tim hornyak
@robotopia.bsky.social
Tokyo writer @TheTimes @TheAtlantic @nytimes @TIME @Nature @CNBC @AGU_Eos @kinfolkmag; Author, Loving the Machine: The Art and Science of Japanese Robots https://muckrack.com/tim-hornyak
For The New York Times I wrote about the preservation of old homes in Japan through exports: To Save Japan’s Heritage Homes, People Are Shipping Them Across the World www.nytimes.com/2026/07/31/r...
To Save Japan’s Heritage Homes, People Are Shipping Them Across the World (Gift Article)
Millions of abandoned kominkas are scattered across Japan. Now, teams of enthusiasts are dismantling and rebuilding them overseas.
nytimes.com
For @thetimes.com, I put the new Hiyashi Cup Noodles to the slurp test: Cup Noodle has an answer to 40C temperatures — just add fridge water. Our correspondent popped to the shop www.thetimes.com/world/asia/a...
For IEEE Spectrum, I wrote about how Japan lost its edge in humanoid robots and the challenges of the China-led ecosystem: Japan Pioneered Humanoid Robots—Can It Now Catch China? Japan must shift its approach to robotics to stay competitive spectrum.ieee.org/humanoid-rob...
China’s Humanoid Army Pushes Japan to Rethink Its Robot Future
Japan must shift its approach to robotics to stay competitive
spectrum.ieee.org
My latest for @thetimes.com Jellyfish, sharks and big dreams: how I conquer oceans and summits: Rob Lea has become the first person to cross seven channels and climb seven summits in a grueling challenge that was decades in the making www.thetimes.com/world/asia/a...
A huge fleet of EV buses, ditched for use at the Osaka Expo, because they didn't work, will be sent to an industrial waste plant in Toyama. The supplier filed for bankruptcy, so no refund was possible. www.yomiuri.co.jp/national/202...
大阪メトロが使用断念した中国製ＥＶバス１００台以上、産廃処理場へ「出発」
【読売新聞】 昨年の大阪・関西万博などに向けて購入し、不具合を受けて継続使用を断念した電気自動車（ＥＶ）バスについて、大阪メトロは２６日、大阪市城東区の敷地で保管していた１００台以上のバスを全て撤去した。同社への取材でわかった。関係
yomiuri.co.jp
The yen has hit a 40-year low against the dollar after breaking through ¥161.96 mark despite repeated verbal interventions by authorities. 👉 ebx.sh/C7aDnX
Satoko Kishimoto, the first female mayor of Suginami Ward in Tokyo, won reelection after seeing off ex-mayor Ryō Tanaka. I interviewed her for @Japantimes in 2022 www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2022/08... 東京都杉並区長選、現職の岸本聡子氏が再選 自民推薦の前区議ら破るhttps://www.asahi.com/articles/ASV6X7X92V6XOXIE01BM.html
No backpedaling for Suginami Ward’s bicycling mayor
Satoko Kishimoto is a breath of fresh air in local politics. But can she bring about change?
japantimes.co.jp
The Leonard Cohen estate is objecting to President Trump's planned use of the song "Hallelujah" ahead of tonight's Freedom 250 rally on the National Mall here in Washington.
Japan's 'akiya' boom draws dreamers to abandoned homes Cheap rural houses attract viral attention, but restoring them demands money, patience and skill trib.al/8LAs8VE
Japan's 'akiya' boom draws dreamers to abandoned homes
Cheap rural houses attract viral attention, but restoring them demands money, patience and skill
trib.al
Some real food for thought in this essay by @hirokoyoda.bsky.social on the different ways in which the US and Japan are grappling with what it means to be American or Japanese: www.noahpinion.blog/p/what-defin...
What defines Japan's national identity?
A guest post by Hiroko Yoda.
noahpinion.blog
The Fair Trade Commission is investigating Ezaki Glico, Meiji, Lotte, Morinaga Milk, Morinaga Confectionery, and Akagi for price-fixing in the ice cream market, in the belief they colluded to raise prices at the same time. www.yomiuri.co.jp/national/202...
明治・ロッテ・グリコなど大手製菓６社、アイスクリームで価格カルテルの疑い…公取委が立ち入り検査
【読売新聞】 アイスクリーム商品の希望小売価格を巡ってカルテルを結んだ疑いがあるとして、公正取引委員会は１６日午前、大手製菓会社など６社に対し、独占禁止法違反（不当な取引制限）容疑で立ち入り検査を始めた。アイス業界でカルテルを巡る調
yomiuri.co.jp
Prices for thousands of foods have gone up in Japan over the past year, but I'm always shocked by yaki-imo (roasted sweet potatoes). I remember one being 400 yen ($2.50)--now some street vendors in Tokyo are charging 1,200 yen to 2,000 yen ($7.50 to $12.50) a potato
Why It’s Nearly Impossible to Build a Robot Without China www.nytimes.com/2026/06/11/b...
