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Justin McCurry

@justinmmccurry.bsky.social

Guardian Japan & Korea correspondent. Wolves fan. Author of War on Wheels: Inside Keirin and Japan's Cycling Subculture. 競輪大ファン。

258 Followers  |  12 Following  |  10 Posts  |  Joined: 14.11.2024  |  1.8659

Latest posts by justinmmccurry.bsky.social on Bluesky

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Hiroshima’s fading legacy: the race to secure survivor’s memories amid a new era of nuclear brinkmanship Eighty years on from the destruction of the city, registered survivors of the blast - known as hibakusha – have fallen below 100,000

www.theguardian.com/world/2025/a...

05.08.2025 07:39 — 👍 1    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0
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‘As thrilling as driving a sports car’: the Tokyo capsule tower that gave pod-living penthouse chic They had portholes, cutting edge mod cons – and the ultra luxurious models even came with a free calculator. As Japan’s beloved Nakagin Capsule Tower resurfaces, we celebrate an architectural marvel

www.theguardian.com/artanddesign...

07.07.2025 10:11 — 👍 2    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0
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Japan’s rice crisis - podcast Reged Ahmad speaks to the Guardian’s Japan and Korea correspondent, Justin McCurry, in Osaka about why a home-grown grain shortage is putting pressure on consumers and politicians, leading many Japane...

Japan has a prized home-grown rice industry but as @justinmmccurry.bsky.social explains, with skyrocketing prices, the future is uncertain for a culturally and politically significant crop. He takes us through the whys & what next. @australia.theguardian.com www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...

07.07.2025 08:20 — 👍 2    🔁 2    💬 1    📌 0
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Breaking good: the yakuza gangster who became a lawyer A mental health crisis on a busy Tokyo street set one-time dealer and debt collector Yoshitomo Morohashi on a path to redemption, and life as a lawyer
27.06.2025 01:29 — 👍 0    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0
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Just finished this tremendous book by @justinmmccurry.bsky.social on Japanese keirin racing.

Informative and beautifully written by someone whose vast cycling and cultural knowledge shone through.

It’s only increased my desire to go and watch a meet live when I (eventually) get to Japan.

20.06.2025 08:44 — 👍 4    🔁 1    💬 1    📌 0

Thank you very much for the kind words, Simon! Let me know when you make it to Japan and we'll go to a keirin meet.

25.06.2025 03:56 — 👍 1    🔁 0    💬 1    📌 0
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Teenager from Hull becomes second Briton ever to join a professional sumo stable Sumo wrestler Nicholas Tarasenko, 15, gets rare chance to break into professional ranks after winning amateur tournaments and learning Japanese
25.06.2025 03:55 — 👍 1    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0
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Against the grain: as prices and temperatures rise, can Japan learn to love imported rice? The political and cultural insulation of Japan’s beloved grain is falling apart, and experts warn the country’s relationship with the staple will have to adapt
11.06.2025 05:02 — 👍 3    🔁 2    💬 0    📌 0
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Okinawa was the bloodiest battle of the Pacific war. 80 years on, are the dead being betrayed? A quarter of Okinawan civilians died during the US invasion, some after being told to kill themselves. But today the legacy of the war dead is being complicated by the presence of tens of thousands of...

Guardian photographer David Levene and I travelled to Okinawa a couple of months ago to make this video/text/photography package to mark the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Okinawa. A real team effort that would not have been possible without colleagues in Okinawa, London and Sydney.

10.06.2025 07:40 — 👍 3    🔁 2    💬 2    📌 0
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Fukushima soil headed to Japan PM’s flower beds to allay nuclear safety fears The government has suggested the material, which it describes as low risk, could also be used in roads and infrastructure in other parts of Japan.
28.05.2025 05:09 — 👍 1    🔁 1    💬 0    📌 0
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Holiday bookings to Japan are down - could a 90s manga comic’s earthquake prediction be to blame? The Future I Saw, a Japanese graphic novel by Ryo Tatsuki, declared a major disaster would occur on 5 July 2025
27.05.2025 10:16 — 👍 2    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 1
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Japan introduces rules to put outlandish baby names to bed The change is designed to halt the use of kirakira (shiny or glittery) names that have proliferated among parents hoping to add a creative flourish
27.05.2025 10:15 — 👍 0    🔁 1    💬 0    📌 0
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Coffee, sandwiches, underwear, beer: a day in the life of Japan’s beloved konbini stores Convenience stores are a neat and functional retail institution in Japan, where customers can access the daily essentials

Our Tokyo correspondent, the wonderful Justin McCurry, spent a day living only on the food and drinks sold at Japan's konbini stores - the result, and the video, is delightful
www.theguardian.com/world/2024/n...

11.11.2024 22:12 — 👍 12    🔁 4    💬 1    📌 0

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