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July 24, 2026
 

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Ansel Swindells
For the 20 Questions column this year, writers asked their interview subjects about everything from their lives in Japan to their thoughts on news topics.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Dec 28, 2024
There were plenty of hot topics to opine on in 2024
We take a look back at some of the best answers that our interviewees gave for 20 Questions from throughout the year.
Kumiko Shichijo provides tips on Japanese etiquette and manners on Instagram and says videos on gift-giving and hand towels have done particularly well.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Nov 29, 2024
Kumiko Shichijo: ¡®Living abroad helped me appreciate Japanese etiquette¡¯
Worried about committing a social faux pas while in Japan? This manners expert hopes to help you be your most polite while out and about.
Aiku Kurotaki¡¯s ¡°Human 1¡± (2024) ¡ª and ¡°Human 0¡± (2024) to the left ¡ª on display at Tokyo¡¯s Som Gallery earlier this year.
CULTURE / Art
Nov 26, 2024
¡®From 0 to 1¡¯: Aiku Kurotaki¡¯s fabric of existence
The artist¡¯s wool sculptures play off the idea of string theory, which conceptualizes subatomic particles as infinitesimal strings vibrating in fixed patterns.
Omar Nok arrived in Japan 250 days after leaving Egypt. He didn't use a plane for any part of his journey.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Nov 20, 2024
Omar Nok: ¡®There are good people everywhere¡¯
Omar Nok says the hospitality he has received from locals at every stop on his journey from Egypt to Japan has been nothing short of inspirational.
Gary Perlman has developed a kabuki adaptation of ¡°Madame Butterfly¡± that he hopes will be performed 100 years from now.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Nov 7, 2024
Gary Perlman: ¡®Kabuki is pure entertainment ¡­ the characters and themes are universal¡¯
In adapting ¡°Madame Butterfly¡± for kabuki, the man behind the production hopes to reframe the tale with stronger female characters.
A picture of the writer with his sibling and grandparents sits alongside double ¡°Best of¡± CDs by British rock group the Beatles. Music by the band continues to conjure memories for the writer of staying at his grandparents¡¯ home.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Nov 7, 2024
Hearing a song from the past and expressing nostalgia in Japanese
You¡¯re in a cafe and suddenly a song from the past starts to play. How do you tell your Japanese friends that you¡¯re in the ¡°time slip¡°?
New and strengthened rules aim to make street drinking a thing of the past in Shibuya's nightlife center ¡ª but the reality may not be that simple.
COMMUNITY / Issues / The Foreign Element
Oct 21, 2024
Can you drink in Shibuya and Shinjuku this Halloween? It depends.
Shibuya and Shinjuku are both planning on cracking down on street drinking this Halloween and beyond. But the problem might be bigger than a night of drunken revelry.
Hiruzen Kougei employee Moeko Hirao, craft brewer ¡°Sugichan¡± and furry friend Tsubu help out with the tomato harvest at 6:37 a.m.
LIFE / Travel / Longform
Oct 16, 2023
The farmer¡¯s intern: A month in the Japanese countryside
Escaping the chaos of Tokyo for a month, our writer heads to rural Okayama Prefecture and discovers the delights of natural farming.
Japan Times
People / 20 QUESTIONS
Jun 23, 2023
Alexis Sato: ¡®We want to make music a reason for people to travel to Japan¡¯
Some chance meetings led Alexis Sato to some of the best summers of his life. Now he wants to provide that summer vibe to everyone.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Dec 29, 2022
Answers in 2022 encouraged activism, recommended books and provided advice
The 20 Questions section discusses people¡¯s experiences of Japan in their own words. As we emerge from the pandemic, an underlying theme in 2022 was fighting for change.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Nov 27, 2022
Stephanie Crohin: ¡®Public baths are a force for good when it comes to body positivity¡¯
When you enter a public bath, you leave your phone in a locker and the outside world behind. It¡¯s like stepping into a new world, and Stephanie Crohin is your ambassador.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Oct 22, 2022
Peter Liedberg: ¡®It¡¯s rare for businesses in Japan to even know about sign painting¡¯
A Swedish graphic designer and sign painter finds that if you have a genuine interest in what you¡¯re doing, then it¡¯s less painful trying to become better at it.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Sep 25, 2022
Ray Masaki: ¡®Being earnest and not overdoing things ¡ª that¡¯s what resonates¡¯
Ray Masaki moved from America to Japan to gain a better understanding of his heritage. Today, he continues to navigate his cultural identity both in his design work and his own life.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Sep 11, 2022
TELL brings back a classic fundraiser for a month of mental health awareness activities
Whether you sign up for the Tokyo Tower Climb or the more personal Step Up Challenge, the nonprofit TELL is appreciative of your support.
EDITORIALS
May 16, 2011
Volunteer force declines
During the Golden Week holidays from April 28 to May 8, a total of some 78,000 volunteers worked in Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima prefectures, which were devastated by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, according to ¡°disaster volunteer centers¡± set up by local governments in the prefectures.
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.
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.
Intervention is the word after yen moves beyond ?163 and sits there
The government could prop up the yen at any moment, though its signaling is hard to read.
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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