Japanese regulators say TEPCO nuclear plant prone to attack

FILE - This Sept. 30, 2017, aerial file photo shows the reactors of No. 6, right, and No. 7, left, at Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant, on the northern Japanese coast in Niigata prefecture. Japanese nuclear regulators said Wednesday, March 17, 2021 that the world's largest nuclear power plant, owned by the utility behind the Fukushima...

Tokyo Olympics hit by another scandal over sexist comment

Naomi Watanabe, a Japanese well-known entertainer, attends an event to promote the lottery application for tickets for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in Tokyo in May 2019. Tokyo Olympics creative director Hiroshi Sasaki is resigning Wednesday, March 17, 2021 after making demeaning comments about the well-known female celebrity. Sasaki was in charge of the opening and...

Japan worshippers brave smouldering coals to pray for safety

Buddhist monks spreads ambers in a bonfire at the fire-walking festival, called hiwatari matsuri in Japanese, at Mt.Takao in Tokyo, Japan, on March 14, 2021.Reuters Japanese worshippers prayed for the safety of themselves and their families on Sunday by walking barefoot with Buddhist monks over smouldering coals at an annual festival near Mt. Takaosan. The fire-walking was...

Coronavirus takes bloom off Tokyo’s cherry blossom festivities

Women wearing kimonos pose for a souvenir photo with blooming cherry blossoms in Kyoto. Instead of tarpaulins being laid out in the parks of Tokyo in anticipation of the arrival of the first cherry blossoms, crash barriers are being erected with signs warning that the annual revelries are prohibited as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. The...

How Japan 2011 quake, tsunami survivors faced a ‘secondary disaster’: Sexual violence in shelters

The destroyed city of Natori, Miyagi Prefecture in northern Japan, after the March 11, 2011 earthquake and tsunami For some survivors, the anniversary of the earthquake and tsunami disaster will bring back memories of the sexual abuse they suffered a decade ago. This story is part of a series on women’s issues in China and Asia...

Coronavirus dampens Japanese man’s plan to rescue bathhouse culture

Craft beer, live music and lodging featured in renovation plans that Takuya Shimbo had for an aging Tokyo bathhouse, hoping to rescue a fading industry from extinction by reinventing the concept of communal bathing. Then the novel coronavirus struck. The government deemed Japan’s few remaining bathhouses as critical for public hygiene so it requested they stay open,...

Japan-made ‘Taipei green onion bread’ upsets Taiwanese

To attract customers, bakeries often try new recipes from around the world. A photo of a scallion bread sold in a bakery in Japan went viral on Facebook, with a caption saying that “Japanese must have misunderstood Taiwanese people.” The photo taken at a bakery in Okinawa shows the bread with chunks of green onions on top...

Tokyo Games likely to be pared down, says JOC chief

The rearranged Tokyo Olympics are likely to be a pared-down version of recent editions of the four-yearly Games, Japanese Olympic Committee chairman Yasuhiro Yamashita said on Tuesday. Japan and the International Olympic Committee postponed the Tokyo Games until 2021 in March because of the coronavirus pandemic. Since then, organisers have spoken of trying to simplify the event...

Will You Try The Japanese Cricket Udon Claimed To Be Nutritious?

Eating insects has become a thing now in the Western countries. More and more international organizations are encouraging the practice of eating ‘insect meal’ due to their high energy and protein content as well as low production cost. Some companies are even introducing this uncommon food into people's diet by serving it with other dishes...

Going To Japan? Try This Drinkable Soft-Serve Ice Cream From Lawson

The convenience store chain launched the dessert on Oct 29. Anyone who has been to Japan would be familiar with the country’s unique convenience store culture — a large part of it attributed to the numerous delicious things you can find in these 24-hour shops. There’s piping hot oden, sushi, gourmet sandwiches, desserts and everything but...