust along Shin-Ome Road, which ran by her home in the city of Musashimurayama in western Tokyo....
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / History / Defining the Heisei Era
Dec 22, 2018
Defining the Heisei Era: When communication in Japan went mobile
The launch of a pager known as the Pocket Bell marked the birth of texting and mobile communications in Japan.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design
Oct 14, 2018
Good Design Awards go beyond industrial design
There¡¯s no shortage of transformative ideas in Japan, particularly in the field of design. This year¡¯s Good Design Awards showcased many surprising examples of innovation from Japan and abroad.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Oct 13, 2018
Mountain High: Junko Tabei¡¯s adventures at the top of the world
Junko Tabei was a pioneering alpinist who dramatically changed the landscape of mountaineering around the world. Previously available only in Japanese, excerpts of her writing have been translated and compiled into ¡®Honouring High Places,¡¯ a beautifully illustrated retrospective.
LIFE / Lifestyle
Sep 15, 2018
Ensuring Tokyo Bay is fit for swimming ahead of the 2020 Olympics
If you squint your eyes, it almost looks like Club Med: an expanse of blue sea, a stretch of beach, white tents and umbrellas on the sand, and plenty of staff ready to help out. However, this isn¡¯t a tropical paradise, it¡¯s Tokyo Bay and Odaiba Plage is an attempt to turn it into a swimming spot.
LIFE / Lifestyle
Mar 31, 2018
Will Japan ever join the great Easter egg hunt?
A year ago, J-pop star Kyary Pamyu Pamyu released a song with lyrics and a promotional video that were as saccharine as a chocolate bunny. The song was titled ¡°Easta¡± ¡ª a play on Easter and ¡°a good start¡± in Japanese ¡ª and the video had dancing eggs, capybaras and fried-egg UFOs shooting laser beams....
Japan scientists identify clusters of protein believed to trigger Alzheimer¡¯s disease
A team of researchers said they found a ¡°seed¡± that accelerates the amyloid beta accumulation process in the brain, naming it ¡°Peak 1 amyloid beta,¡± as seen in a mouse's brain.
Indian brothers make manga debut in Japan
Two Indian brothers made their manga debut in Japan with "Kung Fu Kung Fool" ¡ª an action-comedy series that follows the adventures of a notorious thief and a young boy.
Japan weighs regulating Pokemon cards amid trading mania
A Pokemon event is held in Jakarta on July 11
Low-income families in Japan cut food and air conditioning during summer break
Yumiko Watanabe, the chairperson of nonprofit Kidsdoor, explains the results of a survey in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward on July 1.
Iran strikes on CIA facilities prompt questions about possible Russian role
Iranian drones are displayed in an undisclosed location in Iran, in this handout image obtained on Jan. 13, 2025.U.S. officials have acknowledged that Russia has ?provided targeting ?and other support for Iran in its drone strikes on U.S. targets in the Persian Gulf region.
Can Japanese comedy get laughs in English? Yoshimoto Kogyo lets the jokes rip
Wes-P has millions of followers and his viral clips made him recognizable out of Japan.
The 180-day locals: Life on Japan¡¯s digital nomad visa
Christopher Flinn works remotely from Tokyo earlier this month. Japan issued 646 digital nomad visas in 2025, but tourism officials are hoping to increase that figure in the coming years, with Japan's relatively cheap cost of living and the weak yen seen as potential draws for young professionals.
Japan reveals hint of new defense spending target in fiscal blueprint
The Self-Defense Forces' Type 16 mobile combat vehicle fires during a joint live-fire drill with U.S. Marines as part of the annual Resolute Dragon exercises in Yufu, Oita Prefecture, on June 28.
Summer has arrived in Japan and so have hot sleepless nights
Amid the heat and humidity in Japan, a good night¡¯s sleep is growing increasingly elusive without the heavy use of air conditioning.
Maya Ongaku¡¯s DIY dream is getting bigger
The members of Maya Ongaku ¡ª (from left) Tsutomu Sonoda, Shoei Ikeda and Ryota Takano ¡ª grew up on the Shonan Coast south of Tokyo and have been friends since their school days.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo¡¯s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo¡¯s ¡®stadium of desire¡¯

Longform

For many people, utility poles and power lines have become such a familiar part of Japan¡¯s landscape that they often go unnoticed.
Why Japan¡¯s utility poles won¡¯t be disappearing anytime soon
By Alex K.T. Martin

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