Tag - osaka

 
 

OSAKA

JAPAN
Aug 25, 2015
Osaka drawing more foreign visitors; may see record 5 million this year
Thanks to a favorable exchange rate, relaxed visa restrictions, more discount airlines flying into Kansai airport and an increase in the number of duty-free shops downtown, the number of foreign visitors to Osaka this year is expected to top 5 million for perhaps the first time.
JAPAN / KANSAI PERSPECTIVE
Aug 23, 2015
As Hashimoto’s reign nears end, a divisive legacy remains
Assuming he does not once again change his mind and seek re-election, the curtain on Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto’s local political career falls on Nov. 22, when voters elect a new mayor and governor.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / OSAKA RESTAURANTS
Aug 21, 2015
Takama: Affordably luxurious soba lunches
It would be easy to breeze past the understated exterior of soba restaurant Takama without ever realizing what’s inside, but that would be unfortunate — especially if you like soba. Michelin-starred Takama is located on the same street that leads into Tenjinbashisuji Shotengai, one of Japan’s — if...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / OSAKA RESTAURANTS
Aug 21, 2015
Olivier le Francois: Kitsch French interiors saved by unpretentious home cooking
There’s no mistaking where Olivier le Francois takes its inspiration from. One step inside will transport you to what feels like a bistro beside the Seine, replete with tables covered by checkered tablecloths, posters of European movie stars on the walls, wine glasses hanging in rows over the bar and,...
JAPAN
Aug 5, 2015
Ponchos in hot demand amid crackdown on umbrella-wielding bicyclists
Consumer demand for ponchos has surged in recent months in line with the revised traffic law that took effect June 1 that can punish umbrella-holding bicyclists in the event they hit someone, the Mainichi Shimbun reported Tuesday.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 26, 2015
Osaka merger, rejected by referendum, is not dead yet
Hang on. Haven’t we seen this movie before?
JAPAN / Politics / KANSAI PERSPECTIVE
Jul 26, 2015
Hashimoto’s proposed Kansai-centric party no easy sell in region, where rivalries limit appeal
No stranger to making headlines and raising eyebrows in politics, the fiery Toru Hashimoto did it again on July 4.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Jul 25, 2015
America still rules the world of Japan’s theme parks
The success of Tokyo Disney Resort and Universal Studios Japan has a lot to do with their business models and the way they’ve exploited their appeal to certain demographics in Japan.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / OSAKA RESTAURANTS
Jul 24, 2015
Difference: Small but intense challenges served on big plates
Certain foods are like certain songs: they transport you to another time and place. Foie gras always reminds me of Belgium — specifically a wedding I once attended outside Brussels. It was the bride’s wish (and command) that all 200-plus guests would eat foie gras, and from that time I’ve always associated...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / VIEWS FROM THE STREET
Jul 22, 2015
Views from Tokyo and Osaka: Is Tokyo really the most livable city in the world?
Lifestyle magazine Monocle recently named Tokyo as the world’s most livable city, but do residents and visitors in the capital and Japan’s second city agree?
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 6, 2015
Hashimoto raises prospect of forming all-Kansai political party
Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto expresses interest in forming an all-Kansai political party, which could split the party into eastern and western Japan factions.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / OSAKA RESTAURANTS
Jun 26, 2015
Rakushin: Austere multicourse dining in a traditional Osaka town house
What does austerity look and feel like? Well, it depends on whom you ask. I imagine for Greeks it’s a sort of endless despair engendering cynicism, but here in Japan, austerity — or, rather, restraint — can engender a sense of luxury, subtlety and even sensuality. Austerity has a long and rich...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / OSAKA RESTAURANTS
Jun 26, 2015
A traditional Izakaya as rough and raucous as life on an old fishing trawler
This restaurant is loud, raucous and busy, much like life on a fishing boat, which may or may not be incidental since Isaribi takes its name from the light used to lure fish at night — often seen on trawlers used to catch squid. Isaribi is the original (opened in 1973) of a small chain of robatayakis...
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 20, 2015
Ishin no To tries to quell bickering over lawmakers’ alternative security bills
More than 30 members of Ishin no To (Japan Innovation Party) gathered in Osaka on Saturday to hash out differences in opinions over three security bills proposed by the party’s Diet members.
JAPAN / KANSAI PERSPECTIVE
Jun 15, 2015
Osaka’s assault on ethnic invective stalls
With last week’s decision by the Osaka Municipal Assembly to delay a decision on what would have been Japan’s first city ordinance to combat hate speech and to issue a nonbinding statement instead, local legal efforts to crack down on racist rhetoric have slowed.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 10, 2015
Osaka Municipal Assembly delays decision on banning hate speech
The city council released a statement urging the central government to “promote effective legal measures for the eradication of hate speech” and deferred a decision on a potential ban.
JAPAN / Society
May 25, 2015
With hate speech bill, Osaka grapples with freedom of expression
The Osaka Municipal Government has proposed an ordinance aimed at curbing hate speech against racial and ethnic minorities in the city, where verbal and other attacks against Korean residents have intensified in recent years.
BUSINESS
May 22, 2015
Orix, Vinci said to bid for ¥2.2 trillion Osaka airport concessions
Orix Corp., one of the nation’s most acquisitive financial firms, plans to team with French infrastructure operator Vinci SA in a bid for airport rights in Osaka Prefecture, people with knowledge of the matter said.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
May 22, 2015
Hashimoto likely to continue political career, but in what role?
In the fall of 2007, Osaka’s political leaders faced a problem.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
May 18, 2015
Osaka referendum causes turbulence for LDP, Komeito
Many in Japan’s political world are asking themselves what the effect of Sunday’s referendum in Osaka will be, and whether it will indeed mark the end of Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto’s political career.

Longform

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