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November 22, 2024
 

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Daniel Robson
Daniel Robson, a British journalist based in Tokyo since 2006, is a features editor and writer at The Japan Times. He also writes freelance about music, videogames and Japanese pop culture for other publications around the world.
LIFE / Digital
Sep 22, 2010
Fans line up for previews
With record figures of 81,469 attendees last Saturday and 77,185 on Sunday, the public days at Tokyo Game Show were swamped with more people than the game companies could handle.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / VIEWS FROM THE STREET
Sep 21, 2010
Makuhari: What do you think of the new rash of motion-controlled video games?
AkatsugiOffice worker, 30(Japanese)Those (PlayStation) Move and (Xbox) Kinect games look interesting. I haven't tried any yet but I'd like to. Today I tried the new "Monster Hunter" game on PlayStation Portable, which was excellent — gotta love killing those monsters!
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Sep 17, 2010
Noodles stir up instant indie rock on latest album
"In the beginning, I had no interest in touring abroad," says Yoko, guitarist and vocalist with indie-rock outfit Noodles, who have toured the United States nine times over the last seven years. "Then in 2003, we opened for The Breeders in Osaka, and they told us, 'You really should come to play in the...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Sep 14, 2010
Web series taps comedy, drama of eikaiwa
Teaching English is hilarious! At least, it is now: A new Web TV show starting Thursday will attempt to show the lighter side of eikaiwa, as Japan newbie Tom Kellerman (Jonathan Sherr) finds his feet in the world of "English Teachers."
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Sep 3, 2010
J-pop diva Superfly has the classics covered
"It's really fulfilling to tackle a truly classic song with a beautiful melody; just to merely touch a song like that feels wonderful," says Shiho Ochi, better known to her legion of fans as J-pop soul diva Superfly, as we chat in her record company's Tokyo office.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / VIEWS FROM THE STREET
Aug 24, 2010
Sapporo: What was your summer highlight?
Michiko AnzawaHousewife, 57I live near Odori Park, so I went for walks around here quite often. It's a big park and it's much less crowded than the rest of the city. I like the roses in the 12-chome area of the park, and the cherry blossoms in spring are amazing.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Aug 20, 2010
Hokkaido festival Rising Sun keeps its cool all night
Could this be the most chilled music festival on Earth? At Rising Sun Rock Festival in Otaru, Hokkaido, no one seems to mind about the mud, the result of typhoon rains that drenched the festival site just hours before kickoff. The staff look like they're having a ball, beaming warmly as they stand for...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Aug 20, 2010
Rising Sun Rock from the fans' point of view
Hiromi and Naoto, from Saitama, Friday afternoon: Who did you come to see?
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Aug 20, 2010
Boss The MC gives local take on Rising Sun
Formed in 1997, Sapporo-based trio Tha Blue Herb are one of Japan's premier hip-hop acts, with a hard sound and political edge that provide a refreshing alternative to the commercial sheen of many of their peers. Speaking the night after their storming two-man set at Rising Sun on Saturday, frontman...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Aug 13, 2010
Members of Hurts, The Drums on Summer Sonic and Japan
Adam Anderson, Theo Hutchcraft, Hurts Hailing from Manchester, Hurts came prepared on Saturday with some college-level Japanese phrases to pepper their set of dense, luscious electronic pop.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Aug 6, 2010
Masudore to take postrock melodies to Rock In Japan
Formed in Kobe in 2002, Mass Of The Fermenting Dregs are a postrock band with a difference: melody. Oh sure, the trio's brutal live shows leave packed audiences around Japan with jaws agape — but they're also one of those precious few hard-edged live acts that also sound great on CD, charting highly...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Aug 6, 2010
Corgan hails Summer Sonic's '90s vibe
"The positive reaction to what we're doing right now musically and the emotion coming off the stage has just lit a fire back up," says Billy Corgan — guitarist, vocalist and sole remaining original member of alternative titans The Smashing Pumpkins. "I haven't seen a reaction to the band like this...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jul 2, 2010
The Brilliant Green are back in bloom
"The wonderful thing about being solo is that you can do whatever you like, without asking anyone's opinion — that's fun. But as a band there's camaraderie and you share a common goal. I never get fed up because I can do both."
