レアジョブ英会話 Daily News Article Podcast

Fatigue is a major challenge in today's fast-paced world. As the need for efficient rest and recovery grows, the recovery wear market is seeing a significant boom. This trend is not just about passive rest—it’s about actively promoting recovery simply by wearing specialized garments. From business professionals to athletes, a wide range of people are taking notice. This market expansion is fueled by increased health consciousness, driven by tools like smartwatch sleep trackers and the growing popularity of high-performance mattresses. Going beyond typical loungewear, the novel concept of promoting recovery by wearing perfectly matches the needs of busy modern individuals.

Leading this trend is TENTIAL's BAKUNE. BAKUNE is recovery wear that uses a special functional fiber called SELFLAME®︎. This material contains a fine ceramic powder that absorbs far-infrared rays emitted by the body and re-emits them back to the skin. This process is said to improve blood circulation and help reduce muscle stiffness, among other benefits. Notably, BAKUNE has been filed as a general medical device, and its functionality is backed by scientific evidence, ensuring its reliability. Through collaborations with universities, corporate partners, and joint development with athletes, the product has undergone continuous improvements, earning a high level of consumer trust.

BAKUNE's greatest feature is how easily it fits into your daily routine. Because it supports fatigue recovery simply by wearing it to bed, busy people can easily incorporate it into their daily lives. The three-dimensional cut, designed for ease of movement during sleep, and its comfortable feel are also key factors that contribute to high-quality rest. Many users report sleeping more comfortably. As a result, it is gaining popularity among those who prioritize physical conditioning, such as busy executives and athletes. Beyond its functionality, its wide range of colors and sophisticated design are also appealing. While positioned at a higher price point, this makes it an increasingly popular choice not only as an investment in one's own health but also as a health-conscious gift for parents, grandparents, and other loved ones.

The recovery wear market is expected to continue its growth. As technology advances, more effective and comfortable products will emerge, significantly changing how we approach rest and recovery.

This article was created in collaboration with TENTIAL.

Nishijin-ori is the intricate weaving for kimonos that dates back more than a thousand years. But the traditional Japanese craft is getting some high-tech assistance from artificial intelligence (AI).

Giant looms clatter inside a textile shop in the Nishijin district of Kyoto, a city where ancient weaving arts are still preserved to this day. Despite the craft’s heritage, its future is uncertain. Demand for kimonos has declined sharply in Japan, particularly among younger generations. Many now rent formal wear for special occasions, if they wear it at all.

In response, some artisans are turning to technology to help sustain the tradition. At the heart of the loom, a small device is visible. It's an artificial intelligence-assisted tool developed by Sony Computer Science Laboratories, or Sony CSL.

While it doesn’t weave fabric, it supports the design process, helping artisans translate traditional aesthetics into a modern pattern.

Lana Sinapayen, Ph.D. researcher at Sony Computer Science Laboratories Inc., says, “We try to integrate modern technologies with traditional craftsmanship. For example, here we have a traditional kimono made by the technique of Nishijin-ori, which dates back hundreds of years.”

In practice, this means AI learns from human corrections and can replicate those decisions across a full design. It reduces what used to take days or weeks to a matter of seconds, allowing artisans to focus more on creative decisions than technical labor.

Jun Rekimoto, a professor at the University of Tokyo and chief science officer at Sony Computer Science Laboratories Inc., says, “Happiness is not only about money or efficiency, but when that person feels content, I think. And I think we can promote that happiness by combining the traditional and latest technology.”

The final weaving, however, is done entirely by hand and loom in the traditional way.

Nishijin-ori kimonos can sell for as much as a million yen: the equivalent of several thousand dollars.

This article was provided by The Associated Press.

New York City is going car-free this summer, turning normally congested streets into pedestrian and cyclist-friendly roads.

“Summer Streets is an opportunity that we have to give a break to our streets, not to have cars and trucks and those vehicles and open the streets for fitness, wellness, cultural, entertainments, walking,” Ydanis Rodriguez, Commissioner of the New York City Department of Transportation, said.

The annual tradition began in 2008 in Manhattan, closing almost 7 miles along Park Avenue and Lafayette Street to motorized vehicles. Summer Streets has expanded to all five boroughs. This year, the program has added over 22 miles of car-free roadways.

NYC Summer Streets kicked off in Queens and Staten Island in July.

