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November 22, 2024
 

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Philip Brasor
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Mar 24, 2016
'Stranger'; 'The World's Most Astonishing News'; CM of the week: Rohto
The TV Asahi drama special "Stranger" (Sun., 9 p.m.) is based loosely on "The Poe Family," the award-winning 1970s girl's comic by Moto Hagio, which is about vampires.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Mar 19, 2016
'Drop dead, Japan!' moms try to stay on message
Shiori Yamao is a University of Tokyo graduate, former public prosecutor, current Lower House lawmaker and mother. As a force for the opposition, she has been causing Prime Minister Shinzo Abe considerable grief over the past few months.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Mar 18, 2016
History of life on Earth; a tale of two women; CM of the week: Asahi Group Foods
There has been life on Earth for roughly 3.8 billion years, and humans have only been around for a small portion of that time. The four-hour special "Ningen wa Nan da?" ("What is a Human Being?"; TBS, Mon., 7 p.m.) attempts to get at the meaning of human existence through close scientific research.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Mar 12, 2016
Reforms neglect nursing care problems
In recent weeks, there have been two major news stories related to the issue of senior nursing care. In one, the Supreme Court reversed a Nagoya High Court ruling that ordered a 94-year-old woman to compensate JR Tokai for damages caused in 2007 by her then 91-year-old husband, who, suffering from dementia,...
Japan Times
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Mar 12, 2016
Japanese tourists' longing for Hawaii is still worth banking on
Airlines, travel agents and the Hawaiian tourist industry are betting big that the postwar Japanese love affair with Hawaii will endure.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Mar 11, 2016
Japan's empty-home epidemic; 'Beat' Takeshi makes sense of art; CM of the week: Kirin Beverage
The problem of akiya (empty homes) has become more prominent in recent years as the population continues to dwindle. A 2013 survey found there were around 8.2 million vacant residences, detached houses and apartments in Japan, and many are worth next to nothing.
Japan Times
CULTURE
Mar 10, 2016
Looking for comfort in art following the Great East Japan Earthquake
In her film "Heart of a Dog," the American artist Laurie Anderson explores loss as exemplified by the death of a loved one. A recurring theme is the attack on the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001, an incident that profoundly changed the way New Yorkers like Anderson confronted their environment....
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Mar 5, 2016
National pride obscures harsh truth about Sharp deal
An object of pride for Japanese consumers during the 2000s was the so-called Kameyama flat-screen television set manufactured by Sharp. Named after the factory in Mie Prefecture where it was assembled, the LCD-TV came with a sticker attesting to its provenance, and many people who bought the model never...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / How-tos / HOME TRUTHS
Mar 5, 2016
Tohoku is literally still waiting to move on
Earlier this month, the NHK travel series, "Tsurube Toasts Families," in which rakugo (traditional comic storyteller) performer Shofukutei Tsurube and a guest visit a town and talk to residents on an impromptu basis, went to some new communities in the area destroyed by the Great East Japan Earthquake...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Feb 27, 2016
Participation in society should be barrier-free
When Prime Minister Shinzo Abe formed a task force last year to promote greater citizen involvement in whatever it is he is trying to accomplish, many people objected to the name of the group. "Ichioku Sokatsuyaku" reminded them of a slogan used before and during World War II that demanded national solidarity...
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy / YEN FOR LIVING
Feb 27, 2016
Uncertainty over negative interest and My Number may spur Japanese to stash more cash at home
Japanese people already store an enormous amount of cash in their homes, and this trend is only likely to increase in the wake of recent developments.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Feb 26, 2016
In search of sea monsters; Matsuko Deluxe solves problems; CM of the week: Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group
Hiroyuki Ariyoshi has become one of the most ubiquitous personalities on television, hosting several regular shows on different stations. What people like about him is his ability to turn mundane topics into something interesting.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Feb 20, 2016
Peeling back the layers of money politics
