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July 24, 2026
 

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Gendel Gento
Reopened on April 29 after an extensive refurbishment, the Four Seasons Hotel Tokyo at Marunouchi may not offer the skyline views of its sister property around the corner, but it excels in other areas.
LIFE / Travel
Jun 20, 2026
Tokyo¡¯s best Four Seasons may not be its biggest
Reopened on April 29 after an extensive refurbishment, the Four Seasons Hotel Tokyo at Marunouchi gives its sister accommodation around the corner a serious run for its money.
On the 41st floor of the Akasaka Trust Tower, the Panoramic Tower Studio Suite at 1 Hotel Tokyo offers stunning views while keeping sight of the hotel's sustainable, down-home core.
LIFE / Travel
Jun 6, 2026
At 1 Hotel Tokyo, luxury is a zero-waste journey
Open from March, the brand¡¯s first outpost in Japan stays true to its sustainable roots.
Other Japanese role-playing game series may be more popular overseas, but in Japan, Dragon Quest still reigns supreme ¡ª even 40 years after the first game in the franchise hit shelves.
LIFE / Digital
May 27, 2026
On Dragon Quest¡¯s 40th anniversary, ¡®it¡¯s impossible to ignore its influence¡¯
The famous JRPG franchise that developers around the world say set the standard for the genre turns 40 on May 27.
The Spain-themed exhibition at the Tottori Sand Museum re-creates several of Antoni Gaudi¡¯s structures, most notably the Sagrada Familia basilica.
CULTURE / Art
May 17, 2026
Spain, sculpted in sand at Tottori museum¡¯s landmark 20th exhibition
The Tottori Sand Museum marks its 20th exhibition with towering sculptures inspired by Spain¡¯s history, art and architecture.
Despite Tokyo's outsized impact on Japan in real life, much of Forza Horizon 6's content sends players through Japan's more rural stretches than its neon-soaked cities.
LIFE / Digital
May 14, 2026
Forza Horizon 6 is all gas, no brakes in series¡¯ first Japan pit stop
The newest entry to the arcade racing series isn¡¯t exactly subtle about portraying Japan as a playground for cars ¡ª but that¡¯s what makes it so fun.
Alongside the simplified management of a convenience store, Inkonbini asks players to help a small cast of regular shoppers with not only their shopping but problems in their personal lives.
LIFE / Digital
Apr 25, 2026
Inkonbini: Slice-of-life, cozy gaming from Japan¡¯s convenience stores
Inkonbini developer Dima Shen says convenience stores are like ¡°safe rooms¡± from video games: familiar, friendly and always there when you need them.
At his studio, Grasshopper Manufacture, offbeat developer Goichi Suda makes games he likes to play ¡ª critics be damned.
LIFE / Digital
Mar 21, 2026
For Suda51, punk in games isn¡¯t dead. It¡¯s reloading.
With irreverent humor, touches of Japanese culture and a clash of gameplay styles, Romeo is a Dead Man carries on Goichi Suda¡¯s trademark approach to games.
While major gaming corporations will be able to afford higher font fees, smaller companies or lone developers are faced with only one solution: time-consuming work to switch over to new systems.
LIFE / Digital
Feb 21, 2026
5,200% price hike on fonts has Japan¡¯s indie game devs scrambling
The new pricing structure from Tokyo-based Fontworks, which is owned by U.S.-based Monotype, also includes caps on users that would incur even more fees.
A native of Washington state, Roger Dahl began contributing comics and editorial cartoons to The Japan Times in 1991.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives
Jan 26, 2026
¡®Zero Gravity¡¯ comes to an end, but Roger Dahl will keep drawing
The Japan Times¡¯ long-tenured cartoonist has kept busy over the past decades ¡ª and has plenty more projects on the horizon.
Justin Scarpone, Sega's global head of transmedia, believes the gaming icon has all the right conditions to become a multimedia powerhouse.
