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June 14, 2026
 

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Kimberly Hughes
Opened in March, Bar Trench Kyoto is the first Kansai outpost of the Ebisu cocktail institution.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Jun 14, 2026
A Tokyo cocktail institution sets its sights on Kyoto
Opened in March, Bar Trench Kyoto is the first non-Tokyo outpost of the Ebisu cocktail institution.
At Nakayama Coffee Farm, Tatsumi Kishimoto (far right) and his team run a cafe and conduct tours of the grounds for visitors. Kishimoto says Okinawan coffee farmers cannot rely on coffee-farming alone as their sole source of income.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Feb 20, 2026
Bean by bean, coffee cultivation in Okinawa defies the odds
From setting up greenhouses to padding up soil beds with grass, coffee producers on the island are finding ways to work around climate challenges to promote their sweet brew.
At Buryu Winery, owner Keiji Yamaguchi (left) and assistant winemaker Kaede Narita created a cedar-infused red wine by fermenting it in a 1,000 liter "kioke" cedar tub.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Feb 6, 2026
Against the grain: Japanese wine aged in local barrels
A small but growing number of domestic winemakers are using vessels made from native trees such as ¡°mizunara,¡± moving away from the norm of using European or American oak.
Kappabashi, Tokyo's "Kitchen Town," is home to friendly faces like shopkeeper Mieko Uematsu. At Mantou, she sells a variety of traditional condiments, as well as knickknacks based on the "kappa" (a mythical water goblin).
LIFE / Food & Drink
Dec 19, 2025
From aprons to sake cups: What to buy in Tokyo¡¯s Kappabashi
Need some last-minute Christmas gift ideas? We get shoppers in ¡°Kitchen Town¡± to show us what they bought.
Southern California native Hector Herrera is one of three pastors at Tokyo Union Church in Omotesando.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Dec 12, 2025
Hector Herrera: ¡®Tolerance means remaining in the conversation¡¯
Music, incense and natural wines ¡ª a pastor at Tokyo Union Church talks about his hobbies and inspirations, both in and out of the church.
Yuzen Inoue gave up a corporate life to pursue the craft of salt-making in Yamaguchi Prefecture. Today, he makes salts that showcase the nuanced flavors of salt crystals each season.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Dec 5, 2025
In Yamaguchi, a salt master captures the terroir of the sea
With the mineral-rich waters of Yuya Bay at his disposal, Yuzen Inoue creates blends that bring out the nuanced, different flavors of salt crystals each season.
At Cofunia, an inn themed after Japan's "kofun," the often keyhole-shaped burial mounds form the inspiration for design of much of the property.
LIFE / Travel
Oct 11, 2025
Nara inn offers room, board and an ancient burial mound
More than 160,000 ¡°kofun¡± burial mounds dot the Japanese archipelago, but Cofunia allows guests to lay their heads directly adjacent to one.
One of the entrances to Pao Compound, a nine-story Silk Road-inspired complex in Tokyo's Higashinakano neighborhood
LIFE / Lifestyle
Jul 19, 2025
Touring the Silk Road ¡ª without leaving Tokyo
Located near Higashinakano Station, Pao Compound is an eclectic mix of restaurants, event spaces and an affinity for cultural exploration.
Thai eatery Orangutan takes over Lou cafe in the evening, replacing casual coffee and cakes with the fiery dishes of Isan cuisine.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Jun 29, 2025
Come nightfall in Nakano, Thai eatery Orangutan opens its arms
Named after an ape, the restaurant, which takes over a cafe space in the evening, brings authentic, fiery Isan flavors to Tokyo.
Restaurant of Mistaken Orders staff serve lunch to participants at an event at the Tokyo Metropolitan Government cafeteria.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Jan 31, 2025
Addressing dementia through a human-centered approach in Tokyo and beyond
A recent symposium on dementia featured Dr. Katarina Nagga, who discussed a Swedish program that emphasizes the importance of early detection and a people-centered approach.
With abundant rains and formidable humidity in summer, Japan does not seem to be an ideal land for wine, but winegrowers in Yamanashi Prefecture have gradually been able to adapt.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Jan 26, 2025
Of sake and spirits: Indulging in Yamanashi¡¯s best
Visits to Grace Wine¡¯s vineyard and the Suntory Hakushu Distillery turn a tour of the mountainous prefecture into a gourmet treat.
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.
Tokyo Union Church volunteers prepare food for unhoused individuals. The church helps people regardless of religion, race or sexuality.
COMMUNITY / Issues / The Foreign Element
Dec 16, 2024
From the stage to the streets, make a difference this holiday season
Discover the joy of giving back through a variety of charitable efforts. Helping others helps you, too.
Amit Chhetri opened Yeti Roastery Coffee in Tokyo's Todoroki neighborhood in 2020 as a way to promote Nepalese coffee in Japan.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Oct 27, 2024