Last week the Asahi Shimbun reported on the relationship between Japan's larger corporations and the Liberal Democratic Party. Since regaining power in 2012, the LDP announced it would cut corporate taxes at rates that are twice those proposed by the previous Democratic Party of Japan government, and...
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Feb 19, 2016
Beat Takeshi uncovers greatness; using beef for bribery; CM of the week: Daiwa House
The Japanese word "idenshi" means "gene," but a homonym that changes the last Chinese character in the compound to "history" alters the meaning slightly. Both are manifest in the title of the special "Seiko no Idenshi" ("History of Successful Inheritance"; Nippon TV, Mon., 7:56 p.m.), hosted by comedian...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Feb 13, 2016
Should Japan's major newspapers be given a red card for sponsoring the Olympics?
Because it's never too early to talk about how expensive the Olympics will be, Tokyo Shimbun pondered the question on Feb. 6 and found out that no one involved has a clue about the cost of the 2020 Games.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Feb 13, 2016
Japan is losing its drive to get behind the wheel
Even domestic automakers seem to be concentrating on expanding overseas as the market at home looks bleak.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Feb 12, 2016
The mysteries of the slow loris; explaining the U.S. presidential election; CM of the week: Mister Donut
The slow loris is the odd monkey out in the world of primates. Only 30 centimeters in length, the nocturnal creature is well named. Its movements are so slow as to be practically unnoticeable, but that, as it turns out, is important to its evolutionary survival.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Feb 6, 2016
Imperial couple take stand for remembrance
In recent years, the Imperial couple have made an effort to leave behind a meaningful legacy by visiting World War II battlefields. The idea is to ensure that future generations of Japanese do not forget the war and its bitter lessons.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / How-tos / HOME TRUTHS
Feb 6, 2016
The ups and downs of apartment elevators
In the 2014 American movie, "5 Flights Up," Morgan Freeman and Diane Keaton play an elderly couple who think about selling their two-bedroom Brooklyn apartment. Since they have lived in the unit all their married life, the decision is a difficult one, and the premise of the plot hinges on the reason...
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Feb 5, 2016
A Japanese gardener in Cuba; Tetsuko Kuroyanagi's 40th anniversary; CM of the week: Adidas
In 2015, the United States finally normalized relations with post-revolution Cuba. Japan, however, has never severed ties with the Caribbean country, and has always enjoyed a warm friendship with it. Part of the reason for this friendship is Kenji Takeuchi.
Two of America’s biggest debt holders are dumping Treasurys
The U.S. Treasury building in Washington. Investors in Japan and China sold a pile of U.S. debt in the last quarter, just before the U.S. presidential election.
Russia fired experimental ballistic missile at Ukraine, Putin says
Ukrainian firefighters work on a spot following an airstrike in Dnipro on Thursday.
Ishiba aggravates his own political failures with diplomatic faux pas
Prime Minster Shigeru Ishiba is greeted at the APEC summit in Lima by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Friday. The Japanese leader was criticized for remaining seated while meeting several world leaders at the event.
Japan's 3.31 million visitors in October set monthly record
Kiyomizu Temple in Kyoto in December 2023. Famous autumn leaf colors contributed to increased tourism demand last month from many markets across Asia, Europe and North America, the Japan National Tourism Organization has said.
Japan ranks last in romance satisfaction for second straight year
In a survey of 31 countries, Japan ranked last in terms of those who felt loved, with just 51% of respondents saying so.
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.
'Tokyo Swindlers': Get deep into the minds of real estate con artists
In Ko Shinjo's "Tokyo Swindlers," a group of con artists manipulates real estate giants into falsified deals within the highly competitive, quick market.
Japan, U.K. and Italy discuss inviting more countries to joint fighter project
A new concept model of a next-generation fighter jet to be jointly developed by Japan, Britain and Italy is on display in Farnborough, Hampshire, in July.
Haruki Murakami's 'The City and Its Uncertain Walls' gives deep deja vu
For “The City and Its Uncertain Walls,” translated into English by Philip Gabriel, Haruki Murakami confronts the ghosts who won't leave him alone.

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

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

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