As recently as five years ago, foreign-born clerks were something of a rarity, even in Tokyo. However, a shortage of Japanese workers and an increase in overseas students…
Saitama Prefecture is a part of Kanto that is often overlooked by tourists and even locals, which is a surprise given its easy access from the Tokyo metropolitan…
The sport has been described as a video game brought to life, and its appeal has not gone unnoticed in Japan. Several drone race organizations have emerged over…
Tokyo Comic Con, which was held Nov. 30-Dec. 2 at Makuhari Messe, had thousands of guests and cosplayers at its annual convention that celebrates all things in comic…
Uguisudanicho — a small neighborhood wedged between Daikanyama, Ebisu and Shibuya — has bakeries, leather goods and bird stores. Read the full story online. (Kit Nagamura photos) .…
Tomoya Takano, the owner of a barrier-free guesthouse in Kamakura, which lies about 50 kilometers south of Tokyo, has designed a package tour of the area for people…
In 2002, Taku Kondo had a fateful encounter peppers on the Okinawa island of Ishigaki that sparked his interest in habaneros. Thirteen years later, he now cultivates 1,800…
Though coffee culture has long been a part of Kyoto, and generations of Kyotoites have enjoyed fresh-roasted coffee at “kissaten” (old-style coffee shops), the third wave coffee boom…
The Michinoku Coastal Trail is a 700-kilometer-long route that hugs the Pacific coast from Aomori Prefecture to Fukushima Prefecture. Huge sections of the MCT fall under the Sanriku…
The leaves have begun to turn yellow at Jingu Gaien Ginkgo Avenue, one of the most popular autumn spots in Tokyo. The street is lined with tall gingko…
In The Japan Times’ inaugural podcast, Deep Dive looks at the complicated issue of dual citizenship issue in Japan. Link in the bio, or search for “Deep Dive…
For more than a third of the year, Sapporo is buried beneath thick snow. During its warmer months, however, the city shrugs off its winter coat and bursts…
Social Good Roasters specifically employs people with disabilities such as Down syndrome and autism, and teaches them everything from how to sort unroasted coffee beans to the process…
A tourist admires colorful autumn leaves, their reflections seen on a black table, at Ruriko-in, a traditional Japanese-style villa in the Yase mountain area of northern Kyoto, on…
Traversing around Tokyo can be an intimidating and stressful endeavor. Even more so when you’re confined to a wheelchair. Reporter Andrew McKirdy experienced it for himself when he…