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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...
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...
Yen rally could help end crushing wage decay in Japan
Some economists say a sticky weak yen trend would have a negative impact on Japan's real wage growth.
Japan's population continues to fall even as foreign resident count rises
The number of residents in Tokyo as of Jan. 1 rose by 0.03% from a year before, data shows, marking a year-on-year increase for the first time in three years, while the country's other 46 prefectures saw their populations continue to decline.
Japan loses top spot on strongest passport list to Singapore
Japan had the strongest passport for six years running from 2018, before being dethroned by Singapore on the 2024 list.
Yen extends advance as unwinding of global carry trades ramps up
The yen strengthened Wednesday to break the psychological threshold of ¥155 against the dollar, with technical indicators suggesting the momentum can continue.
Terunofuji, as he tends to do, returns to stamp his authority on sumo pretenders
Terunofuji (left) throws down Kirishima on Tuesday to build on his perfect record at the Nagoya Grand Sumo Tournament.
Japan loses top spot on strongest passport list to Singapore
Japan had the strongest passport for six years running from 2018, before being dethroned by Singapore on the 2024 list.
Why Japan's mysterious stash of classified funds escapes scrutiny
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi (right) during a meeting in Tokyo on Tuesday.
Terunofuji, as he tends to do, returns to stamp his authority on sumo pretenders
Terunofuji (left) throws down Kirishima on Tuesday to build on his perfect record at the Nagoya Grand Sumo Tournament.
Japanese startups advised to internationalize to get some global mojo
Entrepreneurs who participated in the Beyond Japan Zero to X program last year share their experiences in the United States during a meeting in May in Tokyo.
Japan eyes gold — and the future — as Olympic men's soccer campaign begins
Japan midfielder Yu Hirakawa controls the ball during a match against the United States in Kansas City, Kansas, on June 11.

Podcast

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

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Traditional folk rituals like Mizudome-no-mai (dance to stop the rain) provide a sense of agency to a population that feels largely powerless in the face of the climate crisis.
As climate extremes intensify, Japan embraces ancient weather rituals
By Alex K.T. Martin

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