“Now all New Yorkers of different socio-economic and ethnic backgrounds, they also can use our streets, not only to ride the bike, but also to walk, and also to enjoy the different cultural expression that are a big part of our city,” Rodriguez said.

Summer Streets is part of a broader effort by the NYC Department of Transportation (DOT) to prioritize equity in transportation.

The event includes free fitness classes, bike-riding lessons, art installations, and performances, fostering a sense of community and promoting active lifestyles.

Colby Oliver biked in from neighboring Long Island City and liked the idea of carless streets.

“I think just the freedom to get on your bike, walk, run, whatever you want to do and not worry about cars in the way,” Oliver said.

The streets are car-free from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., rain or shine.

“I think it’s something I look forward to every single summer,” Erik Edeen said. “I’m a big runner and cyclist, and I like to be able to see the city from different angles that you usually don’t get to see when you’re constrained to just the sidewalks or some of the running paths.”

This article was provided by The Associated Press.

Coffee hasn't always been an easy sell in Nepal. The Himalayan country is a major tea producer, as well as a major consumer. When people greet each other in the morning, they don't ask, How are you? They say, Have you had your tea?

Tea—usually served as a sweet, milky beverage in a piping hot glass tumbler—is as much a part of Nepal's culture as rice, a constant presence at homes, meetings and social gatherings. But a growing number of Nepalis are warming up to coffee, as trendy cafés spring up on street corners in cities and towns across the country.

Nepalis started trying coffee in the 90s. One café in the capital, Kathmandu, is widely seen as the pioneer.

Gagan Pradhan began Himalayan Java as a single café in an alley, and it's grown to a chain with 84 locations in the country. Pradhan estimates there are around 7,000 cafés across the country, although so far international brands like Starbucks aren't in Nepal.

There are lot of tea shops throughout the nation, but the kind of setup they have is still kind of old-fashioned, Pradhan said. I think with investors and people like us, when it comes to coffee shop, we are more serious not only with machines, we are serious with everything like the lighting, the setup, the furnishings, the location.

Pradhan said tea shops usually offer just black tea or tea with milk, whereas a typical coffee menu has 10-15 hot beverages and about 10-15 cold beverages.

Pradhan said it's an appealing business because the initial investment to open a café is very low, they're clean and simple enough for a single person or a family to run, and customers are willing to pay more for coffee.

Several tea plantations in the mountains of eastern Nepal, famous for the tea, are now joined by coffee plantations.

Nepal is part of a regional trend. Coffee consumption has soared across traditionally tea-drinking countries in Asia as members of growing middle classes seek out novel flavors and adopt international trends.

This article was provided by The Associated Press.

For the past couple of years, concerns about cheating at school have dominated the conversation around kids and AI. But artificial intelligence is playing a much larger role in many of their lives. AI, teens say, has become a go-to source for personal advice, emotional support, everyday decision-making and problem-solving.

More than 70% of teens have used AI companions, and half use them regularly, according to a new study from Common Sense Media, a group that studies and advocates for using screens and digital media sensibly.

The study defines AI companions as platforms designed to serve as “digital friends,” like Character.AI or Replika, which can be customized with specific traits or personalities and can offer emotional support, companionship and conversations that can feel human-like. But popular sites like ChatGPT and Claude, which mainly answer questions, are being used in the same way, the researchers say.

As the technology rapidly gets more sophisticated, teenagers and experts worry about AI’s potential to redefine human relationships and exacerbate crises of loneliness and youth mental health.

“AI is always available. It never gets bored with you. It’s never judgmental,” says Ganesh Nair, an 18-year-old in Arkansas. “When you’re talking to AI, you are always right. You’re always interesting. You are always emotionally justified.”

In the Common Sense Media survey, 31% of teens said their conversations with AI companions were “as satisfying or more satisfying” than talking with real friends. Even though half of the teens said they distrust AI’s advice, 33% had discussed serious or important issues with AI instead of real people.

Those findings are worrisome, says Michael Robb, the study’s lead author and head researcher at Common Sense, and should send a warning to parents, teachers and policymakers.

Adolescence is a critical time for developing identity, social skills and independence, Robb said, and AI companions should complement—not replace—real-world interactions.

