Every year, millions of people around Japan receive packages from Amazon. The packages arrive day and night and invariably in pristine condition. But few give much thought to the exhausted delivery worker.
Ever wondered why the world’s largest metropolis is so clean? Ask Watanabe Ayumu. One of Tokyo’s small army of waste collectors, Watanabe’s day can start as early as 6 a.m., to beat traffic. From 8 a.m. he and his colleagues collects paper, PET plastic bottles, non-burnable waste such as metals, ceramics, and electronics, or, the most common by weight, so-called burnable waste, from homes and businesses across the 23 wards that make up Tokyo.
Visitors to Japan’s main international hub are still greeted by a sign saying ‘Down With Narita Airport’, a giant middle finger waved by diehards from a different era.
Years before we met, I learned about my Japanese father-in-law in an American newspaper. A story...
Name: Max Power*
Hometown: Newcastle, England
Present City: Newcastle, England
I’m from Newcastle, England, and next to where I live is a marine college that’s recognized worldwide for its engineering, navigation and ship-related disciplines. My dad is from Saudi Arabia, and he was...
In response to the prolonged stress that the pandemic has placed on women, a group of lawyers, union organizers and other professionals such as nurses and psychiatric counselors, all themselves women, offered a free consultation session in Tokyo on...
In February this year, Wishma Sandamali wrote a letter pleading for help when she thought she lay dying.
The Sri Lankan woman had arrived in Japan as a student in 2017, but was detained as an overstayer at the Nagoya...