Alex K.T. Martin
@alexktmartin.bsky.social
Journalist/ジャーナリスト 🐺
Features writer at The Japan Times.
Previously Tokyo correspondent at The Wall Street Journal.
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/author/219/alex-kt-martin/
Features writer at The Japan Times.
Previously Tokyo correspondent at The Wall Street Journal.
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/author/219/alex-kt-martin/
🕳️🐾🐾🐾🐀🏠🐾🐾🐾🐀🗑️🐾🐾🐾🐀🍙🐾🐾🐾🐀🏮🐾🐾🐾🐀🌃🐾🐾🐾🐀🛝🐾🐾🐾🐀🥪🐾🐾🐾🐀🏙️🐾🐾🐾🐀🗼🐾🐾🐾🕳️
I wrote about 🐀in Tokyo: www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/12...
I wrote about 🐀in Tokyo: www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/12...
In the company of rats: Tokyo's growing rodent problem
As Tokyo confronts stubborn rat populations, researchers argue the path forward lies in understanding their behavior — not just stamping them out.
www.japantimes.co.jp
December 8, 2025 at 7:34 AM
🕳️🐾🐾🐾🐀🏠🐾🐾🐾🐀🗑️🐾🐾🐾🐀🍙🐾🐾🐾🐀🏮🐾🐾🐾🐀🌃🐾🐾🐾🐀🛝🐾🐾🐾🐀🥪🐾🐾🐾🐀🏙️🐾🐾🐾🐀🗼🐾🐾🐾🕳️
I wrote about 🐀in Tokyo: www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/12...
I wrote about 🐀in Tokyo: www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/12...
Back in the 2000s I’d sometimes stop by internet cafes in Tokyo — to read manga or grab a quick nap. They seemed to be everywhere back then. That got me wondering: what happened to the once-ubiquitous business? Here’s what I found out: www.japantimes.co.jp/business/202...
The second life of Japan's net cafes
Once symbols of urban solitude, these spaces are finding new purpose as coworking hubs for a changing, wired generation.
www.japantimes.co.jp
November 4, 2025 at 8:57 AM
Back in the 2000s I’d sometimes stop by internet cafes in Tokyo — to read manga or grab a quick nap. They seemed to be everywhere back then. That got me wondering: what happened to the once-ubiquitous business? Here’s what I found out: www.japantimes.co.jp/business/202...
Reposted by Alex K.T. Martin
The image of Japan’s net cafes used to be all smoky rooms and sketchy behavior. Not anymore. Today’s spaces are sleek, clean — and affordable. 👉 ebx.sh/iOj6Mt
November 4, 2025 at 12:15 AM
The image of Japan’s net cafes used to be all smoky rooms and sketchy behavior. Not anymore. Today’s spaces are sleek, clean — and affordable. 👉 ebx.sh/iOj6Mt
Tokyo’s so-called “phantom” stations no longer serve passengers and are often closed to the public👻 I explored a few of them — weathered, industrial traces of how the city has expanded, reconfigured and adapted to a growing metropolis🎃 www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/10...
Inside Tokyo's 'phantom' stations — and the stories they tell
A sealed 1930s subway platform beneath Shimbashi Station still holds traces of what the capital looked like before the war.
www.japantimes.co.jp
October 28, 2025 at 8:08 AM
Tokyo’s so-called “phantom” stations no longer serve passengers and are often closed to the public👻 I explored a few of them — weathered, industrial traces of how the city has expanded, reconfigured and adapted to a growing metropolis🎃 www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/10...
I very much enjoy my booze, but stats show Japan’s 20-somethings aren’t drinking like we did. Breweries are pivoting hard to low- and no-alcohol drinks. Big culture shift underway. My story: www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/09...
Rethinking that second drink: Japan’s Gen Z gets ‘sober curious’
Young Japanese are saying no to booze — and yes to mocktails, gaming and sober nights out. Breweries are pivoting to meet them.
www.japantimes.co.jp
September 16, 2025 at 10:57 PM
I very much enjoy my booze, but stats show Japan’s 20-somethings aren’t drinking like we did. Breweries are pivoting hard to low- and no-alcohol drinks. Big culture shift underway. My story: www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/09...
102 years ago today, the Great Kanto Earthquake flattened Tokyo and killed more than 100,000 people. I looked back on the catastrophe for its 100th anniversary in 2023:
www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2023/08...
www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2023/08...
The Great Kanto Earthquake: A wall of fire, a picture of hell
On Sept. 1, 1923, a massive earthquake struck off the coast of Kanagawa Prefecture. It came to be defined by fire and vigilantism.
www.japantimes.co.jp
September 1, 2025 at 6:07 AM
102 years ago today, the Great Kanto Earthquake flattened Tokyo and killed more than 100,000 people. I looked back on the catastrophe for its 100th anniversary in 2023:
www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2023/08...
www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2023/08...
I traced how Tokyo rose from the ashes of the 1945 firebombing and became today’s megacity, through the eyes of a survivor who lived through black-market stalls, postwar nightlife and the Olympic-era build-up. "But that hardship still lingers," he says. www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/08...
From ashes to high-rises: A survivor’s account of Tokyo’s postwar past
One man’s experience traces the capital's arc from wartime devastation to modern megacity in a story of resilience and reinvention.
www.japantimes.co.jp
August 25, 2025 at 12:31 AM
I traced how Tokyo rose from the ashes of the 1945 firebombing and became today’s megacity, through the eyes of a survivor who lived through black-market stalls, postwar nightlife and the Olympic-era build-up. "But that hardship still lingers," he says. www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/08...
