Tag - shinjuku

 
 

SHINJUKU

Many young people who feel neglected at home flock to the Toyoko area to find a community where they can fit in.
JAPAN / Society / FOCUS
Feb 5, 2024
Toyoko Kids: The lonely street children of Tokyo
Bound together by shared neglect and marginalization, the group have formed a distinct, social media-linked youth subculture on the streets of Shinjuku.
The Tokyo Kiki Lounge is a queer pageant, dance competition and party, known in the ball culture as a “kiki ball.”
CULTURE / Stage
Feb 1, 2024
You’re free to be yourself at the Tokyo Kiki Lounge
The pageant, dance competition and party is a thriving safe space for Japan’s queer community.
A group of 19 host club owners in Kabukicho who own most of the host clubs in the area have pledged to ban the pay-later system by April and prohibit entry to those under 20 years old from January.
JAPAN / Society
Dec 26, 2023
How Japan’s host clubs trap young women under mountains of debt
False promises of love — and even marriage — lead to huge bills for some as young as 18, who are often then coaxed into sex work to make repayments.
Shinjuku's Kabukicho is filled with colorful individuals that give the neighborhood its character.
LIFE / Travel / Longform
Dec 22, 2023
Christmastime in Shinjuku Golden Gai
One of Tokyo’s most storied watering holes gets a little quiet during the holidays now that it relies quite a bit on tourists.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Dec 20, 2023
Women arrested for prostitution in Shinjuku tripled in 2023
The issue of women going into prostitution as a result of loans used to finance host club visits has become a huge problem.
An area known as Toyoko in the Kabukicho entertainment district in Tokyo's Shinjuku Ward
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Dec 6, 2023
High school girl arrested for selling cough medicine illegally
The arrest coincides with a surge of young people in Japan abusing over-the-counter drugs, such as cold medicine.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Nov 29, 2023
Japan moves to strengthen crackdown on malicious host clubs
Some women end up with massive debts and are forced into prostitution to repay the sums.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Nov 22, 2023
4 youths nabbed for unauthorized cough medicine sales
Reports indicate that more young people in Japan are overdosing on over-the-counter drugs such as cold pills and cough medicine.
By the finale, I had completely bought into Samurai Restaurant Time's spectacle — a neon-lit festival with chants and cheers.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Nov 12, 2023
Samurai Restaurant Time gives kitschy thrills fit for Kabukicho
To replace the defunct Robot Restaurant, the neon-soaked streets of Kabukicho are serving up a kitschy second course.
Characters from the Super Mario Bros. franchise adorn the front of Super Potato, a well-known retro game shop in Akihabara.
LIFE / Digital
Sep 20, 2023
Let the gaming begin: A guide to Tokyo’s video game landmarks
Whether it’s arcades, retro finds or chip-tune nightclubs, Japan’s capital won’t disappoint gamers wanting to geek out.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Feb 17, 2023
Tokyo approves plan to demolish historic Jingu Stadium despite public outcry
Jingu Stadium is one of only four stadiums where Babe Ruth played that still exists.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
May 22, 2022
Award-winning alchemical delights at Japan’s best bar
Fresh off being named Japan’s top spot for a tipple, Ben Fiddich and its imaginative owner have much more planned than just the next top-shelf drink.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital
Jul 10, 2021
A digital calico is melting hearts (and napping a lot)
The cat has drawn crowds and sparked joy on social media.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
May 2, 2021
‘Tokyo Junkie’: Robert Whiting recounts a lifelong addiction to his adopted city
The author and longtime Japan resident tackles his hardest writing project ever — “interviewing himself” for a memoir on his life, the changing urban landscape and, of course, baseball.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Aug 15, 2020
The popularity of jeans in Japan begins to fray
According to industry data, total sales of jeans of all types reached 78 million pairs in 2002. The current annual figure is believed to have fallen below 40 million.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Aug 1, 2020
Kabukicho host clubs under fire for spreading coronavirus
Some media outlets are weighing the pros and cons of mounting an actual ‘blockade’ of Tokyo’s well-known entertainment district.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Aug 1, 2020
Berg: A classic Shinjuku pit stop, 30 years on
There was already a lot to celebrate about cafe-bar Berg. Now there’s two more: Its 30th birthday and new nonsmoking status.
JAPAN / Society / FOCUS
Jul 21, 2020
Debate over Japan’s virus testing resurfaces amid nationwide outbreak
While the country is conducting more tests now than it was during the first outbreak, it’s still lagging far behind most nations still ensnared in the pandemic.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jul 14, 2020
Tokyo urges 800 theatergoers to get tested as virus cluster found
Tokyo health officials appealed on Tuesday for more than 800 theatregoers to get tested for the novel coronavirus after a production starring Japanese boy-band members was found to be the source of at least 37 cases.
Japan Times
JAPAN / FOCUS
Jul 8, 2020
Hundreds of cases, but no state of emergency: What changed in Japan?
This isn’t April, when businesses shut their doors and workers stayed home; government officials argue that another emergency declaration isn’t necessary.

Longform

The Terasaka Rice Terraces are seen with Mount Buko in the background.
What Yokoze can teach Japan about rural revival