Why do foreigners fetishize konbini? I'm quoted in this @eliz_beattie article about how convenience stores are the karakuri mechanical dolls of logistics in Japan @japantimes japantimes.co.jp/life/2026/1…

For @nytimes I wrote about a unique building in Tokyo (thanks to Hiroko Masuike for great pics). nytimes.com/2026/10/14/reale…

Is the Japanese wolf really extinct? For the Number 1 Shimbun @fccjapan I did a Q&A with Alex K. T. Martin, author of "Phantom Wolves of Japan: In Search of a Lost Mountain Guardian" @japantimes fccj.or.jp/number-1-shimbun-… 📷

For @thetimes, I put the new Hiyashi Cup Noodles to the slurp test: Cup Noodle has an answer to 40C temperatures — just add fridge water. Our correspondent popped to the shop thetimes.com/world/asia/arti…

Japanese PM touches nerve with boast she sleeps less than Thatcher: In a country where overwork is a public health problem, Sanae Takaichi’s claim to sleep only three hours a night drew sharp criticism thetimes.com/world/asia/arti…

My latest for @thetimes: Jellyfish, sharks and big dreams: how I conquer oceans and summits Rob Lea has become the first person to cross seven channels and climb seven summits in a grueling challenge that was decades in the making thetimes.com/world/asia/arti…

Raids on ice cream makers as price-fixing claims swirl: Meiji is among six Tokyo companies suspected of forming a cartel to raise prices for Japanese customers sweltering in summer heat thetimes.com/world/asia/arti…

Baby deer born on campus becomes university’s youngest student: In Nara, Japan, where the animals are designated as a national natural monument, a fawn has gained honorary admission — no entrance exam required thetimes.com/world/asia/arti…

Emperor seeks to solve succession crisis by elevating commoners: Japan’s royals are running out of male heirs, and have riled some observers by proposing to restore old family branches but not allow women to take the throne thetimes.com/world/asia/arti…

Prices for thousands of foods have gone up in Japan over the past year, but I'm always shocked by yaki-imo (roasted sweet potatoes). I remember one being 400 yen ($2.50)--now some street vendors in Tokyo are charging 1,200 yen to 2,000 yen ($7.50 to $12.50) a potato

Tsunami waves of up to 1 meter estimated for Okinawa, Kyushu, Shikoku, Honshu following 8.2-magnitude #Philippines #quake: Japan Meteorological Agency