Deep Dive from The Japan Times

In a world where getting from A to B is dominated by cars, planes and trains, we all walk far less than people used to. 10,000 steps a day is an aspirational target for many. But for Craig Mod, that's just a stroll before lunch.

Japan's strict border policies are finally relaxing — at least a little bit — and from March, new entrants will be allowed to come to the country once again.

"The wonderful thing about foraging in Japan is that it's still a living part of the culture," says Winifred Bird, our guest on this week's episode of Deep Dive.

Powder snow. It's one of Japan's finest natural assets.

This Friday, the 2022 Winter Olympics kick off in Beijing, the second Olympics to be held during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the first ever to be held on entirely artificial snow.

Since 2002, Japan’s anime industry has doubled in size to become worth over ¥2.4 trillion annually.

Only 300 kilometers from Taiwan, Ishigaki is at the frontline of escalating tensions between China, Taiwan, Japan and the U.S.

In the past week, COVID-19 cases have surged across the nation, led by an uptick in infections of the omicron variant in Okinawa, Tokyo and Osaka.

We hear from listeners about their high points in 2021.

‘Tis the season to try to be festive, with Christmas and the New Year fast approaching. And who better to celebrate with than Japan’s grumpy Brit, Chris Broad.

After a long and warm autumn in Japan, winter has finally descended across the country. And with the cold weather comes the season for onsen, Japan’s hot-spring baths.

In August, Japan recorded 25,000 cases a day in its worst wave of the COVID-19 pandemic to date. On Monday this week, just 60 new cases and one death were reported nationwide.

Japan announced on Monday that it will ban all new foreign entries for at least one month in an effort to prevent the omicron variant from spreading domestically.

COP26 was billed as the world's last chance to limit global warming to no more than 1.5 C above pre-industrial levels.

Surveys of the Japanese public show that 1 in 2 people in their 20s and 30s have felt lonely during the pandemic.

Japan Times contributor Eric Margolis walks us through how Japan is already being affected by climate change.