Philip Brasor - The Japan Times

JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX

Oct 17, 2015

The education ministry recently came under fire for supplementary materials it had distributed to high schools this summer. The materials were given out to help girls lead "healthier lives," but a chart about pregnancy included in the literature was found to be misleading.

CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF

Oct 16, 2015

Exterminators in rural Japan; a wealthy family at war; CM of the week: Panasonic

Few vital professionals are as unheralded as exterminators, and these fearless protectors of property get their due on "Nihon Zenkoku Kujo no Tatsujin VIII" ("All-Japan Expert Exterminators Part 8"; TV Tokyo, Sun., 7:54 p.m.)

JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX

Oct 10, 2015

'Omotenashi' comes up short on humility

A Japanese friend who used to travel a lot for work told me of a funny thing that once happened to her in a Tokyo hotel. She was checking in when a bellhop came up and, without saying anything, picked up her bag. She resented the presumption and tried to yank it out of his hand. A silent tug of war ensued....

BUSINESS / Economy / YEN FOR LIVING

Oct 10, 2015

Japan's rich: acutely aware of their wealth and not flashy with it

It's often said that in Japan you may live right next door to a millionaire and not know it, because his house looks just like yours.

CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF

Oct 9, 2015

Benevolent truck drivers; learning to a love a priest; CM of the week: Nisshinbo

"The Driver" (TV Asahi, Sun., 9 p.m.) is actually about two truck drivers. Joichiro (Seiyo Uchino) used to be a banker and still goes to work in a suit and tie. He is the more conscientious and diligent one. His partner, Kohei (Takashi Tsukamoto), is the opposite, more interested in where they'll eat...

CULTURE / Film

Oct 7, 2015

Asia's most important film festival reasserts its independence

Celebrating its 20th year, the 2015 edition of the Busan International Film Festival, held in South Korea's southern port city from Oct. 1 to 10, has a lot to brag about, as it has definitely become the most important film festival in Asia in terms of the quality of its programming, the size and reach...

JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX

Oct 3, 2015

Stop the presses, Yahoo News is on a roll

The Yomiuri Shimbun boasts that it is the most-read newspaper in the world owing to a "certified" daily circulation that tops 9.2 million. The Wall Street Journal, a truly international newspaper, reports daily circulation of about 1.5 million.

COMMUNITY / How-tos / HOME TRUTHS

Oct 3, 2015

Don't be green about the charm of tatami

When we were thinking of buying a condominium, we visited several old danchi — apartments built by Japan's former public housing corporation — because they were cheap and, we thought, easy to renovate. One of the units we inspected had bedroom floors made of tatami mats, and we wondered if we could...

CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF

Oct 2, 2015

False marriages; the castles of Japan; CM of the week: Sumitomo Life Insurance

In the advertisements for the new drama series, "Giso no Fufu" ("A Fake Couple"; Nihon TV, Wed., 10 p.m.), the word "Giso" is printed as a correction to the word "Riso" (ideal), thus providing both a pun and a concept worth pondering.

JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX

Sep 26, 2015

Working the politics of an idol marriage

Last week the media obsessed over that story about the 17-year-old girl who was sued by a talent agency for violating the terms of her contract, which stipulated that while she worked for them as a member of an idol singing group she could not be involved in any romantic relationships.

BUSINESS / Economy / YEN FOR LIVING

Sep 26, 2015

Inevitable looming consumption tax hike keeps the LDP awake at night

The LDP is in a tough spot between an public wary of consumption tax hikes and a Finance Ministry unwilling to budge on the promised move to a 10-percent levy.

JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX

Sep 19, 2015

Money matters when it comes to security

Media coverage of the Liberal Democratic Party's plans to bolster Japan's military position in the world has largely focused on the constitutionality of the two bills that allow the Self-Defense Forces to come to the aid of allies overseas. Those who oppose these bills have used this constitutional question...

CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF

Sep 18, 2015

How Japan compares with America; real footage of kidnappings; CM of the week: Suntory

International travel shows are ratings winners on Japanese TV, even if they betray a provincial view of the world. "Sekai Itte Mitara: Honto wa Konna Toko Datta?" ("Try and See the World; Is It Really Like This?"; Fuji TV, Tues., 7 p.m.) is one of the most popular, but it's going off the air and the...

JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX

Sep 12, 2015

It still takes a village to keep our kids safe

The murders of 13-year-old Natsumi Hirata and 12-year-old Ryoto Hoshino in Osaka last month sparked a heated conversation in the media about the state of parenting in Japan.

BUSINESS / Economy / YEN FOR LIVING

Sep 12, 2015

Japan's treasury hopes flat-rate beer tax will drive drinkers to maltier fare and pad coffers

Who will benefit from plans to levy the same tax rate on all three categories of beers?

JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX

Sep 5, 2015

TV sexism comes from a problematic place

At the World Assembly for Women held in Tokyo last week, the Nobel Peace Prize-winning president of Liberia, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, lauded the social achievements of women worldwide but added that "we are not there yet." Sirleaf didn't say where exactly "there" is, but during the same week, two media-related...

COMMUNITY / How-tos / HOME TRUTHS

Sep 5, 2015

Score eco points for your home ground

Several months ago we had most of the windows in our home replaced, even though the house is less than 2 years old. When we had it built we ordered standard double-glazed windows with aluminum frames and sashes, thinking it would be enough, but after the first winter we realized is wasn't, so we decided...

CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF

Sep 4, 2015

Female news announcers; evaluating trash and treasure; CM of the Week: Coca-Cola Japan

TV stations rely on announcers for more than just news reading. Female announcers, in particular, represent their stations and are often as well known as the celebrity talent they present. So once in a while the stations treat them like the celebrities they are.

JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX

Aug 29, 2015

The revolution will be streamed online

Local media have been cautious in their coverage of the protest demonstrations that have materialized in recent years, but they appear to be intrigued by the college-age activists known as SEALDs (Students Emergency Action for Liberal Democracy).

CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF

Aug 28, 2015

Bodyguard; Charlotte Kate Fox; CM of the Week: Universal Studios Japan

Hiroshi Tate plays "SP Yatsurugi Takashi" ("Secret Police Takashi Yatsurugi"; TBS, Mon., 9 p.m.), a member of the Metropolitan Police Department who is assigned to the security detail for the governor of Tokyo, Sawako Yoshimine (Hisako Manda), as she hosts a ceremony for guests from Singapore. During...

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