Latest posts by Hanako Tokita from January, 2008
Japan: The Whistle of the Middle East
The sport of handball is receiving the kind of attention from the media and general public it never has before in Japan, as well as in Korea. The dispute came to light when Korea and Japan together appealed to the International Handball Federation for replay of the Olympics qualifiers of...
Japan: Turn off the lights
Since their introduction in the 1970s, convenience stores, popularly called konbini, have developed into a prominent feature of the Japanese landscape. Now the number has grown to about 45,000 stores, 94 per cent of which are running 24-7, offering everything from food, to beverages, to snacks, to ATMs, to ticketing and utility bill payments, you name it.
Japan: Changing New Year Celebrations
New Year's Day is the most important holiday for many people in Japan, where anything "first of the year" bears a special value: first day of the year, first sunrise, first dream, first sales...