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / A SCORCHING SUMMER SCHEDULE
Jul 2, 2010
PLASTICS: Rising Sun Rock Festival
With their rudimentary synths, wiry guitar hooks, dazzling fashion and the insane barked vocals of Chica Sato and Hajime Tachibana, Plastics were Japan's quintessential late 1970s new-wave band, finding fans in contemporaries Devo and The B-52's. Their re-formation comes as neo wave and nu rave spill...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jun 11, 2010
Midori grow up, but kids still love 'em
Parents beware: Hardcore jazz-punk three-piece Midori are back, and this time they're after your children.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
May 14, 2010
Soutaiseiriron: "Synchroniciteen"
In a world of information overload,in which we know what the members of our favorite bands had for breakfast thanks to an endless and unwelcome barrage of mundane information on Twitter, Facebook and a million fetid blogs, thank golly for Soutaiseiriron. The Tokyo four-piece's refusal to speak to the...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
May 14, 2010
Vamps bite into British rock roots
"L'Arc-en-Ciel is all about the musicianship. But Vamps are obsessed with rock music, and that's basically our watchword: 'rock.' "
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Apr 28, 2010
Learning how to arrange a date in Japanese
Whether it's a romantic engagement or dinner with friends or colleagues, making an appointment (約束, yakusoku) is a vital part of everyday language in Japan as much as anywhere else. The grammar involved isn't too taxing, though the vocabulary extends as far as your interests. Meeting for coffee (コーヒー,...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Apr 23, 2010
9mm Parabellum Bullet: "Revolutionary"
Mixing emo and hardcore punk styles with a distinctly Japanese rock sound, 9mm Parabellum Bullet have carved themselves quite a niche. The Yokohama four-piece are pretty much fixtures on the major festival circuit, thanks to both their mainstream appeal (their last album charted at No. 2) and their electrifying...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Apr 9, 2010
I Am Robot And Proud
Shaw-Han Liem may be proud, but he is not in fact a robot. Or if he is, he's a robot in disguise; more Bishop from Aliens than R2-D2. A native of Toronto, Ontario, Liem is a one-man outfit who since 2001 has crafted chilled electronica with soul, taking an artistic bent that has seen him collaborating...
Two of America’s biggest debt holders are dumping Treasurys
The U.S. Treasury building in Washington. Investors in Japan and China sold a pile of U.S. debt in the last quarter, just before the U.S. presidential election.
Ishiba aggravates his own political failures with diplomatic faux pas
Prime Minster Shigeru Ishiba is greeted at the APEC summit in Lima by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Friday. The Japanese leader was criticized for remaining seated while meeting several world leaders at the event.
Japan's 3.31 million visitors in October set monthly record
Kiyomizu Temple in Kyoto in December 2023. Famous autumn leaf colors contributed to increased tourism demand last month from many markets across Asia, Europe and North America, the Japan National Tourism Organization has said.
Japan ranks last in romance satisfaction for second straight year
In a survey of 31 countries, Japan ranked last in terms of those who felt loved, with just 51% of respondents saying so.
Ruling coalition and DPP strike last-minute deal over economic policy
DPP policy chief Makoto Mahaguchi speaks at the party's policy gathering in Tokyo on Wednesday.
Japan, U.K. and Italy discuss inviting more countries to joint fighter project
A new concept model of a next-generation fighter jet to be jointly developed by Japan, Britain and Italy is on display in Farnborough, Hampshire, in July.
Haruki Murakami's 'The City and Its Uncertain Walls' gives deep deja vu
For “The City and Its Uncertain Walls,” translated into English by Philip Gabriel, Haruki Murakami confronts the ghosts who won't leave him alone.
Japanese expats in Asia find community through rugby
The Taiwan Fivewoods celebrate their victory at the 2023 Asian Japanese Rugby Cup in December of last year.
In Fukushima, a weekend of prose, poetry and translation
Aomori-based writer JJ Carter presented on tabletop gaming as creative inspiration for building characters and narratives.
For Dr. Nakamats, aging is just experience in action
Though he didn't win the recent gubernatorial election in Tokyo, the 96-year-old Dr. Nakamats' run was seen as inspirational in Japan's aging society.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

Construction takes place on the Takanawa Gateway Convention Center in Tokyo, slated to open in 2025.
A boom for business tourism in Japan?
By Kathryn Wortley

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