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January 23, 2026
 

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Laura Pollacco
As head of primary at The British School in Tokyo, Eleanor Loran brings her experience working in far-flung locales like Hong Kong and New Zealand to the diverse school community in Japan.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Jan 6, 2026
Eleanor Loran: ¡®I believe in building empathy, tolerance and kindness¡¯
A senior administrator at The British School in Tokyo shares her views on the value of international education and the challenges of maintaining a community in constant flux.
A video on Bayraktar's Instagram account of the Belgian photographer approaching an elderly worker in Tokyo's Shibuya has gone viral, garnering almost 9 million views.
LIFE / Digital
Aug 6, 2025
Photographer Bleg Bayraktar is winning social media with politeness
Japan holds a special place in the heart of the Belgian photographer, who has shot portraits in various countries and cultivated a reputation for being incredibly respectful.
Canadian-born Jesse Cunningham came to Japan to teach in the JET Programme, and later found opportunities to learn traditional blacksmithing in Kochi Prefecture.
COMMUNITY / Issues / The Foreign Element
Aug 4, 2025
The international artists supporting Japan¡¯s craft legacy
From Kochi to Kamakura, non-Japanese craftspeople are training with local artisans and carving out a niche for themselves.
The Hotaruan Royal Garden Suite, a renovated traditional "minka" home, will host the second iteration of the Minka Preservation Society's MinkaMeets event.
LIFE / Style & Design
May 31, 2025
Traditional home experts to gather at MinkaMeets event
Roof thatching expert Haruo Nishio is one of several experts scheduled to speak at the June 7-8 event.
Born and raised in Japan, Joshua Thomson has been making videos on YouTube and Instagram to poke fun at stereotypes and challenge assumptions about ¡ª or from ¡ª Japanese society.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
May 23, 2025
Joshua Thomson: ¡®Comedy is a pill that¡¯s easier to swallow¡¯
The bilingual YouTuber talks about his hybrid cultural heritage and his aspirations in the entertainment industry.
National agency Heritage Malta worked with Japan¡¯s Ministry of Foreign Affairs to ensure the painstaking restoration of samurai armor that spent over half a century forgotten in storage in Valletta, Malta.
JAPAN / History
May 1, 2025
Lost and found history receives glittering homecoming at Osaka Expo
Hidden away since World War II, samurai armor gifted to Malta from Japan in 1862 has been restored to its full glory and put on display at the Malta Pavilion.
Shogo Yamaguchi shares his love of traditional Japanese culture with an audience of nearly 2 million YouTube subscribers.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Mar 29, 2025
Shogo Yamaguchi: ¡®Traditional culture thrives in a peaceful society¡¯
The Kyoto-based content creator shares travel tips and reminisces on the path that led him to where he is today.
Both priest and participant bow in recognition and readiness for the practice of zazen.
LIFE / Lifestyle
Mar 25, 2025
The art of taking a pause: Discover the 1,000-year-old meditation technique of zazen in Tokyo's temples
Thousands of years later, in Japan the practice continues under the name "zazen."
Otono Kuboki, a Japanese Canadian hair stylist for salon chain Sozo, is a key figure in the company's mission to elevate the viability of Japan's hairdressing industry to foreign residents.
LIFE / Lifestyle
Jan 11, 2025
Can an international makeover help Tokyo salons meet foreign demand?
Sozo Education aims to train Tokyo¡¯s next crop of stylists not just in English vocabulary related to hairdressing but in the diverse needs of foreign hair types.
Kaz Shiomi is looking forward to the Osaka Expo this year, which will be held from April 13 to Oct. 13.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Jan 10, 2025
Kaz Shiomi: ¡®I want to show people ¡­ how to color outside the lines¡¯
Producing toys under her kiko+ & gg* brand, the business owner hopes to encourage children to find their own unique paths in life.
Jon Walsh, an urban farmer and the owner of Business Grow, has been teaching the residents of Tokyo how to grow their own food for over a decade.
ENVIRONMENT / Sustainability
Dec 31, 2024
Great things can grow in small places
