Bucking New Zealand’s Wine Tradition
Scattered across New Zealand’s wine regions are a growing number of Japanese transplants like Hiroyuki Kusuda, 56, whose aim is to prove that these islands can produce some of the finest vintages in the…
Tag Archives: Japan
New Zealand’s Café Culture Influences Japan
While food is, of course, of primary importance to Tokyo café owners Kim and Teru Harase, of Iki Espresso and Iki Roastery & Eatery, recruiting and training the right people is equally crucial for…
Photographer Cody Ellingham Wanders Japan at Night
The latest project by New Zealand photographer Cody Ellingham and British composer and sound artist Simon James French is Wander the Night Japan which will be launched as a limited-edition 12″ vinyl record featuring…
Jayne Nakata Promoting Women Podcasters in Japan
Jayne Nakata is a New Zealander living in the city of Iwaki, Fukushima Prefecture, and the voice behind the award-winning “Transformations with Jayne” podcast. Japan Times contributing writer Louise George Kittaka interviews Nakata for…
NZ Wine Has Huge Potential in Japan
From sleepy New Zealand hillsides to sleek Tokyo dining scenes, a bottle of Hawke’s Bay wine shipped to Japan traces an arc that exporters like Sileni Estates’ CEO Nigel Avery see as an avenue…
Japan’s Urban Experience Shot by Cody Ellingham
With his moody night-time shots of urban environments, New Zealand-born, Tokyo-based photographer Cody Ellingham tries to tap into the current of a city, to travel forward into its future or retreat into the past. Ellingham…
Japan-First for Lawyer Catherine O’Connell
After 15 years in Japan, New Zealander Catherine O’Connell decided to found and launch her New Law business model in Japan. It was a challenging prospect for any foreign lawyer, let alone a woman…
Helen Clark Speaks in Japan on Gender Equality
Former New Zealand prime minister Helen Clark stressed in a recent interview with Japan’s national daily newspaper The Mainichi that women need to continue to fight for gender equality, adding that zero tolerance policies…
New Zealand on Passport Power Rank Eight
The New Zealand passport has been allocated passport power rank eight in this year’s Global Passport Power Rank. Singapore and South Korea took the first spot in the ranking with their…
Japan’s Landscapes Inspire Photographer Damon Bay
New Zealand photographer Damon Bay is shining an outsider’s eye on Japan’s countryside. He’s reimagining an ancient art form to showcase the beauty in everyday landscapes, according to Hiroyuki Tanaka, a journalist for Japanese…
New Zealand Voices Strong Protest over Japan’s Antarctic Whaling
New Zealand has led an “international protest on Monday against Japan’s plans to resume its research hunt for whales in the Southern Ocean, while Australia said it is considering further legal action”, as reported…
Japanese Tertiary Student Embraces Maori Language
Te Karere TVNZ presents a video about an enthused Japanese student who has the passion for the Maori language at Victoria University in Wellington. She spoke with Kereama Wright….
Tokyo Haunts for Sampling Our Finest
New Zealand cuisine is well represented in Tokyo with a number of restaurants in Japan’s megapolis serving lamb cutlets, clay pot hangi-cooked meat and green-lipped mussels. There are two large eateries in Tokyo serving New…
Sirocco Kakapo Creates a Buzz in Japan
New Zealand’s own celebrity parrot, Sirocco Kakapo, has charmed Japanese audiences and gained thousands of new fans after being mentioned on a popular Japanese television show with an audience of over 10 million. A presenter…
New Zealand Sailors Dominate Rugby Field
Crew from the Royal New Zealand Navy Frigate Te Mana took on sailors from the USS George Washington aircraft carrier near Yokusuka Naval Base, Japan, in the final of a 10-aside tournament, beating the…
Pass Mark Against Blossoms
All Blacks coach Graham Henry has given his team a pass mark following their 83-7 thrashing of Japan in the Rugby World Cup Pool A match on 16 September. Henry said the…
Kirwan’s Japanese Goal
“It’s been five years since coach John Kirwan, an All Blacks hero from the rugby stronghold of New Zealand, took the helm of the Japanese team,” Shuhei Nomura writes for Japanese newspaper Asahi Shimbun….