Yeti Roastery Coffee is elevating Nepalese java in Japan
¡°Nepal has rich soil and a huge potential for growing coffee in its mountains, which are also unbelievably gorgeous,¡± says Yeti Coffee Roastery¡¯s Amit Chhetri.
Cucina Salve's wild herb salad is a example of chef Hiroshi Tsubouchi's commitment to creating dishes with as little artificial additives as possible.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Sep 29, 2024
Neither allergies nor ADHD could stop chef Hiroshi Tsubouchi
A childhood of hardships led this Chichibu-based chef to embrace an organic philosophy for all his dishes.
Founded in the early 2000s, Ichiro's Malt has since become a third pole in Japan's whisky world dominated by beverage giants.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Aug 4, 2024
In sleepy Chichibu, Japan¡¯s whisky landscape is quietly shifting
Ichiro¡¯s signature flavor profile of rich, woodsy flavors complemented by a clear fruitiness owes in large part to the tempermental ¡®mizunara¡¯ Japanese oak.
Hedwig Schreck is a third-generation Tokyoite whose grandfather first arrived in Japan from Germany in 1920 as a submarine engineer.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Jul 24, 2024
Hedwig Schreck: ¡®Art has always been part of my life¡¯
A third-generation Tokyoite, the former TV producer has pivoted to teaching others about Japanese culture in her retirement.
Ryosuke Kunisawa hopes his "concept brewpub" serves as a focal point to an image change for the salaryman epicenter that is the Shimbashi neighborhood.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Jun 30, 2024
Craft beer, craftsmanship and a family of reinvention
On the first two floors of his family¡¯s slender eight-story building, Kunisawa launched the Kunisawa Brewing Company, Shimbashi¡¯s first beer brewery, in May 2022.
Specializing in gastronomy-themed tours, Arigato Travel, founded and directed by Anne Kyle, was once a one-woman operation. Today, it counts more than 100 employees.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Apr 26, 2024
Anne Kyle: ¡®People want to know what life actually is like here¡¯
The founder and CEO of Arigato Travel grew her business from a one-woman operation to a national outfit of more than 100 employees in a matter of years.
After stints working in New Zealand and Germany, Yoshitada Katsuki opened his winery in his home prefecture of Miyazaki in order to work with grapes his own way.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Feb 24, 2024
Despite ¡®inhospitable¡¯ Miyazaki, Katsuki Wines stays au naturel
For pest control, Yoshitada Katsuki applies to vines a solution of vinegar, sugar and local sh¨­ch¨± that he jokes ¡°lets bugs get drunk before dying.¡±
Emperor Naruhito seeks public backing for an imperial family plan
Emperor Naruhito speaks at a news conference about his upcoming visit to the Netherlands and Belgium, in Tokyo on Thursday.
Asics will spin off trendy shoe brand Onitsuka Tiger
Widely popularized by ¡°Kill Bill,¡± Onitsuka Tiger started as a sport shoe brand and later became a fashion trend under parent Asics.
The challenge of being neurodivergent in Japan¡¯s culture of conformity
Social camouflaging can help neurodivergent people navigate social situations, but researchers say the effort often comes with significant emotional and mental strain.
SMBC-backed Yes Bank sees Indians tip-toeing back to deposits
SMBC, part of Japan¡¯s second-largest banking group, became the top shareholder of India's Yes Bank with a 24.9% stake last year.
The $66 billion train seen fixing Australia¡¯s housing crisis
A train crosses Harbour Bridge in Sydney, Australia. Many people don't believe the bullet train vision, which has a history of false starts, will materialize.
A Tokyo cocktail institution sets its sights on Kyoto
Opened in March, Bar Trench Kyoto is the first Kansai outpost of the Ebisu cocktail institution.
TV Tairiku Ondo channels the chaotic creativity of youth
The members of TV Tairiku Ondo ¡ª (from left) Harea Togari, Ryuji Chiyotani, Kotaro Suzuki and Hiroto Yanagawa ¡ª met as high school students in Sapporo and went viral in 2024 with an energetic 90-second track.
Japan aiming to live up to heightened expectations with deep run at World Cup
Japan's Daichi Kamada celebrates after scoring against Bolivia during a friendly at Tokyo's National Stadium in November.
¡®All of a Sudden¡¯: A tender triumph from Ryusuke Hamaguchi
Virginie Efira (left) and Tao Okamoto play two women in crisis drawn together by happenstance in Ryusuke Hamaguchi¡¯s ¡°All of a Sudden.¡±
In Japan, Nepalese students navigate a growing study-to-work pathway
Dipu Tamang from Nepal is among more than 400,000 international students in Japan.

Podcast

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

Longform

Social camouflaging can help neurodivergent people navigate social situations, but researchers say the effort often comes with significant emotional and mental strain.
The challenge of being neurodivergent in Japan¡¯s culture of conformity
By Tomoko Otake

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