It’s the moment we have all been waiting for: the completion of Kamikatsu town’s Zero Waste Center. It’s been more than a year since we first heard of its plans. Now, the town’s efforts has come to fruition, and the execution is better than...
Mima City, located in Tokushima Prefecture, is known for Udatsu Townscape, which is a symbol of the city’s old days. The main characteristic of the buildings is the presence of “Udatsu,” extensions of the roof that served as protection from...
In downtown Kamaishi City, in Japan’s northeastern Iwate Prefecture, I asked a taxi driver to take me to Nakamise Street. “Nakamise Street?” he says. “It’s just a shuttered shopping strip.” “The place used to bustle with life,” he added. It was just...
Located just a short distance from Yokohama station is KOOWORK, a co-working space that also doubles as sauna. It is the first of its kind in Japan. Workers and businesses are able to release the tensions that come with their jobs, remain...
It’s no secret that Japan holds a negative stigma to work when it comes to overtime or taking a holiday. Efforts to tackle this dilemma in Tokyo are gaining more attention. The advance in technology in recent years may change how we work on a...