Shift in Strength
Following this year’s World Cup, All Black and Crusaders lock Mosgiel-born Brad Thorn will play for Japanese club Fukuoka Sanix Blues. Thorn, a key component of the All Blacks’ engine room for 5 tests,…
Football friendly
The All Whites will play against Japan and China in March, beginning its build-up towards qualifying for the 214 World Cup in Brazil. Coach Ricki Herbert said that New Zealand will play China in…
Lending a Hand
Former New Zealand All Black Wellington-born Filo Tiatia, 38, now a back-row forward and coach with the Ospreys rugby region in Wales, is backing a campaign to save Swansea’s Tennis Centre from closure. He…
Lunchbox Aesthetics
Christchurch art commentator Denis Dutton is invited by The New York Times to discuss beauty and the Japanese bento box. What does the care devoted to the visual details in a packed lunch suggest…
He takes the long road
Originally from Takaka, Ewan Kingston has been travelling from the UK to New Zealand by any means possible save for flying since mid-28, posting his adventures on the Ecologist site, the world’s leading environmental…
To Osaka and Kintetsu
Crusaders fullback Blenheim-born Leon MacDonald has signed a two-year deal with the Kintetsu Liners Club in Japan. The 31-year-old said he had signed a deal with Kintetsu and will join the Osaka-based club in…
NZ Proposes Winter Games
An interim board is developing a proposal to launch the inaugural New Zealand Winter Games in 2009. The aim of the Winter Games is to provide elite winter athletes from Pacific Rim countries with off-season training…
Protest Heard Around the World
NZ-born pro surfer Dave “Rasta” Rastovich led an international protest over Japan’s commercial slaughter of dolphins in November, gaining significant media coverage for his cause. Rastovich, a free surfer for Billabong, is a co-founder of the charity…
Après Vous
Queenstown has been named one of the world’s top ten après ski destinations in the Sydney Morning Herald. “The 120 licensed establishments in this lakeside town are brought to you by the letter ‘B’ where…
NZ Triathletes Dominate at Ishigaki
NZ athletes dominated at Japan’s Ishigaki Island World Cup series triathlon, despite their lack of a gold medal finish. Bevan Docherty, Kris Gemmell, Shane Reed and Andrew Hewitt finished second, third, fourth and sixth in the…
Japan Nets All Black Great
Former All Black John Kirwan has signed a two-year contract to coach Japan’s national rugby team. Kirwan will lead the side in its World Cup efforts this year, with plans to hone 6 elite players down…
One to Watch
Debbie Tanner claimed the first major victory of her career at the 26 ITU Ishigaki World Cup triathlon in Japan. UK veteran Michelle Dillon and fellow Kiwi Samantha Warriner came second and third respectively….
Craze Hits New Heights
Czech accountant Jana Tylova has won the inaugural sudoku world championships held in Lucca, Italy. The Japanese game of logic has been popularised by NZ judge-turned-entrepreneur Wayne Gould, whose syndicated games now appear in over 400 newspapers…
2005 Campbell’s Year
Golfer Michael Campbell has been named NZ’s Sportsperson of the Year for 2005 after winning both the US Open and the World Matchplay Championship in Britain. It is the second time Campbell has won the country’s…
Five Million in the Stands
Despite widespread international media opinion that we would be out in the first round, New Zealand has won the bid to host the 2011 Rugby World Cup. After South Africa’s unexpected removal from the running, New…
Sugarfoot Speaks Up
In a sports-mad country like NZ, how can one of its richest and most successful exponents be virtually unknown? Kickboxer Ray “Sugarfoot” Sefo has quietly earned more than $1 million from the sport and is a…
One to Watch
16-year-old Rebecca Spence is shaping up to be one of NZ’s star triathletes. The Rangitoto College student won the elite junior title at the ITU Duathlon World Championships in Newcastle, Australia, just two weeks after claiming silver…
In Defense of Whales
NZ led the anti-whaling nations at the International Whaling Commission meeting in Ulsan. Headed by Conservation Minister Chris Carter, the delegation included officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and DoC, as well as Whaling Commissioner Sir…
First Win the Sweetest
NZ triathlete Samantha Warriner enjoyed her first major victory, taking out the women’s title at the ITU World Cup in Japan. Warriner finished the event in 2 hours 39 seconds, ahead of Japanese competitors Kiyomi Niwata…
A Step in the Right Direction
