Japan

[ad_1] If you thought your week was busy, get a load of Taylor Swift’s.First, there was a record-breaking night at the Grammys, one in which she also announced a new album. Then, a last-minute flight across the Pacific (one that you’d better not be tracking) and a wintery welcome to Tokyo after the capital’s first blizzard of the season days prior. Despite it all, the 34-year-old pop superstar looked rested […]

[ad_1] The government on Friday formally decided to abolish the controversial foreign technical intern program, marking a significant shift in its approach to workers from overseas. In its place, there will be a new system enabling long-term residency.The new system is aimed at bringing foreign workers up to a certain skill level within three years, paving the way for a long-term stay in Japan.The plan also allows for conditional transfers […]

[ad_1] In the restaurant cosmos, Michelin stars offer order and hierarchy. They certainly don’t calm the incorrigibly disputatious industry; instead, they provide a focus for rivalry, competition and debate, as well as anxiety.Ferran Adria, the legendary Spanish chef whose legacy has just been spectacularly celebrated in Copenhagen, says that one of the comforts of shuttering his restaurant El Bulli in 2011 — at the height of its powers — was […]

[ad_1] NARITA, Chiba Pref. – ANA Holdings launched its third airline brand, AirJapan, on Friday, with the medium-haul low-cost carrier targeting the growing number of tourists to Japan from other Asian countries following the complete removal of COVID-19 travel restrictions.The parent of All Nippon Airways said AirJapan will operate six round-trip flights per week between Narita Airport near Tokyo and Bangkok using Boeing 787-8 aircraft, with its first flight departing […]

[ad_1] MAEBASHI, Gunma Pref. – The dog that attacked a dozen people including nine elementary school pupils in Gunma Prefecture earlier this week had not been vaccinated for rabies, the local government said Friday.The pet owner has admitted that he failed to inoculate the 2-year-old Shikoku that went on a biting spree in Isesaki, Gunma Prefecture, on Wednesday, sending five of the 12 to hospital, although their injuries were not […]

[ad_1] World-renowned Japanese conductor Seiji Ozawa died Tuesday from heart failure at his home in Tokyo, his management group announced Friday. He was 88. Ozawa worked with many North American orchestras throughout his illustrious career, including the New York Philharmonic, the San Francisco Symphony, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and the Boston Symphony Orchestra, where he was the music director from 1973 until 2002. His 29-year tenure was the longest in […]

[ad_1] The average budget for women planning to buy Valentine’s Day chocolate stands at ¥5,024, marking a 34% increase from the previous year, according to a survey released Thursday by Tokyo research firm Intage. Despite concerns about rising prices impacting spending habits, all categories of chocolate-giving saw an increase in planned spending compared to the previous year, potentially reflecting an increase in face-to-face interactions after COVID-19 restrictions were lifted. The […]

[ad_1] Doha – Goal-scorer Akram Afif said "the best is yet to come" after hosts and holders Qatar squeezed into an Asian Cup final against Jordan with a dramatic 3-2 win over Iran on Wednesday.Almoez Ali struck in the 82nd minute in Doha to send Qatar into their second consecutive final, further exorcising the demons of their first-round exit at the 2022 World Cup.Qatar lost all three of their World […]

[ad_1] The basic checklist for first-timers to Japan is predictable: Eat at a conveyer belt sushi joint, catch a peek of Mount Fuji, ride the shinkansen, cross Shibuya scramble. Over the past few years, one more item has found its place firmly on the list, scrawled in technicolor: take a selfie at teamLab.The art collective founded in Japan operates site-specific works across Asia, and is expanding in Europe, the Middle […]