“Lifestyle” has become one of the hottest marketing buzzwords in Japan in recent times and everywhere you look these days you will see someone describing either themselves or their goods and services as “lifestyle this” or “lifestyle that.” The current pervasiveness of this concept suggests it is a relatively new and revolutionary idea, and yet…

Rob Gilhooly spurns the renowned comforts of a ryokan in a bid to get a taste of Japan’s great outdoors. While idling away some dead time on a station platform several years ago, my wife and I played one of those write-and-tell games centering on the theme of an ideal holiday. While her list included…

Japan is first and foremost an island country – with 3,000 of them in all – and yet in stark contrast to other archipelagic nations such as Indonesia and the Philippines the name Japan rarely, if ever, conjures up images of islands in people’s minds. This curious paradox can largely be attributed to the country’s…

Few performers in Japan have been able to make the leap from the kabuki theater to the silver screen – and vice versa – without falling foul of the critics. One actor who has successfully managed to keep a foot in each court in modern times is Shidou Nakamura, who is using his experiences on…

On the day Kaori Yamada was born, a centuries-old ume bonsai in her father’s garden flowered for the first time in over a century. It has blossomed every spring since then. “It seems a little strange, but it came alive when I did, so I guess this tree and I are soul mates,” she said…

Travel writers in recent times have been less than flattering in their assessment of Mandalay, the ancient capital of Myanmar. But, as Stephen Mansfield writes, there’s still a lot of charm left in the disheveled city yet. Photos also by Stephen Mansfield. Technically speaking, Mandalay no longer exists. The old city, built after King Mindon…

Studying Japanese is very useful for living in Japan. J SELECT features Japanese language schools in the greater Tokyo area that offer short-term courses suitable for foreign residents of Japan, such as businesspeople or spouses and children of expatriates. These include courses on business Japanese or preparation for the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT). Here are…

With the Black Ships Festival just around the corner, Rob Gilhooly drops in on the historical port town of Shimoda. “Ah! The moon is up, and tomorrow we’ll be in Shimoda,” said the little dancer. “I love Shimoda.” There’s much to love about today’s Shimoda, though not necessarily what Kaoru, the little dancer and central…

Designer Limi Yamamoto unveils stunning new autumn/winter collection in bid to shake outdated “loose silhouette” tag, writes Elliott Samuels. Portraits by David Stetson. Japanese designers have been at the forefront of international fashion ever since Kenzo Takada made his successful debut in Paris in 1970. Using kimono textiles in an unfamiliar way, his casual creations…

Award-winning chef Roy Yamaguchi fuses fresh Asian ingredients with European inspiration to create culinary masterpieces that are setting the world alight, writes Elliott Samuels. Portraits by David Stetson. Most chefs are taught at an early age that there’s a right way to do something in the kitchen and a wrong way. After working in the…