This is a sponsored story, created and edited exclusively by Tokyo Metropolitan Government¡¯s Tokyo Updates website.
With brightly colored hair and equally colorful attire, the 48-year-old Maaya Orii certainly stands out in a crowd.
LIFE / Style & Design
Jun 1, 2024
Paging Dr. Maaya, the neurosurgeon doubling as a fashion designer
Maaya Orii works as a neurosurgeon in Tokyo on weekdays and as a doctor in Kushiro, Hokkaido, on weekends. In her spare time, she¡¯ll shift gears and focus on fashion.
Japan Times contributor Laura Pollacco (front right) was offered the role of one of her all-time favorite heroines, Elizabeth ¡°Lizzie¡± Bennet, in the Tokyo International Players¡¯ production of ¡°Pride and Prejudice.¡±
CULTURE / Stage
May 18, 2024
Local theater in Japan is more than a hobby ¡ª it¡¯s a community
For contributor Laura Pollacco, companies such as Tokyo International Players and Sheepdog Theatre offer a home away from home.
Kaori Yamada grew up surrounded by bonsai her whole life and was expected to carry on her family's 170-year-old legacy when she became an adult.
LIFE / Lifestyle
Mar 23, 2024
The bonsai master working to branch out an age-old craft
Kaori Yamada grew up surrounded by bonsai her whole life and was expected to carry on her family's 170-year-old legacy or otherwise end it.
Mika and Jesse say their landlady prefers a hands-off style of property management, leaving all matters, including maintenence and repairs, to the renting couple.
LIFE / Lifestyle
Nov 18, 2023
Renting akiya: A backdoor into 91²Ö¿â abandoned homes
¡°If the choice is between leaving (an akiya) empty or renting it out, please rent it out.¡±
By the finale, I had completely bought into Samurai Restaurant Time's spectacle ¡ª a neon-lit festival with chants and cheers.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Nov 12, 2023
Samurai Restaurant Time gives kitschy thrills fit for Kabukicho
To replace the defunct Robot Restaurant, the neon-soaked streets of Kabukicho are serving up a kitschy second course.
Thai woman arrested in Japan for smuggling 'zombie cigarettes'
Seized cartridges containing etomidate are shown at Kansai International Airport in Osaka Prefecture on Tuesday.
Kabuki actor Nakamura Tsurumatsu arrested for alleged damage at Tokyo restaurant
Kabuki actor Nakamura Tsurumatsu, whose real name is Daiki Shimizu, has been arrested on suspicion of breaking a Tokyo restaurant's door by kicking it on Sunday, sources said.
Growing number of anime studios setting up bases outside Tokyo to secure talent
Mappa¡¯s employees work at the anime studio¡¯s office in the city of Osaka in September. Some parts of the image are blurred for privacy reasons.
Heavy snow hits wide areas of Japan as extreme cold front hits
Central Sapporo on Wednesday morning. Around 50 centimeters of snowfall is expected in Hokkaido in the 24 hours between Wednesday and Thursday morning.
Osaka says 'I'm a little strange' after Melbourne fashion statement
Naomi Osaka arrives for her first round match against Croatia's Antonia Ruzic on Tuesday at the Australian Open in Melbourne.
At peace with baseball and refusing to be benched by surgeries, Warren Cromartie mulls legacy
Former Giants star Warren Cromartie worked with Kazuma Okamoto during his stint as a guest hitting instructor for Yomiuri.
In calling a snap election this soon, Takaichi is making it personal
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi announces her will to dissolve the Lower House in Tokyo on Monday.
U.S. and Japan turn to drones to help offset China¡¯s military advantages
Low-cost Unmanned Combat Attack System (LUCAS) drones are positioned on the tarmac at a base in the U.S. Central Command operating area in November.
Snap election in February presents wintry challenges in Hokkaido
Workers in Sapporo's Odori Park prepare for the annual Snow Festival, which will take place during next month's Lower House campaign and Feb. 8 election.
Shinkansen vs. Amtrak and the lost art of small talk
The Amtrak Cascades line provides service along the Pacific Northwest from Vancouver, British Columbia, to Eugene, Oregon.

Podcast

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

Longform

After a busy couple of weeks on the public lecture circuit, German-born physicist Albert Einstein took a few days of relaxation on Hiroshima Prefecture¡¯s Miyajima island.
When Einstein came to Hiroshima
By Patrick Parr

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