1+ week, 2+ day ago   (341+ words) Business Upturn How Japanese pop culture keeps traditional folklore alive The fox spirit that tricks a traveler, the tanuki that shape-shifts to cause mischief, the water-dwelling kappa that drags the unwary into rivers: these figures predate anime and manga by…...

1+ week, 2+ day ago   (671+ words) Japan and the United States are moving ahead with cooperation on their huge $550 billion trade deal, but the latest discussions show that the agreement is about much more than tariffs. Japanese Trade and Industry Minister Ryosei Akazawa met with senior…...

1+ week, 2+ day ago   (331+ words) Business Upturn Okinawa Zento Eisa Festival: the meaning behind the drumming and dancing Every late summer, the streets of Okinawa City fill with the rolling beat of hand-held drums as dozens of youth groups from across the prefecture converge for…...

1+ week, 6+ day ago   (347+ words) Business Upturn Is Ivan Toney's ban finished? Brentford's star striker, Ivan Toney, is poised to make a comeback after serving an eight-month ban for breaching the Football Association's betting rules. The ban was a significant setback for Toney, who had…...

1+ week, 6+ day ago   (367+ words) Business Upturn Why Mount Fuji's official climbing season is limited to the summer months For close to ten months of the year, the upper third of Mount Fuji sits under snow and ice, and the paths that hundreds of thousands…...

1+ week, 6+ day ago   (343+ words) Business Upturn Mount Fuji climbing season ends: What changes for hikers after the season closes Station huts along Mount Fuji's four main trails begin boarding up their windows in the first days of September, and by the time the last…...

1+ week, 6+ day ago   (1564+ words) Venezuela is rapidly becoming one of the most important energy stories in the global market. U.S. energy giant Chevron, India's ONGC, Italy's Eni, Colombia's GeoPark and GE Vernova are reportedly on track to finalize energy agreements in the country after months…...

1+ week, 6+ day ago   (1587+ words) The timing is critical. Oil prices climbed above $90 a barrel on Monday after U.S. forces struck Iranian rocket launchers on Larak Island and Iran retaliated with missile attacks on a U.S. base in Jordan. The renewed fighting has increased concerns about the…...

2+ week, 5+ hour ago   (318+ words) Business Upturn What are hōzuki? The lantern-shaped plants that fill summer markets in Japan Every July, stalls selling potted plants with bright orange, papery husks appear at markets across Japan, most famously at the Hozuki Ichi held at Tokyo's Sensoji…...

2+ week, 11+ hour ago   (283+ words) Business Upturn Japanese summer festivals ending soon: the last events before autumn Most of Japan's outdoor festival calendar is squeezed into roughly seven weeks, starting with Tanabata in early July and tapering out by the first week of September. By…...