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 Tomohiro Osaki

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Tomohiro Osaki
Tomohiro Osaki is a staff writer in the Domestic News Division. A graduate of Sophia University in Tokyo, he likes to explore under-reported realities of Japanese youth, with a tendency toward the taboo.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Feb 7, 2013
'Hikarical Scape: Photo Exhibition of Herbie Yamaguchi'
During the early 1970s Herbie Yamaguchi moved to London, where he lived for 10 years taking photos of the city's vibrant music scene, and it was his book titled "London" that put his photography in the spotlight.
CULTURE / Art
Feb 7, 2013
'Hina Dolls and Their Accessories'
Hina Matsuri, Japan's annual girls day festival, became a particularly popular celebration during the Edo Period. As part of the festivities, girls are given a set of ornamental dolls, which are put on display from February through March 3 — a ritual believed to bring about good health for the girls....
Japan Times
Events / Events In Tokyo
Feb 1, 2013
Antonio Najarro offers flamenco with a twist of ballet
One of Spain's most prestigious dance troupes will perform in Japan for the first time in six years.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Jan 31, 2013
'Motoju Miyosawa: Katazome Stencil Dyeing'
After meeting Muneyoshi Yanagi, a pioneer of the famous Mingei (folk arts) movement, artist Motoju Miyosawa (1909-2002) became a major advocate of the beauty of frugality, a quality that Mingei followers believed everyday objects possessed. During the 1960s, however, he chose to travel internationally...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Jan 31, 2013
'A Masterpiece of Ancient Greece: A World of Men, Gods and Heroes'
Greek mythology is full of exciting stories of immense bravery and heroic characters, making it an ideal source of subject matter for artists. The ancient Greek vase painter Euphronios, for example, tended to depict mythological scenes, one of which — "Krater of Antaeus" a vase portraying the battle...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Jan 31, 2013
'Beauties of the Late Edo and Meiji Periods'
Ukiyo-e "pictures of the Floating World" have traditionally included paintings and woodblock prints of landscapes, folk tales, kabuki actors and beautiful women. This exhibition focuses on women during the period following the fall of the Tokugawa shogunate in 1868.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Jan 31, 2013
'BLACKS: Louise Nevelson, Ad Reinhardt, Hiroshi Sugimoto'
Sculptor Louise Nevelson (1899-1988), painter Ad Reinhardt (1913-1967) and photographer Hiroshi Sugimoto (1948-) are all known for the predominantly monochrome nature of their works. This exhibition explores the different approaches the artists have taken when experimenting with the use of black.
Japan Times
Events / Events In Tokyo
Jan 24, 2013
A monk's teenage angst can be monstrous
Monsters and runaways aren't usually the kinds of problems teenagers face, but a Tokyo-based theater troupe thinks these are the kinds of conundrums that await teenage monks.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Jan 23, 2013
"What We See"
Today, advances in technology and globalization have left few artistic boundaries uncrossed, including that between reality and the imagination. Digital-imaging software and computer-generated graphics, for example, now allow artists to realize their visions for others to see.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Jan 23, 2013
"Edward Steichen in High Fashion"
After years of prosperity following World War I, the U.S. economy began to rapidly decline before the stock-market crash in 1929 triggered the Great Depression.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Jan 23, 2013
"Wang Xizhi: Master Calligrapher"
Wang Xizhi (303-361) is remembered for his major influence on Chinese calligraphic style. After his death, his works continued to be revered by emperors in China, including Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty, who publicly proclaimed a fascination with the calligrapher.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Jan 23, 2013
"Two Photographers: Robert Capa Centennial/ Gerda Taro Retrospective"
Robert Capa (born Endre Ernö Friedman) was a photojournalist known for his documentation of the brutal horrors of war. He often risked his life by taking action shots on the frontline, but he also focused on ordinary locals affected by the instabilities of war.
Japan Times
CULTURE
Jan 17, 2013
Fujiwara chases a scoop in news-themed thriller
There aren't many celebrities who would make good journalists, but something tells me Norika Fujiwara is one. She's well-traveled, socially active and not constrained by the mechanisms of public-relations strategies.
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Jan 17, 2013
German soprano Krishar returns to Japan
Looking at Eilika Krishar's thin, delicate physique, you probably wouldn't be able to imagine what an incredible voice the German opera singer has.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Jan 17, 2013
"Architecture. Possible Here?: Home for All"
The Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011 left residents of Rikuzentakata in Iwate Prefecture with no option but to live in isolated temporary shelters as they wrestled with the uncertainty of their future. To help lift their spirits, architect Toyo Ito proposed building a space where people could get...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Jan 17, 2013
"Blue"
Western-style painter Ei Nakau's preferred style is abstraction. In 1968, he began a series titled "Cielito Lindo," a project to which he still contributes 40 years later. As is evident in the way he pours paints directly onto the canvas, Nakau values unpredictability and favors experimentation with...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Jan 17, 2013
"Artist File 2013: The NACT Annual Show of Contemporary Art"
The National Art Center's "Artist File" is an annual project, which began in 2008 with the aim of introducing the latest trends in Japan's art industry. It looks for diversity by deliberately avoiding any specific theme for artists to work with and by accepting applications regardless of age or nationality....
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Jan 17, 2013
"Portraits of Destroyed Cities"
The 20th century witnessed two world wars, during which many countries suffered what is known as "strategic bombing": major air raids on cities aimed at destroying the nation's economic ability and public spirit.
Events / Events In Tokyo
Jan 11, 2013
Painter Fukunaga illustrates the artistic nature of Japanese onomatopoeic expressions
Symbolic of Tokyo's Asahi Beer Hall is a gigantic golden sculpture that sits atop the building and is the shape of, well, a roaring flame — at least that's officially what it's supposed to be. (Though ask any child and they'll give you a different answer as to what it looks like.)
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Jan 10, 2013
"Manabu Miyazaki: The Pencil of Nature"
Manabu Miyazaki uses a self-devised system of infrared sensors and robotic cameras to get wild animals to unwittingly take self portraits.

Longform

Professional cleaner Hirofumi Sakurai takes a moment to appreciate some photographs in a Gotanda apartment whose occupant died alone.
The last cleanup: Life and death in a lonely Japan