“If teens are developing social skills on AI platforms where they are constantly being validated, not being challenged, not learning to read social cues or understand somebody else’s perspective, they are not going to be adequately prepared in the real world,” he said.

This article was provided by The Associated Press.

Manuka honey often steals the spotlight when it comes to honey's healing properties. However, stingless bees also create a type of honey known as sugarbag honey. Used in Indigenous Australian medicine for thousands of years, scientists now believe it could play a role in combating antibiotic resistance in the future.

These tiny bees may be no bigger than a matchhead, but they pack a powerful punch. Their sugarbag honey has been a cornerstone of First Nations bush medicine for millennia.

Now, researchers suggest that even a small amount could outperform certain antibacterial and antifungal treatments. “When we talk about natural products like honey, they have a lot of different compounds in them that are all working together to do different things. So, it's much, much harder for microbes to gain resistance,” explains Dr. Kenya Fernandes of the University of Sydney.

Dr. Fernandes was already familiar with the antibacterial qualities of Manuka honey and began to wonder if sugarbag honey might have similar effects. She tested honey from three types of native stingless bees against E. coli, tinea, golden staph, and a yeast called Cryptococcus neoformans.

Amazingly, each honey sample displayed both antibacterial and antifungal properties, and Dr. Fernandes believes the bees themselves may be the key. “The stingless bee honey gets its effectiveness from, we think, something that the bees are adding to the honey, or the way that they're processing the nectar,” says Dr. Fernandes.

Because of their tiny size, stingless bees produce just half a liter of honey annually. To support further research, a greater supply is needed.

One potential way to increase production is by encouraging more people to take up stingless beekeeping as a hobby. “Anyone can own these bees. They're really low maintenance compared to honey bees,” says Ph.D. student Jasmin Li.

If more people began keeping these bees, it could lead to increased honey production and open the door to future medical uses. Although this honey hasn't yet received official approval for clinical use, researchers are excited about its promising scientific potential.

This article was provided by The Associated Press.

As higher education costs have grown to heights many U.S. residents find unattainable or illogical, some adults are looking to their employers for help defraying the expense of college and professional credentials. Nearly half of public and private employers have a tuition reimbursement program for employees, according to the Society for Human Resource Management, or SHRM.

Many employers that provide tuition assistance reimburse staff members up to $5,250 per year because that amount is tax-deductible, said Amy Dufrane, CEO of the Human Resource Certification Institute. Some companies offer more, including Bank of America and Spectrum.

“For companies who are looking to attract Generation Z and Millennials, it’s a great way to bring them in because they’re keenly interested in how companies are investing in them and the benefits that are available,” said Dufrane.

Because many college graduates start jobs after accumulating student loan debt, about 8% of employers also offer help with student loan repayment, according to James Atkinson of SHRM.

In traditional tuition reimbursement programs, employees lay out thousands of dollars to pay for tuition, books and fees at the start of a semester, and usually must complete the course with a passing grade before a company would kick in its contribution.

That means employees would often wait four to six months before being reimbursed, which only works for more affluent workers, said Paul Marchand, chief human resources officer at Spectrum.

“Our average worker is making $25, $28, $30 bucks an hour, maybe having a second job, maybe a single parent with kids, ... and they’re important workers for us, and we want to help develop them and grow their careers,” Marchand said.

Fitting in classes, study sessions and paper writing can be daunting when holding down a full-time job, but there are ways to make it work.

Providing flexibility shows commitment to employees, Dufrane said. “You’ve got to be flexible around learning because people have parents they’re taking care of and kids they’re taking care of, and going home at night isn’t always the best time to be writing a paper,” she said.

This article was provided by The Associated Press.

An electrical engineer by trade, Patrick Schlott has spent countless hours tinkering with new and old technology. But it wasn't until he found himself living in rural Vermont that he realized his penchant for repairing old pay phones could provide a public service.

I realized, wow, there's no cell service for 10 miles (16 kilometers) in either direction, he said. The community could really benefit from something like this.

Schlott, a full-time engineer at electric airplane manufacturing company BETA Technologies, decided to approach the owners of his local general store with the idea to install old pay phones around town and make them free for public use. After he explained that there would be no cost to the host, North Tunbridge General Store owners Mike and Lois Gross let Schlott install his first phone outside the store.

