A New Champion Appears
Thirty-year-old Kisenosato Yutaka finally ascended to sumo’s highest rank in January this year, after claiming his maiden top-division championship. In doing so, he became the first Ja…
The archive
Recent articles — page 475
Browse recent articles in the Akihabara archive.
Manga Artist Kiyohiko Azuma’s Urban Sketches of Japan
Kiyohiko Azuma is a manga artist perhaps best known for his series Yotsuba&! about the naïve 5-year old Yotsuba who humorously stumbles her way through life. Stylistically, Yotsuba…
Yuasa Town: The Birthplace of Soy Sauce
Soy Sauce is said to have originated in China and then brought over to Japan by a Buddhist monk who settled down in current-day Wakayama Prefecture in 1254. Using the abundance of clear, spring …
Billionaire Taizo Son wants to fund your crazy startup. No biz plan needed
Taizo Son onstage at Tech in Asia’s Startup Asia conference 2014. Southeast Asia has a new billionaire, and he wants to invest in unconventional startups who can help him reimagine city living.…
Wrapping Your Shoes Like Furoshiki
The Japanese tradition of furoshiki is an important one. These beautiful square clothes are used for any number of functions, but they’re probably most easily recognized as the fabric used for wrappi…
Keeping Japan’s Traditional Music Alive: Koto Player Curtis Patterson
Chicago-born Curtis Patterson has lived in Japan since 1986, dedicating himself to the koto, a traditional Japanese instrument something like the harp. In addition to composing and performing mu…
Direct democracy for small villages?
Questions about Japan answered directly from Akihabara, Tokyo!
Luxury Train Launch
East Japan Railway's new luxury sleeper train has departed on its first journey from Tokyo. The 10-car "Train Suite Shiki-shima" left Ueno Station carrying 33 passengers…
Cyber Attack
The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department says internet users were denied access to its website on Friday afternoon in a suspected cyber-attack. The department said on Friday it is the first…
Docomo designed flying spherical displays
The device comprises a spherical external frame, an internal LED frame consisting of a series of eight curved LED strips that extend from top to bottom, a drone fitted inside the sphere and legs prot…