author

 
Menu
Search
 
November 24, 2024
 

Today's print edition

Home Delivery
Subscribe for more access

Meta

Alex Hoban
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
May 22, 2009
Taico Club
Although it's gearing up to be a bonanza year for Japan's two main outdoor summer showcases, with Fuji Rock looking set to bounce back triumphantly after last year's lineup fiasco, where Primal Scream ended up playing two nights on the mainstage, and Summer Sonic celebrating it's 10th anniversary by...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Apr 3, 2009
Busting boundaries with a pioneer of magical music
Hearing Ryuichi Sakamoto talk softly about his 30 years in music, which have elevated him to the status of an officially designated National Treasure, is to witness a perfect exercise in Japanese modesty.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Mar 6, 2009
British Anthems
The cultural difference between Britain and Japan may be even greater than the 9,000 km separating them on a map, but that's no disputing the ties between the countries when it comes to their shared love of music.
CULTURE / Music
Mar 6, 2009
British Anthems
The cultural difference between Britain and Japan may be even greater than the 9,000 km separating them on a map, but that's no disputing the ties between the countries when it comes to their shared love of music.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Dec 19, 2008
Mystery Jets ditch the quirky and turn up the pop
They formed their group when they were only 8 years old, but after years of playpen antics it wasn't until 2006 that Mystery Jets made it into the public eye with their debut album "Making Dens."
CULTURE / Music
Nov 14, 2008
Beyonce "I am . . . Sasha Fierce"
A two-disc concept album charting the sense of detachment Beyonce Knowles feels between her stage presence and the "real her"? The record industry must really be in turmoil for Sony to have let her get away with releasing this — everyone knows double albums tank, particularly when pushed by performers...
CULTURE / Music
Nov 14, 2008
Asian Kung-Fu Generation "Surf Bungaku Kamakura"
To Japanese music fans, Yokohama indie-punk four-piece Asian Kung-Fu Generation need little in the way of an introduction, with their colorful sixth album, "Surf Bungaku Kamakura," being released onto an existing backdrop of widespread commercial success and critical favor. With previous albums flying...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Nov 7, 2008
No more riots — Kaiser Chiefs get serious
In a few short years, Kaiser Chiefs, the cheeky indie-pop five-piece from Leeds in northern England, have seen their success on home turf swell from zero (as pre-Kaiser incarnation Parva) to their rebirth as stadium-ready, worldwide superstars. For this they can thank a string of chart-bothering singles...
CULTURE / Music
Oct 17, 2008
Squarepusher "Just a Souvenir"
British avante-garde electronica artisan Squarepusher's latest recorded effort is representative of the bigger picture into which it has been painted. Having overseen an experimental electronic renaissance throughout the 1990s, the Warp label spearheaded a new pinnacle of synthetic symphonists, giving...
CULTURE / Music
Oct 10, 2008
Queen + Paul Rodgers "The Cosmos Rocks"
Ever since Freddie Mercury left us for a better place, guitarist-come- scientist Brian May has taken it upon himself to throw his weight around as the new demigod leader of Queen in all its myriad bastardized forms. And who can blame him — if the real Queen let you play the National Anthem on the top...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Sep 12, 2008
Sonomi
Tell your average Tokyo hipster that there's a subarashi (cool) dance and hip-hop festival taking place in a beach paradise on the far-flung southern coast of Kochi in Shikoku and, before their jaw drops in excitement, you might be met by head-scratching confusion as they try to remember where exactly...
CULTURE / Music
Sep 12, 2008
Weezer "Weezer" (Universal International)
After 2005's awful "Make Believe," Weezer's sixth album was meant to reaffirm their greatness. But you can forget that, as what fans have dubbed "The Red Album" (because of the color of its sleeve) is the unforgiving sound of an echo rattling through the empty shell of a band you once loved.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Sep 5, 2008
MY PLAYLIST: James Smith, Hadouken!
British band Hadouken! are a curious construction. If you left them out in a storm to be struck by lightning and broken into their constituent parts, in among the blood and guts would flow a river of toxic neon goo, melting cyberpunk sartorials and a sprinkling of electrochip innards.
CULTURE / Music
Aug 29, 2008
Slipknot "All Hope is Gone"
When burlesque skull-breakers Slipknot released their eponymous debut in 1999 amid a heavy-metal renaissance that, although laughable now, saw the grizzly likes of lowest-common-denominator rap-rockers Limp Bizkit topping the charts, the Iowa nine-piece's violent conflagration of screeching thrash, visceral...
U.S. aircraft carrier returns to Japan carrying navy’s ‘most capable fighter’
U.S. 7th Fleet Commander Vice Adm. Fred Kacher speaks to reporters shortly after the arrival of aircraft carrier USS George Washington at Yokosuka naval base in Kanagawa Prefecture on Friday.
Japan approves ¥21.9 trillion stimulus plan
The policy chiefs of the Democratic Party for the People, Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito — Makoto Hamaguchi (left), Itsunori Onodera (center) and Mitsunari Okamoto — shake hands after reaching an agreement on an economic stimulus package on Wednesday.
Japan will spend ¥325 million in government funds on Princess Yuriko's funeral
Princess Yuriko waves during the New Year's public greeting at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo in January 2019.
MUFG fires worker over ¥2 billion theft from clients’ safe deposit boxes
Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group is investigating the incident and consulting with the police.
China reinstates visa-free travel for Japanese nationals
Beijing Daxing International Airport
Shohei Ohtani wins National League MVP award
Shohei Ohtani celebrates after hitting a three-run home run against the Padres during the National League Division Series at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles last month.
The slow-burn success of ‘A Samurai in Time’
A 19th-century warrior gets struck by lightning and wakes to find himself in 21st-century Kyoto in Junichi Yasuda’s surprise hit “A Samurai in Time.”
Around a quarter of Japan married couples in their 20s met through dating apps
A survey released by an organization promoting “Good Couples Day” shows that 24% of couples in their 20s met their marriage partner through a dating app.
'Tokyo Swindlers': Get deep into the minds of real estate con artists
In Ko Shinjo's "Tokyo Swindlers," a group of con artists manipulates real estate giants into falsified deals within the highly competitive, quick market.
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.

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

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

The celebrated artist ‘updating’ the kimono
The celebrated artist ‘updating’ the kimono

SPECIAL SUPPLEMENTS note

Read more

SUPPLEMENTS BINDER