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November 22, 2024
 

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Alyssa I. Smith
Japan Times
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / 'Terrace House Tokyo 2019-2020' Recaps
Jun 4, 2019
Ep. 2 'Tempura Incident'
Based on the title alone, my expectations going into episode two of "Terrace House" — titled "Tempura Incident" — were high. Viewers of the “Boys & Girls in the City” season are sure to remember the infamous “meat incident” of 2016 where the housemates ate a roommate’s special beef without...
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / A Weekend In
May 11, 2019
A weekend in Kobe: Beyond the beef, beyond the quake
Kobe — the cosmopolitan capital of Hyogo Prefecture with a population of 1.5 million — has a rich history as one of Japan's most important ports for foreign trade, and international influences are evident in everything from its architecture and design to its food and fashion.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / A Weekend In
Mar 8, 2019
A weekend in Osaka: A sensory feast in the nation's kitchen
Osaka will host four games for the Rugby World Cup at its Hanazono Rugby Stadium. Check out our guide to the city to find out what to do when you're in Osaka for the weekend.
Japan Times
CULTURE
Dec 6, 2018
Counting down to the Year of the Boar: Festivals, foxes and fireworks welcome 2019 in Tokyo
With the end of the year drawing closer, the pressure is on to figure out how to greet the Year of the Boar. If the dwindling number of viewers staying in to watch NHK's annual music showcase "Kohaku Uta Gassen" is any indication, more and more people in the Kanto region are choosing to head out for...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Nov 27, 2018
Katherine Waterston discusses making magic in 'Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald'
From the get-go, "Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald" makes it clear that the new installment of J.K. Rowling's "Fantastic Beasts" franchise will be gloomier and heavier than the first film, a playful romp set in New York during the age of jazz.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film / Wide Angle
Sep 27, 2018
Japanese film has its own 'Crazy Rich Asians' if you know where to look
"Crazy Rich Asians" made headlines this summer for being the first Hollywood film in a quarter of a century to feature a main cast entirely comprised of actors of Asian heritage. The movie hits Japanese cinemas this weekend, but audiences here are obviously used to all-Asian casts.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Sep 11, 2018
The Lagerphones look to charm Japan one coffee shop at a time
If you're in a foreign band trying to plan a tour in Japan, you sometimes need to improvise when it comes to booking venues. That may be why you're more likely to find Australian six-piece The Lagerphones at a cozy cafe than a grimy Shibuya live house.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Aug 8, 2018
Manga and kabuki collide in an action-packed 'Naruto'
Here's a sight you may not expect at a kabuki performance: A blue-haired boy bolts toward a massive snake that writhes menacingly on stage. He brings his sword down on the beast, slicing it into sections that fall apart dramatically. I thought a kabuki performance would've been a bit less extravagant,...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Jun 6, 2018
Navigating our way through Broadway's biggest night
The 72nd annual Tony Awards are being presented at New York City's storied Radio City Music Hall on June 11 (8 a.m. Japan time), but that doesn't mean those of us in Japan have to miss out.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / RECENTLY PUBLISHED BOOKS ABOUT JAPAN
Jun 2, 2018
'Mixing Work with Pleasure': a candid reflection of a life at Studio Ghibli
Toshio Suzuki, co-founder of Studio Ghibli, recounts his collaborative partnerships and lifelong bonds with Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata, the third of Ghibli's founders.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
May 31, 2018
Four female directors extol the virtues of short films in presenting new points of view
The red carpet at any film festival is known for star power and fashion, but when 82 women walked arm in arm down the red carpet at Cannes last month, it became a place for politics, too.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
May 31, 2018
Short Shorts festival entries give Japan a starring role
From "You Only Live Twice" (1967) to "Black Rain" (1989) and "Lost in Translation" (2003), directors who choose Japan as a filming location are often well-rewarded with beautiful backdrops. The local flavor that works its way into a movie can sometimes be as important as the characters or plot.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
May 9, 2018
'The Florida Project' looks at life's hardships through the eyes of a child
America is portrayed many ways in film, but the way Japanese audiences tend to get to see it is through the rose-tinted lens of a Hollywood blockbuster.
Japan Times
CULTURE / TV & Streaming
Apr 26, 2018
Yuko Takeuchi steps into an iconic role on 'Miss Sherlock' with elementary ease
Guinness World Records announced in 2012 that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes was the most portrayed character on film and TV, depicted 254 times by more than 75 different actors.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Apr 25, 2018
'Kurios: Cabinet of Curiosities': Cirque du Soleil's whimsical steampunk is thrilling
When Cirque du Soleil was founded in Canada in 1984, it redefined the idea of the circus. Its latest show, "Kurios: Cabinet of Curiosities," lives up to the troupe's unique reputation of being about more than just jugglers and acrobats — though those characters are still accounted for.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Apr 24, 2018
Ready Player Win: Morisaki represents Japan in his first Hollywood gig
As far as Hollywood debuts go, it doesn't get much bigger than stepping into a Steven Spielberg blockbuster. For Win Morisaki, it's a giant leap toward his goal of becoming an international actor.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Feb 10, 2018
Artisan Junichi Mitsubori presents his new art of wagashi
A rapt audience watches in silence as a delicate confection in the shape of a flower blooms in the experienced hands of a wagashi master. Junichi Mitsubori, a third-generation wagashi (Japanese dessert) artisan hailing from Yokosuka City, Kanagawa, does not embellish his movements as he crafts the sugary...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
Feb 3, 2018
Finnish broadcaster targets youth vote with anime-inspired video
On Jan. 27, the day before Finland’s presidential election, a Finnish social media news and current affairs service called Kioski released an election video that caused a stir online, receiving over 700,000 views since its release. While President Sauli Niinisto’s landslide victory with 62.7 percent...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
Jan 13, 2018
Debate continues over mothers taking their babies to work
 The hashtag #KozurekaigiOK, which translates roughly as “It’s OK to bring a child to a meeting,” began trending in late November. The trigger was a female politician’s decision to bring her child to a Kumamoto assembly session, which sparked a nationwide debate on child care options for parents...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Dec 30, 2017
'Wagohan: The ABCs of Japanese Cuisine': Reiko Yamada's ode to Japanese comfort food
Food is "the most basic form of diplomacy" for cooking adviser Reiko Yamada. With this philosophy in mind, "Wagohan: The ABCs of Japanese Cuisine" aims to bridge cultures and present the "versatility and beauty of Japanese cuisine."
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.
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.
Ruling coalition and DPP strike last-minute deal over economic policy
DPP policy chief Makoto Mahaguchi speaks at the party's policy gathering in Tokyo on Wednesday.
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.
Japanese expats in Asia find community through rugby
The Taiwan Fivewoods celebrate their victory at the 2023 Asian Japanese Rugby Cup in December of last year.
In Fukushima, a weekend of prose, poetry and translation
Aomori-based writer JJ Carter presented on tabletop gaming as creative inspiration for building characters and narratives.
For Dr. Nakamats, aging is just experience in action
Though he didn't win the recent gubernatorial election in Tokyo, the 96-year-old Dr. Nakamats' run was seen as inspirational in Japan's aging society.

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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Azabudai Hills, Tokyo’s green new downtown ‘village’
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