Hamilton inventor and former chemical engineer, Brian Goggin, is seeking patents in NZ, the US, Japan, and Europe for a reinforced metal fuel tank which vents hydrogen gas safely in the event of an accident. The innovation…
Je Le Prends = I’ll Take It
NZ fashion labels Sabatini White, Nom*d, Ng, and WORLD staged an acclaimed joint exhibit at the prestigious Tranoi trade show in Paris. Sabatini White was particularly successful, securing orders of more than $110,000 and…
Treasures of the Deep
A joint NZ/Japanese exploration of a deep-sea volcano off the NZ mainland has unearthed a mass of fascinating new life forms. According to a statement by Geological and Nuclear Sciences Ltd, who headed the venture, the…
Paradise Uncovered
Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson’s ode to NZ, Slipping Into Paradise, reviewed in Japan’s Daily Yomiuri. “Part memoir, part philosophical reflection, part travel book, Slipping into Paradise details why Masson picked NZ from the many countries he had visited as…
Far and Away
A team of NZ and Japanese astronomers at Mount John Observatory have discovered Earth’s most distant planetary neighbour. The planet – which is about the size of Jupiter – was located 17,000 light years away, in the…
Comic Genius
20 March 2004 – Martin Emond, internationally renowned comic-book artist, illustrator, and tattooist, died in LA on March 19 aged 34. Emond created the popular character Switchblade (star of NZ clothing brand Illicit) and…
Brave New World
A joint Japanese-NZ research expedition hopes to discover new forms of life 1,850m below sea-level off the north-east coast of NZ. The team will venture by submarine to the Brothers Volcano, where warm, mineral-laden water is believed…
Alternative Slopes
Scotsman feature urges snow bunnies further afield than the Alps and Rockies, recommending NZ alongside Iran, Alaska and Chile as a desirable alternative. “The Alps that run spine-like through the South Island are dotted with ski resorts. Mt…
Street Cred
“Dressing icons of the now” on the streets and slopes are home-grown favourite Huffer. The street-wear label, created by Steve Dunstan and Dan Buckley in 1997, is now sold through 10 stores in Australia,…
Jobs for (Almost) All
Unemployment in NZ is at a 16-year low of 4.7% thanks largely to net gains in permanent and long-term migration. Employment Minister, Steve Maharey: “We are now experiencing lower unemployment than all our major trading partners, including…
Little Brother
New Zealand ranks near the top in an international index ‘Ranking the Rich’, published by Foreign Policy and the Centre for Global Development, gauging how rich nations help out poorer nations. NZ toppped the list with The…
Habit-forming
Habitual – brainchild of Kiwi designer Nicole Garrett – is officially the coolest denim line on the street. The range is now stocked by big-gun retailers including Barneys (New York and Japan), Colette (Paris),…
Tokyo Girl
Karen Walker has recently returned from a promotional stint in Japan, where her popularity has reached new heights. After four years, she has more than 50 stockists in over 25 cities, and shares a…
Karen Walker: Back Yard High Casual
6 page Observer spread: Walker uses her distance to advantage, preferring the hilltops of Auckland to the glamour and pace of Europe. “Karen Walker’s lived-in fabrics and homely knits evoke her idyllic New Zealand…
Pacific Protest
Yachts containing more than 50 protesters from NZ, Australia and Vanuatu confronted a ship carrying nuclear waste through the Tasman Sea from Britain to Japan. According to Greenpeace, the cargo contained enough nuclear material for 50 bombs,…
Best Haul
Ironically for Lynn, NZ was once again voted “Best Long Haul Country” over Australia, Cuba, Japan, Thailand et al by Guardian and Observer readers – they must have got off the bus and visited at…
Asian Free Trade Zone
Japan is keen to envelop New Zealand and Australia into its vision for an Asian free-trade zone in both trade and investment, and beyond into technology, education and tourism.
Adopted Lambs for Japan
School children in Amagase, Japan have adopted lambs resident in Dunedin, Amagase’s sister city in New Zealand. The lambs have their own websites for the children to access and catch up on what’s happening with their…
Nature Film Fest Sucess
Natural History New Zealand walked away with two awards at at the Japan Wildlife Film Festival, one of the industry’s highest-regarded wildlife television festivals. The Crystal Ocean won the Underwater Award, while the…
Whale of a Debate
Japan gets sharky over New Zealand’s support for a Southern Ocean whale sanctuary, but South Pacific nations are right behind the proposal.