Everyone's pretty surprised, and they're like, 'Is that a real pay phone? Does that really work?' And I'm like, 'Yeah, but it doesn't cost any money now,' said store owner Mike Gross. We've had people use it that broke down. It's a great thing because service is so spotty in Vermont.

The first free public phone installation was Schlott's idea, but he says the two other locations, the Latham Library in Thetford and inside an informational booth in Randolph off Interstate 89, came from community members requesting the service.

Schlott buys the old pay phones, which can range in cost from $100 to $500, at flea markets, from internet listings or auctions, and fixes them up in his basement workshop. All that's needed to install one of his phones is an internet connection—no coins necessary.

Along with covering the costs, which are about $2 to $3 a month for each phone line and less than $5 a month for calls, Schlott acts as the operator for each phone and can field or transfer calls, helping users when needed. If a user dials zero, the phone will ring Schlott's personal cellphone, though he uses an app to keep his number private.

This article was provided by The Associated Press.

As the holiday season approaches, toy trends are emerging, but prices may be on the rise as tariffs loom, with some items already seeing slight increases.

At the annual Sweet Suite event in New York, Toy Insider Editor-in-Chief Ali Mierzejewski shared insights on potential price hikes, the hottest toys of the season, and key trends to watch this year.

Some big things we're seeing this year is food toys, whether it's play food that seems magical or food that you can actually make with your toys. That's a really big trend. We're calling it ‘Yes, Chef.’ It's kind of like that ‘(The) Bear,’ you know, has become really popularized in pop culture. So anything focused on food and cooking, pretending to, being able to make something after you've already played with the toy, is perfect.

Some of those toys include the new and improved Easy-Bake Oven, as well as a 3D food writer that uses a sugar substitute. “There are new great ones where the candy and the chef pens where you can create with sugar. So you can make candy or dessert toppings. That's a really great way to learn and play, Mierzejewski said.

Max Bogue, from WobbleWorks, explains how it works. We can make a gingerbread house that will stick together quite well, and then we can decorate it right away, and it's completely edible,” Bogue said.

As for the hot toys of the season, there’s Maggie by FurReal. “Maggie's a highland cow that you can pet, interact with, and when you feed her her bottle, she'll follow you everywhere you go, Mierzejewski said.

And capitalizing on the release of “Wicked: For Good” is a set of Care Bears representing Elphaba and Glinda. “You get the two besties, so two Care Bears dressed up as Glinda and Elphaba in one pack. So you can either keep them both, collect them, display them by yourself, or you can share one with your best friend.

While there are a lot of great toys available this season, Mierzejewski says consumers should budget for potential increases as tariffs loom.

This article was provided by The Associated Press.

An iconic Tokyo building has found a new home in New York—at least part of it has. The Nakagin Capsule Tower hosted 140 tiny homes, and now one of those pods is on display at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA).

The stacks of boxes with their distinctive circular windows were a local landmark in the Ginza District. Each was a ‘micro-dwelling,’ a tiny home just about big enough for one.

The Nakagin Capsule Tower was designed by architect Kisho Kurokawa and was added to Tokyo’s skyline in 1972. In 2022, the building was demolished—but it wasn’t the end for all its mini homes.

It’s traveled all the way to New York to go on display in the Museum of Modern Art’s street-level galleries. Inside, it’s been restored to its original condition, complete with a compact bathroom and electronics that would have been cutting edge in their day.

“This was a radical experiment in urban living in Tokyo in Japan, and it was part of a building that existed on the ground between 1972 and 2022. What we see is this miniaturized living interior or an inhabitable capsule that is about 100 square feet large. And it was intended for people to be able to spend the night in Tokyo, especially if they were workers or salarymen. Instead of commuting to the suburbs in the evening,” explains Evangelos Kotsioris, assistant curator in architecture and design at MoMA.

The way in which the building was used evolved over the decades, with rooms becoming student quarters, tea rooms, libraries and even DJ booths.

“The Nakagin Capsule Tower is the most famous example of the Metabolist architecture, an architectural movement that started in 1960 in Japan, and viewed architecture, buildings and cities as living organisms that could grow and evolve and change over time. In this case, this building was supposed to have multiple lives. The capsules would be replaced every 25 or 30 years. But in the case of this project, that didn’t happen. Yet, it was an extremely influential project for architects and the wider audience alike, says Kotsioris.

This article was provided by The Associated Press.