In Japan, where judo is more than just a sport, Kosei Inoue is no ordinary athlete.

Essentially unbeatable between 1999 and 2003, the half-heavyweight judoka won three world titles and Olympic gold, …

posted by  banzaitokyo | 7 years, 9 months ago | 0 comments

In the late 1980s we tested the waters: Muji participated in an exhibition of Japanese products in London and sparked a great deal of interest from British retailers. Although Harrods was the first t…

posted by  banzaitokyo | 7 years, 9 months ago | 0 comments

Japanese pair Miu Suzaki and Ryuichi Kihara just completed one of the first performances of the 2018 Winter Olympics figure skating program. And they did it to the title track from skating anime Yuri…

posted by  banzaitokyo | 7 years, 9 months ago | 0 comments

A public elementary school in Tokyo’s exclusive shopping district of Ginza has raised eyebrows with a plan to adopt uniforms designed by Italian fashion brand Giorgio Armani for its students.

Taimei …

posted by  banzaitokyo | 7 years, 9 months ago | 0 comments

Every one of Japan’s sumo wrestlers is to face questioning by outside investigators after a series of incidents tipped the sport into crisis.

The Japan Sumo Association has setup an external panel to…

posted by  banzaitokyo | 7 years, 9 months ago | 0 comments

Ever since the UK voted for Brexit in June 2016, Japan has spoken out about the nation leaving the EU single market, which would create costly problems for companies operating within Britain. And bec…

posted by  banzaitokyo | 7 years, 9 months ago | 0 comments

In high-rise, hi-tech Tokyo, photographer RK finds pockets where the old-style city peeks through the neon-lit towers – and characters from galaxies far, far away

posted by  banzaitokyo | 7 years, 9 months ago | 0 comments

An annual lighting up the famous Zenkoji temple began on Wednesday evening in Nagano, central Japan.

The event commemorates the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano.

The temple's main building was lit up i…

posted by  Yubi | 7 years, 9 months ago | 0 comments

One Wednesday in early December, Teruko Watanabe left home for her office job of almost 17 years at a consulting firm in Tokyo’s Bunkyo Ward. But it was the last time she made the commute, because wh…

posted by  banzaitokyo | 7 years, 9 months ago | 0 comments

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has declared that the ongoing 150-day regular Diet session will be dedicated to “work-style reform.” Deliberations on the package of work-style reform legislation will final…

posted by  banzaitokyo | 7 years, 9 months ago | 0 comments