Loneliness and social isolation are growing concerns in aging, shrinking Japan, and AI is being explored as a source of companionship and emotional support. Questions remain, however, about how effective or healthy these interactions really are. My story: www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/07...
The rise of AI companionship in a lonely Japan
AI chatbots are becoming stand-ins for pets and partners — offering comfort, connection and raising new concerns.
www.japantimes.co.jp
July 21, 2025 at 7:32 AM
Loneliness and social isolation are growing concerns in aging, shrinking Japan, and AI is being explored as a source of companionship and emotional support. Questions remain, however, about how effective or healthy these interactions really are. My story: www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/07...
With Mount Fuji’s official climbing season starting today, I spoke with police and other mountain rescue experts about the dangers of hiking Japan’s highest and most iconic peak. www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/06...
What it takes to save lives on Mount Fuji
Mount Fuji’s deadliest weekend still echoes today. Luckily, area rescue squads have leveled up their game.
www.japantimes.co.jp
July 1, 2025 at 4:43 AM
With Mount Fuji’s official climbing season starting today, I spoke with police and other mountain rescue experts about the dangers of hiking Japan’s highest and most iconic peak. www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/06...
暑すぎる。Too damn hot today💦
June 17, 2025 at 11:18 AM
暑すぎる。Too damn hot today💦
Many of my favorite watering holes in Tokyo are tucked away beneath elevated railway tracks, known as ガード下. But on a recent tour, I discovered there’s much more to these hidden urban spaces. My story: www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2025/06...
Revitalizing the space under Tokyo’s train tracks
Rail underpasses in big cities are being transformed into vibrant spaces for artisans, foodies and travelers — without erasing their past.
www.japantimes.co.jp
June 17, 2025 at 7:46 AM
Many of my favorite watering holes in Tokyo are tucked away beneath elevated railway tracks, known as ガード下. But on a recent tour, I discovered there’s much more to these hidden urban spaces. My story: www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2025/06...
“Back then, resignation services probably still had a somewhat shady image, but now they’re everywhere — like bubble tea shops.” My story on how Japan’s younger employees are reshaping the country’s work culture: www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/06...
How Japan's youth are slowly changing the country's work ethic
Labor shortages and shifting mindsets are driving younger Japanese workers to challenge the country’s traditional office culture.
www.japantimes.co.jp
June 4, 2025 at 11:57 AM
“Back then, resignation services probably still had a somewhat shady image, but now they’re everywhere — like bubble tea shops.” My story on how Japan’s younger employees are reshaping the country’s work culture: www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/06...
“Basically, it’s a race between the advancement of inspection technology and the rapid progression of sinkholes.” I explored the deteriorating state of Japan’s sewer systems: www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/05...
That sinking feeling: Japan’s aging sewers are an infrastructure time bomb
A tragic accident in Saitama shows how aging pipes, soft soil and climate threats are straining the country’s infrastructure.
www.japantimes.co.jp
May 20, 2025 at 1:24 PM
“Basically, it’s a race between the advancement of inspection technology and the rapid progression of sinkholes.” I explored the deteriorating state of Japan’s sewer systems: www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/05...
Shimoda could face a 31-meter-high tsunami if a Nankai Trough megaquake strikes, according to the government's latest projections. I visited the coastal community in the south of the Izu Peninsula to learn how residents are preparing for the worst-case scenario. www.japantimes.co.jp/environment/...
If the 'Big One' hits, this city could face a 31-meter-high tsunami
Last year the government issued its first 'megaquake' advisory. Ever since, those living in the areas it's expected to hit have been preparing for the worst.
www.japantimes.co.jp
April 29, 2025 at 11:31 PM
Shimoda could face a 31-meter-high tsunami if a Nankai Trough megaquake strikes, according to the government's latest projections. I visited the coastal community in the south of the Izu Peninsula to learn how residents are preparing for the worst-case scenario. www.japantimes.co.jp/environment/...
Here’s my take on Japan’s ongoing rice crisis: www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2025/04...
Why Japan is running out of rice — and farmers to grow it
Outdated government policy, changing diets and even an earthquake scare have had an impact on the national food staple.
www.japantimes.co.jp
April 7, 2025 at 8:58 AM
Here’s my take on Japan’s ongoing rice crisis: www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2025/04...
Reposted by Alex K.T. Martin
The day a religious cult brought terror to Tokyo www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/03...
The day a religious cult brought terror to Tokyo
Thirty years after Aum Shinrikyo attacked Tokyo’s subways, the nation continues to prepare for the unthinkable.
www.japantimes.co.jp
March 18, 2025 at 7:55 AM
The day a religious cult brought terror to Tokyo www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/03...
March 9, 2025 at 12:33 PM
Some decry Tokyo as a "black hole" that sucks in people, industry and resources from the rest of Japan. My latest on the migratory and demographic trend: www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/03...
As the rest of Japan shrinks, Tokyo grows
Women and young people are leading a migratory wave that the government is struggling to halt.
www.japantimes.co.jp
March 6, 2025 at 6:17 AM
Some decry Tokyo as a "black hole" that sucks in people, industry and resources from the rest of Japan. My latest on the migratory and demographic trend: www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/03...