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July 12, 2026
 

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Alex K.T. Martin

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Alex K.T. Martin
Alex K.T. Martin is a Tokyo-based journalist and senior writer at The Japan Times. He was previously a reporter at The Wall Street Journal’s Tokyo bureau. He has earned honors from the Society of Publishers in Asia and the World Association of News Publishers for stories on the Japanese wolf and the impact of the Fukushima nuclear disaster on wildlife.
JAPAN / New Year's Special
Jan 2, 2020
Can Tokyo’s soft power push ensure a positive Olympic legacy?
When the capital hosted the Olympic Games over half a century ago, it was heralded as a symbol of Japan’s postwar recovery. This time around, Tokyo appears keen on trading brick and mortar for hearts and minds.
Japan Times
CULTURE
Dec 21, 2019
Jomon revival: Interest in Japan’s indigenous hunter-gathers grows
From his hilltop studio in the suburbs of Tokyo, Taku Oshima is reviving an ancient form of body art tradition he believes was practiced by the indigenous hunter-gatherers that inhabited Japan thousands of years ago.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Nov 25, 2019
One diorama at a time, miniaturist reconstructs aftermaths of ‘lonely deaths’
Miyu Kojima’s models of the apartments she has help clean after the deaths of their tenants can be hard to look at, but they also reveal the empathy needed to be able to continue in such a difficult line of work.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society / 2010s: Decade in Review
Nov 16, 2019
The gray wave: Japan attempts to deal with its increasingly elderly population
Eighty-one-year-old Sachiko Miura wakes up at 6 a.m. every day to prepare breakfast at her newly renovated apartment located near a large supermarket, spa and a hospital in the suburbs of Japan’s third largest city.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Oct 27, 2019
Rare views of Mount Fuji: Japan’s last sentō artists
A dying craft, sentu014d (public bathhouse) painting now has just three artisans continuing the art form. Can interest in Japanese culture, sparked by the 2020 Olympics, help renew an appreciation for the stunning murals?
JAPAN / FOCUS
Oct 23, 2019
The new norm: Japanese experts warn of more rain, raging rivers and submerged homes
The nation should expect the frequency of powerful typhoons and heavy rains to grow with global warming, says a professor at the Institute for Space-Earth Environmental Research at Nagoya University.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Oct 19, 2019
Food for the soul: Traditional gyōza makers and eaters in Utsunomiya try to keep the dumplings rolling
Albert Kuwano Bakonyvari beckons me inside his factory’s steam chamber, where hundreds of plump, white, crescent-shaped gyōza dumplings are neatly lined on stacks of trays fitted in steel racks, waiting to be sent to the freezer.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Oct 6, 2019
The white rose that blossoms in the rain
White Rose Co. invented the plastic umbrella in the 1950s when Mitsuo Sudo was inspired by vinyl tablecloths brought to Japan by occupation forces. Now it’s just one of few makers weathering the storm of cheap, mass-produced imports.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Sep 15, 2019
The hot topic of Western saunas in Japan
Onsen hot spring baths may reign in Japan, but the Western sauna could be the next health and wellness trend.
Japan Times
CULTURE
Sep 14, 2019
In the shadow of giants: Are high-rise condominiums in Japan destroying local communities?
Tsukishima is among many districts being gentrified by giant condominium projects popping up in the most populous city in the world.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT
Sep 13, 2019
Debate over Japan’s extinct wolf grows
An unidentified animal howl recorded in the Okuchichibu mountains bears a strong resemblance to a wolf howl, according to an analysis of audio samples provided by Hiroshi Yagi, an independent researcher who has been working to prove the existence of the officially extinct Japanese wolf.
Japan Times
CULTURE
Sep 7, 2019
Death notes: Traditional rituals associated with curses persist in 21st-century Japan
It’s a scorching summer afternoon with temperatures crawling toward 37 degrees Celsius. Kadota Inari Shrine is empty except for a chorus of screeching cicadas and the smooth stone statues of foxes guarding its entrance.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Aug 4, 2019
