Why is this entertainment complex skyscraper in Tokyo almost deserted in the afternoon?

Kabukicho Tower is supposed to be a landmark for the neighborhood, but we sat more employees than customers on our recent weekday afternoon visit. About two and a half years ago, the... Read more »

Luxury Shopping and Fine Dining

Ginza is Tokyo’s most polished playground, a place where designer flagships meet centuries-old department stores. In winter, the streets shimmer with festive illuminations, elaborate window displays and a sense of celebration in... Read more »

The UK Pavilion Expo 2025: From Inventions to Innovation

Expo 2025 is in full swing, under the scorching heat of the Japanese summer. Visitors shade themselves with parasols or queue to enter indoor spaces just for the air-conditioning. That’s when I... Read more »

The silent battle Japanese athletes fight with weight

Akiko Suzuki ordered a steak dinner at an airport restaurant on her way home from a figure skating competition in Croatia. Not long after the meal, she walked into a bathroom and... Read more »

Shizuoka farmers fight to preserve sustainable tea method that’s steeped in tradition

KAKEGAWA, SHIZUOKA PREF. – Kazuhisa Sugimoto, a 75-year-old tea farmer overseeing a sprawling 18,000-square-meter tea farm in Kakegawa, Shizuoka Prefecture, is in a race against time. Pressed by an aging generation, fickle... Read more »

A Sophisticated Stay in Ginza, the Fifth Avenue of Tokyo

Ginza has long been Tokyo’s most glamorous shopping district — a place where heritage department stores, flagship boutiques and Michelin-starred restaurants line the streets. At the end of the year, the streets... Read more »

Polluted and poor: Blighted U.S. cities tackle ‘toxic soup’

THOMSON REUTERS FOUNDATION – The path to Minnesota’s groundbreaking, new anti-pollution law began at a metal-shredding facility in Minneapolis before spreading its “toxic soup” along the banks of the Mississippi. The factory,... Read more »

Setsuko Hara: Japan’s Eternal Virgin

On this day 10 years ago, Setsuko Hara, widely considered the greatest Japanese actress of the country’s Golden Age of Cinema, passed away at the age of 95. Known as the “Greto... Read more »

Chansey Pokémon Park in Japan helps a region heal from disaster

Fukushima looks to a brighter future with the help of its Lucky Support Pokémon. Back in 2021, government officials in Fukushima Prefecture announced that four towns would be receiving a Chansey Park.... Read more »

Where To Buy Jeans in Tokyo and Beyond

The arrival of fall and back to school season means it’s finally time to pull out your favorite pair of jeans. This year has seen more denim discourse than most, from Sydney... Read more »