LIFE / Digital
Jan 16, 2026
The American bringing a Disney flair to Sega¡¯s nongaming push
As Sega¡¯s global head of transmedia, Justin Scarpone sees ¡®character, environments and stories¡¯ as key to success outside gaming.
An electronic display board shows the daily movement of the Nikkei Stock Average on the Tokyo Stock Exchange.
LIFE / Lifestyle
Jan 10, 2026
Set your children up for financial success with the new NISA
Details are not yet final, but plans for the new take on the tax-advantaged investment account indicate a contribution limit of ?600,000 per year and ?6 million in total.
The 36+3 tourist train offers a unique way of traveling the full breadth of Kyushu.
LIFE / Travel
Jan 3, 2026
Seeing Kyushu slowly aboard the 36+3 tourist train
Named for the island¡¯s status as the world¡¯s 36th largest, the train offers a slower way to see some of the region¡¯s rural treasures.
The Tokyo National Museum and the Dino-A-Live show have partnered for a traditional storytelling performance with animatronic dinosaurs reimagined as folklore spirits back from the dead.
CULTURE / Stage
Dec 26, 2025
A night at the museum when dinosaurs come to life
The Dino-A-Live show, made with lifelike animatronic dinosaurs, has partnered with the Tokyo National Museum for a performance steeped in traditional culture.
Despite its decidedly European setting, the Harry Potter franchise has proven surprisingly popular in Japan, a country with no direct ties to the series.
LIFE / Lifestyle
Dec 13, 2025
Why is ¡®Harry Potter¡¯ so big in Japan? ¡®Oshikatsu¡¯ fandom.
The ¡°Harry Potter¡± franchise has no direct ties to Japan or Japanese culture, but fans say its stories are universal.
The history of internment camps for Japanese Americans in the U.S. during World War II has been the focus of several of George Takei's projects, including the Broadway show "Allegiance" and his memoir titled ¡°They Called Us Enemy.¡±
CULTURE / Books
Nov 26, 2025
George Takei brings children¡¯s book on wartime internment to Japan
The ¡°Star Trek¡± actor has written about his experience in the internment camps in the U.S. during World War II.
Located near the Imperial Palace, the Foreign Correspondents¡¯ Club of Japan prides itself on the accessibility of its events and the support it offers to budding and established journalists. The club is currently headed by Dan Sloan, a former reporter for Reuters.
COMMUNITY / Issues / The Foreign Element
Nov 17, 2025
Foreign Correspondents¡¯ Club of Japan celebrates 80 years at the forefront of press freedom
Since its founding in 1945, the club has been an important professional hub and played host to a startling array of political and cultural figures from around the world.
PokePark Kanto, the first permanent outdoor attraction in the franchise, will open Feb. 5 in the Tokyo suburb of Tama Hills.
LIFE / Travel
Nov 13, 2025
PokePark Kanto set for February opening in Tokyo suburb
Tickets for the new Pokemon-themed area of the Yomiuriland amusement park will be offered via a lottery from Nov. 21.
Among the long list of Japanese video game innovators, Tetsuya Mizuguchi stands alone for his unique approach to music, rhythm and puzzle-solving gameplay.
LIFE / Digital
Nov 11, 2025
Hearing colors and seeing sounds with Tetsuya Mizuguchi
The creator of Japan¡¯s answer to Tetris has long been obsessed with the concept of synesthesia in games.
Located in the redeveloped Takanawa Gateway neighborhood, the JW Marriott Tokyo is the first of the luxury brand¡¯s outposts in the Japanese capital.
LIFE / Travel
Oct 31, 2025
Tokyo¡¯s first JW Marriott brings a whole floor of mindfulness
The redeveloped Takanawa Gateway neighborhood gets the newest outpost of the hotel chain¡¯s luxury brand.
"Menheim¡± is a dark fantasy manga with a story that centers on a girl¡¯s quest to find a cure for her ill brother.
CULTURE / Books
Oct 25, 2025
Spanish artist and Japanese writer duos diversify the manga talent pool in Japan
As manga and anime¡¯s global popularity grows, international artists are getting new opportunities to enter the booming industry.
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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