Osaka police have arrested a man after a 14-hour standoff in which he held a woman he was living with at knifepoint. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/10/23/japan/crime-legal/osaka-hostage-arrest/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #crimelegal #osaka #japanesepolice #theft

The charm of Osaka's Nakatsu has earned it a spot on Time Out magazine’s “world’s coolest neighborhoods” list. Locals hope the area retains its balance of old and new to preserve its identity. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2025/10/21/lifestyle/nakatsu-osaka-worlds-coolest-neighborhoods/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #life #lifestyle #osaka #tourism

The Liberal Democratic Party and Nippon Ishin no Kai are fine-tuning discussions on forming a coalition and electing LDP chief Sanae Takaichi as prime minister. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/10/16/japan/politics/coalition-talks-ishin-ldp/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #ldp #nipponishinnokai #osaka #sanaetakaichi #fumitakefujita

The 2025 World Exposition in the city of Osaka, which concluded on Monday, attracted a total of 25,578,986 visitors during its 184-day run. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/10/15/japan/osaka-expo-visitors-exceed-25-million/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #2025osakaexpo #tourism #osaka

After 184 days, the Osaka Expo came to an end Monday, with organizers sending a message of unity, while also vowing to pass along the lessons learned from the event to future generations. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/10/13/japan/society/osaka-expo-closing-ceremony/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #society #2025osakaexpo #osaka

During the Osaka Expo, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba managed to meet with about 50 foreign leaders in what is called "expo diplomacy," with the topics including measures to strengthen bilateral relations. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/10/13/japan/politics/ishiba-expo-diplomacy/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #2025osakaexpo #osaka #shigeruishiba

Nearly 160 countries and regions participated in the Osaka Expo, with each bringing staff from overseas to help run their respective pavilions. Here’s a look at their experiences and how it has impacted them. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/10/13/japan/osaka-expo-pavilion-staff/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #osakaexpo #osaka #russiaukrainewar #ukraine #sudan #switzerland #malaysia

Merchandise sales for Myaku-Myaku, the official mascot character of the 2025 World Exposition in Osaka, will continue through next March, after the end of the event Monday. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/10/13/japan/expo-mascot-sales-to-continue/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #2025osakaexpo #osaka

The 2025 Osaka Expo was a resounding success, taking in some 28 million visitors over 184 days. But how its legacy will look in the decades to come remains a question mark. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/10/12/japan/osaka-expo-legacy/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #2025osakaexpo #osaka

The Osaka High Court has upheld a lower court ruling that the central government's decision to cut special tax grants to the city of Izumisano in Osaka Prefecture, due to its hometown tax donation revenue, was illegal. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/10/10/japan/crime-legal/izumisano-illegal-tax-cut/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #crimelegal #izumisano #japanesecourts #taxes #furusatonozei #osaka

As the Osaka Expo comes to an end next week, academics and diplomats, as well as a petition a high schooler founded, are calling for its Grand Ring, the largest wooden structure in the world, to be fully preserved. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/10/10/japan/society/calls-for-full-preservation-of-osaka-expo-grand-ring/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #society #2025osakaexpo #osaka #architecture

Discussions should be held on how new technologies and ideas showcased at the World Exposition in Osaka will be put to practical use, local business leader Masayoshi Matsumoto said. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/10/08/japan/osaka-expo-legacies-interview/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #masayoshimatsumoto #osaka #2025osakaexpo

The Osaka Expo, set to close next Monday, is expected to generate a profit of up to ¥28 billion thanks to strong sales of admission tickets and goods related to the Expo's official mascot, Myaku-Myaku. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/10/08/japan/osaka-expo-profit/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #osaka #2025osakaexpo

Shimon Sakaguchi, who won this year’s Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine on Monday, bucked convention to discover immune-regulating cells — an emerging tool against cancer and other diseases. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/10/07/japan/science-health/sakaguchi-nobel-medicine/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #sciencehealth #medicine #health #nobelprize #shimonsakaguchi #osaka

Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako on Monday visited the World Expo in the city of Osaka for the second time. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/10/07/japan/imperial-couple-osaka-expo/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #emperornaruhito #empressmasako #osaka #2025osakaexpo #hiroshiishiguro

Police arrested a couple in Osaka Prefecture on Monday on suspicion of attempting to fraudulently import rice, disguising the shipment as mung beans. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/10/07/japan/crime-legal/osaka-couple-arrest-rice/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #crimelegal #japanesepolice #osaka #rice #vietnam

Bank of Japan Gov. Kazuo Ueda kept his policy options open by reiterating the bank’s long-held stance on interest rates, avoiding sending any clear signals about the prospects for a rate hike. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2025/10/03/economy/boj-ueda-osaka-speech/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #business #economy #boj #kazuoueda #osaka #japaneseeconomy #inflation

Timber used in the Grand Ring, a symbol of the World Exposition in the city of Osaka, will be reused for public housing to aid recovery from last year's strong earthquake and heavy rain in Ishikawa Prefecture. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/10/02/japan/expo-ring-timber-ishikawa/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #ishikawa #osaka #2025osakaexpo

A project team of opposition Nippon Ishin no Kai drew up an outline on establishing a secondary capital that can substitute for Tokyo. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/09/30/japan/politics/ishin-osaka-second-capital-plan/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #nipponishinnokai #ldp #osaka

I always get overwhelmed by the sheer number of cafes in #Seoul. It feels like, to me, that there are 5-10X as many cafes here compared to a similar neighborhood in #Tokyo or #Osaka

It's so hard to tell which ones are good for #coffee and which ones aren't - most are mediocre but some are amazing.

In #Japan I've got this skill down - identifying good vs mediocre just from appearance, but in #Korea I'm lost.