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November 24, 2024
 

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Alisa Yamasaki
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Feb 12, 2021
Koji Arano: Dating in a pandemic, ‘every encounter is now more valuable’
Through his YouTube channel Moteki Producer, Osaka native Koji Arano offers up relationship advice to a love-hungry audience.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Oct 29, 2019
Industrial JP: Bringing Japan's factories to the dancefloor
Industrial JP has embarked on a project to document the sounds of Japanese factories and turn them into music fit for the dancefloor
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Jan 17, 2019
#StandUpJapan and other hashtags allow for new voices to be heard
On the morning of Jan. 14, 20-year-old women decked out in brightly colored kimono scrambled to catch trains to take them to ceremonies across the country to mark Coming of Age Day.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / Sound Off
Jul 26, 2018
Kendrick Lamar and the politics of Japanese PR
The news of Pulitzer Prize-winning rapper Kendrick Lamar returning to Fuji Rock, one of Japan's most celebrated music festivals, was met with excitement from hip-hop fans here as soon as it was announced in February. To leverage the hype ahead of the festival, Universal Music Japan launched a politically...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
May 12, 2018
Classical painting hashtag highlights Japanese mothers' daily frustrations
As we celebrate Mother’s Day on May 13, a hashtag highlighting the daily struggles of mothers in Japan is going viral on Twitter.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
Feb 17, 2018
'Because I'm a Mom' children's song sends vexed mothers the wrong message
What was meant to be a much-needed pat on the back for mothers has done more harm than good. In Hulu’s original children’s program “Dai! Dai! Daisuke Onisan!!,” hosted by ex-NHK talent Daisuke Yokoyama, Daisuke Onisan performed a new song titled “Atashi Okasan Dakara” (“Because I’m a...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jan 9, 2018
Pushing for a more diverse dancefloor
When the acclaimed end-of-year techno party Future Terror announced its full lineup of DJs in December, there was a notable omission among the 19 names: There were no women.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / FOREIGN AGENDA
Nov 8, 2017
In Japan, we too need to talk about sexual misconduct
#MeToo may have failed to fly here, but Japanese society has much to learn about combating sexual assault and harassment.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
Oct 28, 2017
Twitter Japan confronts hate speech with mixed results
Following countless claims that Twitter has become a breeding ground for hate speech, the social networking service has started to take measures against hate speech on their platform over the past two years. After several events in September, however, it's clear that Twitter Japan is still struggling...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jul 26, 2017
Figuring out who to watch at this year's Fuji Rock Festival
The 2017 edition of Fuji Rock Festival boasts one of the more eclectic lineups the long-running gathering has had in recent years. The headliners tell the tale: Cartoon rockers Gorillaz share the same font size as electronic pop star Bjork and dance music weirdo Aphex Twin. Dig deeper and you'll find...
Japan Times
CULTURE
May 11, 2017
Tackling the terminology behind feminism in Japan
In 1985, women in gorilla masks gathered at New York's Museum of Modern Art to protest its lack of female artists. Known as the Guerrilla Girls, the group continues to raise awareness about inequality in the art world. Thirty years later, their spirit has ignited some women in Japan to action.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital
Nov 11, 2016
Japan races to become the robot capital of the world
Japan may have a long way to go before it can build a fully functional Gundam or Doraemon, but it's getting closer to bringing sci-fi-style robotic helpers and protectors into our daily lives. Japan Robot Week, which took place at the Tokyo Big Sight convention center from Oct. 19 to 21, showcased the...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Oct 21, 2016
A 'moonlit' afternoon tea in Tokyo with Noritaka Tatehana
Japan has a long history of noticing subtle seasonal changes and taking each as an opportunity for celebration. The appearance of cherry blossoms in early spring may be the most well-known example, but October's tsukimi (moon-viewing) festival is also culturally significant.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Oct 16, 2016
When to speak and when to shut up: the art of a Japanese 'benshi'
The silent films screened in Japan from the 1920s to '40s were never completely silent. Katsudo-shashin benshi, or benshi for short, delivered live narration that provided everything an audience might need to appreciate a film — from commentary to translation. Derived from Japan's many narrative art...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Sep 8, 2016
The UNHCR Refugee Film Festival finds increased focus on Europe for 11th edition
The status of refugees and displaced people continues to worsen since the European refugee crisis first gained widespread attention in 2015. In the news refugees may be portrayed as powerless victims, but the tremendous strength they show in taking strides toward a better future is anything but. The...
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Aug 4, 2016
The changing face (and bodies) of fitness
There has been a recent trend among Japanese comedians to go big — with their workouts. Toshiaki Kasuga, Nakayama Kinnikun and Yoshio Kojima all incorporate flexing into their routines, playing up macho stereotypes for laughs. However, Shun Kaneko isn't laughing.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Mar 20, 2016
Domestic content rules at Waradise Garage's 'wamono' events
Japan's club scene continues to divide itself into smaller niche events like cells undergoing mitosis. Each new party differs slightly from the others and together they cater to almost every genre and micro-genre imaginable; if it has been blogged about, then there's a night for it.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Oct 11, 2015
Sapphire Slows looks to build on her past lo-fi success
'I get asked, 'How can you make it as a musician?' and I really think it's all about mental strength," says Kinuko Hiramatsu, who produces music under the name Sapphire Slows.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Oct 11, 2015
Sparrows to step up to the studio sound board
'It's embarrassing to be flashy," says Ryota Miyake, explaining why he chose the sparrow, one of the plainest, most ubiquitous birds in Japan as his moniker.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jun 19, 2015
Akiko Kiyama's twisted techno turns to new kind of sound
Akiko Kiyama has made a name for herself as one of the most prominent female Japanese techno artists. Since returning to Tokyo this past December after living in Berlin for several years, she has already launched her own label, Kebko Music, with two releases in a matter of months.
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.
Tokyo police care for lost umbrellas, keys and flying squirrels
An employee at the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department Lost and Found Center in the Iidabashi area of central Tokyo bags, tags and organizes thousands of items.
After Shohei Ohtani bump, Iwate ironware maker sees brighter future
Kaito Kikuchi's decision to send superstar Shohei Ohtani one of his company's traditional ironware tea kettles has paid off with a surge of interest from general consumers.
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.
Woman dies after train collides with car in Tochigi
A Moka Railway train car
133-year-old Kyushu railway station remains to be partially preserved
The remains of the original Moji Station in Kitakyushu
After Shohei Ohtani bump, Iwate ironware maker sees brighter future
Kaito Kikuchi's decision to send superstar Shohei Ohtani one of his company's traditional ironware tea kettles has paid off with a surge of interest from general consumers.
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.

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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