Spectral sightings at Zenshoan Temple
Tokyo’s Yanaka district ghosts are back to haunt the public via rakugo storyteller Sanyutei Encho’s collection of spooky paintings.
Japan Times
CULTURE
Aug 3, 2019
Chindonya: The beat goes on
Once a dying profession, chindonya troupes are passing their knowledge on to the next generation
Japan Times
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Jul 11, 2019
Viral Momo Challenge hoax, based on sculpture by Japanese artist, being turned into Hollywood horror film
Momo, the goggle-eyed creature created by a Japanese artist that triggered a viral social-media hoax terrifying children and parents alike, is receiving a Hollywood makeover.
JAPAN
Jul 5, 2019
One year after deadly flooding in western Japan, disaster resonates for vulnerable areas of Tokyo
In the worst-case scenario, 2.5 million residents will be affected as five low-lying wards are submerged in water over 10 meters deep.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 1, 2019
Blue-collar clothier Workman shakes up Japan’s stagnant apparel market
It’s a weekday morning and a steady stream of customers is entering a Workman store in Tokyo’s industrial Ota Ward, mostly blue-collar workers looking for ¥99 rubber gloves, ¥3,500 safety shoes and other gear they need before heading to construction sites.
Japan Times
PODCAST / deep dive
Jun 26, 2019
Episode 18: Is the Japanese wolf really extinct?
The last confirmed sighting of the Japanese wolf was in 1905, but is it really extinct? The Japan Times’ Alex Martin talks to Oscar Boyd about chasing down the story.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Jun 14, 2019
With diagnosis and treatment lacking, nonprofit strives to raise awareness of OCD in Japan
A peer-inspired dieting competition triggered the unhealthy lifestyle, but it wasn’t only an eating disorder that haunted Sayaka Hashiba’s late sister.
LIFE / Lifestyle
Jun 8, 2019
Stranger things: Weird ways to get festive in Japan
Men in straw capes wearing ferocious horned masks with gleaming eyes and long, pointed fangs stare down at a group of reporters. Others donning masks of a devil, monkey and a long-nosed tengu birdman squat as they pose for photographs during a news conference on Nov. 30 — the day after UNESCO added...
China’s demand for Soviet-style apartments shows limits to revival
Apartments built during a Soviet Union-inspired construction drive in the 1970s and 1980s tend to suffer from poor insulation and outdated plumbing, but they are seeing a revival in interest due to their attractive locations.
Japanese scientists identify neural mechanism that may explain why we dislike people
The aggressive mouse (left) used in the experiment and a mouse defending itself
Japanese payment processor’s collapse hits banks and restaurants
Zentoshin served around 200,000 shops, many of which rely on early payments to maintain cash flow, raising concerns over their financial stability following the disruption.
Over 70% of accommodations in Japan say they are understaffed amid tourism influx
The number of foreign visitors to Japan reached a high of 42.68 million in 2025.
Lenders seek $700 million after Japanese payments firm’s collapse
The financial failure of Osaka-based Zentoshin has left 63 creditors with claims totaling ¥115.16 billion, according to Tokyo Shoko Research.
Japan’s largest exhibition of women photographers rights a wrong in cultural history
Miwa Yanagi’s “Elevator Girl House” series skewers the superficiality of gender roles through staged images.
Over 70% of accommodations in Japan say they are understaffed amid tourism influx
The number of foreign visitors to Japan reached a high of 42.68 million in 2025.
‘Princess Mononoke’ comes alive in Super Kabuki staging
The “Princess Mononoke” adaptation was created under Shochiku’s Super Kabuki initiative, a modern form of kabuki with more technology in staging and open to pop culture collaborations.
The beating heart inside ‘Human Vapor’
Different forms of love and connection form the emotional backbone of Netflix’s “Human Vapor,” says actor Shun Oguri, who plays troubled detective Kenji Okamoto.
Japan bets on character IP to drive global growth
Born on social media platforms in 2022, Opanchu Usagi has become a major hit, especially among Generation Z.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

The Terasaka Rice Terraces are seen with Mount Buko in the background.
What Yokoze can teach Japan about rural revival
By Alex K.T. Martin

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