Why It’s Nearly Impossible to Build a Robot Without China
nytimes.com
A 300 ton, 150 metre long steel hose has washed ashore in Ishikawa. It's thought to be from a Chinese dredger. For scale, you can see a man standing on the left of the photo. They will need a lot of blue sheets to exhibit this one. www.hokkoku.co.jp/articles/-/2...
The opening of the Gordie Howe International Bridge was delayed at the request of the United States, confirms Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney. www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
Opening of the Gordie Howe bridge delayed 'at the request of the United States': Carney | CBC News
Hours after the Windsor-Detroit Bridge authority postponed a planned ribbon-cutting event on Friday, Carney said there were "a few issues that have been raised."
cbc.ca
The H3 Launch Vehicle No. 6 successfully lifted off from the Tanegashima Space Center in Kagoshima Prefecture at 9:53 a.m. on Friday, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency announced.
Japan successfully launches H3 rocket
The successful launch is an important comeback for Japan as it seeks to restore confidence in the H3 series and demonstrate the rocket can support a wider range of missions.
ebx.sh
Philip Patrick aiming to be the new A.A. Gill of British journalism on Japan. spectator.com/article/the-...
Commentary: Critics argue the Trump administration is using foreign pollution as a justification to relax smog regulations, potentially worsening air quality and public health in U.S. cities.
Blaming Asia and Mexico for U.S. pollution is absurd
President Donald Trump's 'Environmental Protection Agency,' a name growing more ironic by the day, is giving polluters some wiggle room.
ebx.sh
In a rebuke to the president, the Republican-controlled House approves legislation designed to force Trump to end the Iran War - a victory for Democrats and constitutional purists who say the conflict is illegal without explicit congressional approval. thehill.com/homenews/hou...
House passes resolution to end the Iran War
House lawmakers on Wednesday passed legislation designed to force President Trump to end the Iran War, marking a victory for Democrats and the constitutional purists who say the conflict is illegal…
thehill.com
Calbee's monochrome packaging is on shelves now. This photo was taken at a convenience store in Sapporo. www.yomiuri.co.jp/economy/2026...
I wrote about why Jacob Weisberg, chair of the Committee to Protect Journalists, says it's more dangerous than ever to be a reporter @fccjapan.bsky.social @pressfreedom.bsky.social www.fccj.or.jp/number-1-shi...
Julia Angwin: Meta Is Dying. It’s About Time. www.nytimes.com/2026/05/08/o...
Opinion | Meta Is Dying. It’s About Time.
nytimes.com
Major Japanese opposition party the Centrist Reform Alliance will back a proposal for securing more imperial family members through adoption, sources have said.
CRA to back adoption proposal for imperial family
The proposal calls for male members on the paternal line of former imperial family branches to be adopted back into the family.
ebx.sh
The Tokai region has it's first three foreign bus drivers with specified skills visas. The three Indonesian men are employed by Meitetsu Bus, and were formally introduced at a ceremony in Toyota City. www.chunichi.co.jp/article/1245...
The Forensics of a Skyscraper-Sized Tsunami: A landslide in Tracy Arm Fjord in Alaska created the second-largest tsunami on record. A new analysis links this abrupt event to the retreat of a glacier and, ultimately, to climate change eos.org/articles/the...
The Forensics of a Skyscraper-Sized Tsunami - Eos
A landslide in Tracy Arm Fjord in Alaska created the second-largest tsunami on record. A new analysis links this abrupt event to the retreat of a glacier and, ultimately, to climate change.
eos.org
Japan had a massive early lead in humanoid robots but that is long gone now. At least it got an IEEE Milestone Award: Honda's P2 humanoid robot recognized as 'milestone' for smooth walking mainichi.jp/english/arti...
Honda's P2 humanoid robot recognized as 'milestone' for smooth walking - The Mainichi
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Honda Motor Co. said Tuesday that its P2 bipedal humanoid robot, which was unveiled to the public in 1996, has been honored by a U.S.
mainichi.jp
For The Times of London I wrote about Ulsan, South Korea's powerhouse city where some people are at higher risk of depression www.thetimes.com/world/asia/a...
Does money make us happy? Korea’s richest town isn’t so sure
Ulsan has lush seaside parks, efficient electric buses, outdoor gyms — and also the highest rates of depression in the country
thetimes.com
