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April 01, 2025
 

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Alyssa I. Smith
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jul 31, 2019
Fuji Rock '19: Janelle Monae, Vince Staples and Khruangbin lift soggy spirits
As the Green Stage went dark for Sia's Saturday night performance at this year's Fuji Rock, the downpour that had started around noon had already stolen the night.
Japan Times
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / 'Terrace House Tokyo 2019-2020' Recaps
Jul 26, 2019
Ep. 9 'Girlfight'
If Episode 8 was like a long-lost episode of "Friends," then Episode 9 was straight out of "Gossip Girl." Did anyone else get stressed out watching Risako and Haruka go for each other's throats? I felt like I needed a stiff drink to recover and I have to wonder if we'll be getting our first departure...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Jul 11, 2019
What's in a name? Ask Ichikawa Ebizo, a kabuki scion
When it comes to kabuki, there are few names as recognizable as Ichikawa Ebizo. A member of the illustrious Ichikawa kabuki family, Ebizo has been a mainstay of Japanese traditional theater since his stage debut in "The Tale of Genji" in 1983 at the age of 5. Since then, he has performed at home and...
Japan Times
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / 'Terrace House Tokyo 2019-2020' Recaps
Jul 5, 2019
Ep. 6 'The Grass is Greener on the Other Side'
Just as the viewership began preparing for a love triangle between Haruka, Risako and Ruka, the gang started playing romantic musical chairs. When all was said and done, Haruka and Risako found themselves in competition once more, just over a different boy.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Jun 20, 2019
Embracing life and death at Reborn-Art Festival
The date March 11, 2011, carries a lot of weight in Japan. When the magnitude 9 Great East Japan Earthquake rocked the Tohoku region in the northeast of the country, it devastated the landscape and altered the lives of residents. And now, eight years since the disaster, Takeshi Kobayashi is dedicated...
Japan Times
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / 'Terrace House Tokyo 2019-2020' Recaps
Jun 7, 2019
Ep. 4 'I Want to Be a Hero'
Drama has come to "Terrace House" and we have Risako and Ruka to thank.
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.
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.
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's biggest beef bowl chain Sukiya to shut nearly 2,000 stores after rat and bug contamination
Zensho Holdings, operator of fast-food chain Sukiya, said it will close all of its stores in Japan, except for a small number in shopping centers, between Monday and Friday following recent contamination incidents.
Alert raised for volcano in southwestern Japan
Shinmoedake, a volcano located between Miyazaki and Kagoshima prefectures, in November 2019
Japan considers all possible options as Trump threatens new auto tariffs
Subaru cars awaiting export at a port in Yokohama on Thursday.
Nankai Trough earthquake could kill 298,000 people, government says
Residents participate in an evacuation drill held with West Japan Railway in Shirahama, Wakayama Prefecture, in January 2024 to prepare for a Nankai Trough earthquake and a possible tsunami following the quake.
A Canadian made a weekend trip to Costco a Japanese pastime
Under the watchful eye of Ken Theriault, Costco representative director and Japan country manager, the American membership-model wholesaler has flourished in Japan.
A Canadian made a weekend trip to Costco a Japanese pastime
Under the watchful eye of Ken Theriault, Costco representative director and Japan country manager, the American membership-model wholesaler has flourished in Japan.
Tokyo tech failures lean into misfortune, mistakes and missteps
Tsuyoshi Domoto in Tokyo's Shinjuku Ward on March 28. As an entrepreneur, Domoto experienced plenty of setbacks but maintains a positive attitude and continues to pursue his dreams.
Who among the opposition would join the ruling coalition?
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba enters his office in Tokyo on Friday.
Traveling the Three-Star Road, the tourist route made from thin air
Scenes like this snow-covered bridge leading to the village of Shirakawa-go are what make the Three-Star Road worth traveling — its name notwithstanding.
Recent spate of wildfires in Japan and South Korea linked to climate change
Smoke and flames rise from a wildfire in Andong, South Korea, on Tuesday.

Podcast

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

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
By Johan Brooks

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