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December 22, 2024
 

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Shaun Curran
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Mar 31, 2023
Black Country, New Road ramps up the theatrics
Riding high on its triumphant Fuji Rock debut last summer, the British art-rock band returns to the country for its first Japan tour.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Feb 17, 2023
Phoebe Bridgers: 'I was born into a slow apocalypse'
The 'Kyoto' singer-songwriter confronts past traumas and returns to a place of catharsis on her three-city Japan tour.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jan 14, 2023
Superorganism’s Orono Noguchi: 'I've chilled out on my stubbornness about hating Japan'
The Japanese vocalist has strong opinions about her home country. Meanwhile, she and her pop band get intergalactic on their second album, 'World Wide Pop.'
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
May 5, 2021
From Elton John to national identity, Rina Sawayama chooses her family carefully
Japanese British singer Rina Sawayama recently partnered with Elton John on “Chosen Family,” a song from Sawayama's debut album that delves deeply into her family history and identity.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Sep 26, 2019
Hot Chip's 'A Bath Full of Ecstasy' presents a 'purer version' of its electro-pop style
British group Hot Chip mark 20th anniversary with new album, 'A Bath Full of Ecstasy' and a world tour that includes dates in Osaka, Tokyo and Shizuoka Prefecture
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jul 25, 2019
The Chemical Brothers: A formula for success and a love of Fuji Rock
Earlier this year The Chemical Brothers were asked to pick out pivotal locations in the dance duo's remarkable near 30-year career.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Feb 28, 2019
Gang of Four's fluctuating degrees of animosity, 40 years on
British post-punk pioneers Gang of Four didn't come to Japan until 2005, nearly 30 years after the band formed. If guitarist Andy Gill had his way, it would have happened a lot sooner. "I clearly remember a conversation in the '80s about going to Japan," Gill says, sitting among an array of equipment...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Jun 16, 2018
Ken Watanabe: Japan's flag-bearer in the world of entertainment
Ahead of the opening of 'The King and I' in London on June 21, the award-winning actor calls on young Japanese to step outside their comfort zone.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Mar 7, 2018
Bruce Foxton on breaking up and moving on after The Jam
Bruce Foxton pauses for thought. "How would I describe what I'm doing? I suppose I'm flying the flag for those great songs."
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Feb 7, 2018
Father John Misty bets his music will not be remembered as 'an artifact of the year 2017'
Josh Tillman was in Japan when he made a life changing decision: to quit as drummer of Fleet Foxes and finally pursue the sort of music he'd always wanted to make. His swan song came in Tokyo.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jan 16, 2018
Three's never a crowd for Kitty, Daisy & Lewis
British sibling trio Kitty, Daisy & Lewis are discussing why their fourth album "Superscope" is their most upbeat yet. "I think you just get bored of moaning all the time, don't you?" says Daisy, 29. "Going on about love and 'poor old me,' that kind of thing can get boring."
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Oct 19, 2017
Beck: 'I wanted to put out a giant positive wave of sound'
"It's actually surreal that it's finally out," Beck Hansen says of his 13th album, "Colors." "It's the longest time from inception to release I've ever had. It's been like a rebirth."
CULTURE / Stage
Feb 16, 2017
Comedian Jimmy Carr talks about sensitivity, universal jokes and the best sound he can hear at a stand-up show
"OK, let's kick off with a question for you, in time-honored tradition," Jimmy Carr says to me at the outset of our interview. "Do many comedians make it over to Japan?"
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Sep 4, 2016
Elvis Costello: 'Don't just stick to one way of doing things'
I've just mentioned to Elvis Costello the publicity stunt he pulled on his first trip to Japan in 1978.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Aug 18, 2016
Underworld: 'We've become inseparable now, and it's really great'
Two years ago, Underworld duo Karl Hyde and Rick Smith had an epiphany. After more than three decades of working together — through some unremittingly lean early years; an epoch-defining, mega-selling turn in the 1990s; soundtracking the London Olympics opening ceremony, and a fractured and increasingly...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Apr 7, 2016
The genius of Brian Wilson: Beach Boys mastermind is short on words, long on legacy
As far as I can tell, Brian Wilson is in a good mood. Speaking from his Los Angeles home, the legendary Beach Boys mastermind certainly sounds upbeat, laughing when his dogs interrupt us, and seems enthusiastic about bringing "Pet Sounds," his opulent masterpiece, to Japan to celebrate its 50th anniversary....
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jan 3, 2016
Jamie xx: The archaeologist of U.K. rave culture
Sitting in his favorite East London cafe, Jamie Smith is nervous. Tonight, he will headline his biggest ever show as Jamie xx at Brixton Academy.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Nov 27, 2015
Mercury Rev comes back from disaster to see the light
"Sometimes years go by, it seems," Jonathan Donahue sings within seconds of Mercury Rev's ninth album, "The Light in You," giving the first snapshot into the mental state of a band that has returned from the brink. Seven years, in fact, had passed since Mercury Rev last released a record, a period that...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Nov 26, 2015
Nile Rodgers, Chic set to tour a legacy
'Music gives people hope." Nile Rodgers understands this statement better than most.
CULTURE / Music
Nov 20, 2015
Ride's long road back to the stage
'I'd never seen anything like it!" says Ride frontman Mark Gardener as he recalls the first time the recently reformed shoegaze pioneers stepped foot on Japanese soil.
Nippon Steel alleges undue White House influence on doomed deal review
U.S. President Joe Biden delivers remarks on the economy at the Brookings Institution in Washington on Dec. 10.
Record 78% of people in Japan feel anxious, government survey finds
The public opinion survey on people's lives, conducted by the Cabinet Office, found that 28.1% of respondents think that their standard of living is at a lower-middle level among the general public — the highest percentage to give that response in 35 years.
Police raided suspect's home to arrest him after fatal Kitakyushu stabbing
Broken window glass is seen at Masanori Hirabaru's house in Kitakyushu's Kokuraminami Ward.
Taiwan lawmakers brawl over bills that would 'damage democracy'
Lawmakers from the Democratic Progressive Party and opposition party Kuomintang brawl in parliament in Taipei on Friday.
Mother hopes for reunion with daughter ensnared by Tokyo host clubs
The Kabukicho district in Tokyo, where the daughter of a woman in her 60s fell deeply into the host club culture.
Casual workouts, cool living, ‘complete’ food: Japan’s health trends of 2024
In 2024, efficiency trumped effort among Japan's fitness-focused aspirants.
The mighty Mekong River's growing plastic problem
A group of elephant keepers in Chiang Saen, Thailand, remove plastic waste from the Ruak River, a tributary of the Mekong River, as a pair of Asian elephants bathe behind them.
Japanese officials inspect Yokota Air Base over PFAS concerns
The Yokota Air Base in western Tokyo in September 2019. An inspection of the base by Japanese government officials on Friday came amid public pressure to investigate suspected links between the use of PFAS-containing firefighting foam by the U.S. base and contamination of soil and groundwater in western Tokyo.
Crime numbers rise in Japan for second straight year
A police officer stands in front of the residence of a man alleged to have stabbed two junior high school students in Kitakyushu.
A year of Oscar wins and a quiet push for diversity
Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s “Evil Does Not Exist,” released in Japanese theaters in April, sharply dramatizes the clash between rural and urban values. The film won five awards at the 2023 Venice Film Festival, including the second-place Silver Lion prize.

Podcast

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

Longform

Yasuyuki Yoshida stirs a brew in a fermentation tank at his brewery in Hakusan.
The quake that shook Noto's sake brewing tradition
By Alex K.T. Martin

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