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December 31, 2024
 

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Erik Luebs
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
May 5, 2018
Tacuba: Offering a fresh take on Mexican food
Everything about Jose Sanchez's new Osaka restaurant, Tacuba, emphasizes freshness. From the contemporary Mexican art on the walls to the open kitchen, and made-to-order prep area, there's a clean minimalism to the design that focuses attention on the restaurant's ingredients and preparation.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Apr 18, 2018
Koshiro Hino's 'Geist' summons spirits with sound and light
Despite being a fraction of the size of Tokyo, Osaka boasts a long history of underground music that pushes boundaries.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jan 3, 2016
The shape-shifting landscape of Japan's electronic underground
Detroit techno pioneer Derrick May joined Tokyo's DJ Emma on New Year's Eve to say goodbye to one of the capital's most respected electronic music venues, Air.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Nov 20, 2015
Dark sounds for dark times from avant-garde group Goat
It's at a showcase for Berlin's Pan record label, where I first stumble on Osaka band Goat. As I walk down the concrete steps of Shinsaibashi venue Conpass, I can already hear the music. The gradually increasing reverberations of sound grow ever more tight and mechanical, but it's not until I open the...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jun 13, 2013
Kanazawa artists play with genres
It's 11 p.m. and Kanazawa venue Puddle is packed. The space is a two-room, wood-furnished cafe/bar in the city's Katamachi neighborhood. There's a mediocre jam band playing later that night, but the DJ set by Yasuhiro Tsukamoto is what catches my attention. With little regard to what's on the charts,...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
May 23, 2013
Finding an artistic home for fashion
Almost everything in the room is transparent. From the ceiling dangle two clear plastic jackets. Against the glass walls are empty glass display cases. Past the jackets on the opposite side of the room are four flat-screen TVs set to static.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
May 9, 2013
LA and Tokyo mix it up at Dublab
As cities, Tokyo and Los Angeles could not be more different. But as creative places, both cities resonate with one another as creative partners.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Apr 25, 2013
On the mechanics of anime illustration
The 1970s was an important decade for the development of Japanese pop-cultural icons. Kindergarten children back then would likely have been introduced to the characters Doraemon (1969), Anpanman (1973) and Hello Kitty (1974).
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Mar 14, 2013
Wonderful Noise's Kenji Sakajiri searches for 'soul' in his label's signings
At the age of 18, Kenji Sakajiri left his hometown of Tanabe, Wakayama Prefecture, and moved to Osaka. He wasn't headed to college or looking for a day job. Instead he dived headfirst into the world of vinyl records.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Feb 14, 2013
Colo brings tribes together in Osaka
It's December and small flocks of young, creative-looking types are making their way to a shipyard in Osaka's Namura district. Tucked among an expanse of otherwise drab warehouses there is Creative Center Osaka, and tonight is "Hot Docks 2," an art and music spectacle.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / IN THE RECORD
Jan 23, 2013
Eadonmm
Known to most as Eadonmm, Shinya Wada is a Kansai-based producer and DJ. In addition to organizing an event called Idle Moments in Kyoto, he is now busy finishing a new album, "Aqonis," due out this spring on Osaka label Day Tripper Records. Here's a look at what he's got in his record bag (he even gave...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Dec 20, 2012
Expe "Emeralda"
As Expe, Takatoshi Yoshitake's October release "Emeralda" approaches the technical thresholds of guitar and percussion, but avoids the egotistical posturing that characterizes much progressive music. Instead, "Emeralda" dives deep into meter and timbre all while maintaining a cool, nuanced sensibility....
Ukraine risks losing all Russian land it seized within months, U.S. says
Ukrainian soldiers carry the coffins of three comrades killed in recent fighting in eastern Ukraine during their funeral in the western city of Lviv on Dec. 20.
Japanese Princess Kako turns 30
As an adult member of the Imperial Family, Princess Kako has performed various official duties at home and abroad this year.
South Korea's worst plane crash in decades leaves 179 dead
Rescue personnel are seen near the tail section of a Jeju Air Boeing 737-800 series aircraft after the plane crashed and burst into flames at Muan International Airport in Muan, South Korea, on Sunday.
U.S. military coordination unit eyed in central Tokyo
A Self-Defense Forces soldier from a Patriot Advanced Capability-3 missile unit takes part in a drill at Yokota Air Base in Fussa, western Tokyo, in August 2017.
South Korea orders air safety probe after worst-ever crash kills 179
Firefighters on Monday inspect the wreckage of a Jeju Air plane that crashed at Muan International Airport in Muan, South Korea, a day earlier.
Japan’s weather in 2024: Record temperatures hurt people’s health and wallets
People cover themselves with umbrellas during a hot summer day in Tokyo's Ginza district in August. Temperatures shot up in early July, even before the official end of the rainy season, and the high temperatures persisted well into the fall.
How Hokkaido quietly became a culinary treasure trove in 2024
The central Hokkaido city of Asahikawa made headlines this year when one of its suburbs was named as the best place to live in Japan — a ranking earned in part due to the community's many outstanding restaurants and cafes.
Bling-Bang, baby: The J-pop soundtrack of 2024
Hip-hop duo Creepy Nuts' uptempo “Bling-Bang-Bang-Born” quickly became a TikTok favorite after its release days into 2024, which helped turn the song into a Billboard Japan Hot 100 topper for 19 weeks before rising up viral streaming charts around the world.
Shohei Ohtani ends blockbuster year with baby announcement
Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani and his wife, Mamiko Tanaka, attend a Lakers game in Los Angeles on Dec. 8.
Flu cases surge above ‘warning’ levels in much of Japan
Authorities are calling for utmost vigilance as Japan heads into the New Year holiday season, when many people plan getaways.

Podcast

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

Longform

Members of the Wajima City Morning Market Association pose for a group photograph on the site where the market once stood.
In the wake of disaster, the revival of Wajima's market brings hope
By Alex K.T. Martin

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