First emerging in Japan in the Asuka period of about 538 to 710 C.E., the intricate woodworking practice of kumiko has since spread worldwide. Once reserved for screens or inlaid panels in handmade ...

Akira Haraguchi, 59, managed to recite the number's first 83,431 decimal places, almost doubling the previous record held by another Japanese. He had to stop three hours into his recital after losing ...