3+ mon, 2+ week ago   (140+ words) The Japan Times The Frenchmen who gave sake a Champagne soul Carl Hirschmann got into sakemaking because he trusted his gut — literally. For years, the Frenchman suffered from acid reflux whenever he drank alcohol, especially wine. Over-the-counter medications and consultations…...

3+ mon, 2+ week ago   (540+ words) When Portuguese merchants and missionaries arrived in the southern port of Nagasaki in the late 16th century, they brought with them escabeche — a fried and pickled seafood delicacy popular in their homeland. Serves 2 as a main course Serves 4 to 6 as an…...

5+ mon, 2+ week ago   (99+ words) The Japan Times Kaori Sakamoto ends career with fourth world championship Retiring star Kaori Sakamoto signed off in style by claiming women's world figure skating championships gold for the fourth time in Prague on Friday. The 25-year-old Milano Cortina Olympic…...

4+ mon, 3+ day ago   (116+ words) Koji Suzuki, the Japanese author known for horror novels including "Ring," died at a Tokyo hospital Friday. He was 68. "Rakuen" (Paradise), his debut novel, received the Superior Award at the 1990 Japan Fantasy Novel Awards. "Ring," released in 1991, was adapted into…...

6+ mon, 5+ hour ago   (102+ words) The Japan Times Growing up in Wakayama Prefecture, the heartland of ume (plum) cultivation in Japan, Mami Kubota enjoyed umeboshi (pickled plums) and plum juice in her daily life.Every summer, she watched her grandmother partake in the ritual of…...

3+ mon, 3+ week ago   (173+ words) The Japan Times Beyond the native speaker myth: Who ‘owns’ the Japanese language? The boundaries of belonging and when fluency becomes exclusion Japan continues to draw an unspoken but influential boundary — one that sorts and evaluates people according to whether…...

3+ mon, 2+ week ago   (272+ words) Japan was overtaken by China as the world’s second-largest creditor nation in 2025 despite setting a fresh record for its tally of overseas assets. Japan’s net external assets rose to an all-time high of ¥561.8 trillion ($3.5 trillion) at the end of 2025, according…...

6+ mon, 1+ week ago   (177+ words) A Japanese man living in the United States was arrested Wednesday for allegedly splashing an oil-like substance at a shrine in Chiba Prefecture in 2015. According to the Chiba Prefectural Police, Masahide Kanayama, 63, whose occupation is unknown, is suspected of damaging…...

4+ mon, 8+ hour ago   (100+ words) The Japan Times Legendary figure skater Kaori Sakamoto announces marriage Kaori Sakamoto’s retirement news conference in Kobe delivered one final surprise from one of Japanese figure skating’s most decorated stars. “This is a personal matter, but I got married recently,…...

7+ mon, 1+ week ago   (130+ words) Hoping to turn Takaichi's silence into a focal point of the election campaign, opposition parties have ramped up their criticism. Since the campaign period for Sunday's House of Representatives began on Jan. 27, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has shied away from…...