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July 16, 2024
 

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Kris Kosaka

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Kris Kosaka
Kris Kosaka, a resident of Japan since 1996, contributes regularly to The Japan Times. She is a lecturer at Meiji Gakuin University in the Faculty of International Studies.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Jan 1, 2015
Curtains up on 2015
Innovation adds sparkle to traditional forms
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / ESSENTIAL READING FOR JAPANOPHILES
Dec 27, 2014
The Woman in the Dunes
Certain books must be read, even with the knowledge that the reading will be painful. Kobo Abe's masterpiece "The Woman in the Dunes" is one such book. Called an "existential fable," it is no surprise that Abe's favorite writers were Franz Kafka, Friedrich Nietzsche and Edgar Allan Poe.
CULTURE / Stage
Dec 17, 2014
Acchi Cocchi spells festive fun for kids
Looking for a way to share some Christmas creativity with your children? The nonprofit Acchi Cocchi (Place to Place) holds its third annual Waku Waku (meaning "Exciting") workshop of Christmas art, music and dance for children at Kanagawa Arts Theatre in Yokohama on Dec. 23 — with a session for...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Dec 10, 2014
Get festive with a legend at Matsuyama's 'Nutcracker'
Christmas in the ballet world means "The Nutcracker," and fans in Japan can take their pick from numerous productions of this mistle-toed magic originally choreographed by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov and premiered at the Marinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg on Dec. 18, 1892, with music by Pyotr Ilyich...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / ESSENTIAL READING FOR JAPANOPHILES
Dec 6, 2014
The Housekeeper and the Professor
Yoko Ogawa's "The Housekeeper and the Professor" garnered instant acclaim when it was published in 2003, winning the Hon'ya Taisho award. Translated into English in 2009 by Stephen Snyder, this short tale has steadily gained fans worldwide, making it a modern Japanese classic.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Dec 3, 2014
NNTT's 'Don Carlo' adds politics to love
Although still only 41, the conductor Pietro Rizzo has already performed close to 50 different opera titles around the world, and he's now back in Japan with Giuseppe Verdi's "Don Carlo" — his third production for the New National Theatre, Tokyo.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / ESSENTIAL READING FOR JAPANOPHILES
Nov 29, 2014
The Columbia Anthology of Japanese Essays
Not exactly essays, not exactly poems, zuihitsu — a uniquely Japanese genre of literature — may be hard to define, but they are delightfully easy to read. "The Columbia Anthology of Japanese Essays," edited and translated by Steven D. Carter, presents a definitive collection of this genre,...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / ESSENTIAL READING FOR JAPANOPHILES
Nov 22, 2014
In Praise of Shadows
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Nov 12, 2014
Hope 'glitters like a firefly' in sisterly drama
Yu Shibuya, a rising writer/director for both the big screen and theater, believes in the redemptive power of narrative: "We don't really have to be reminded that humans are weak, or that we have the ability to commit violence," he told The Japan Times in a recent interview. "There's a place for that...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Nov 5, 2014
Debutante ups the drama to refresh 'Sleeping Beauty'
As Noriko Ohara, the newly appointed artistic director of the National Ballet of Japan put it during a recent interview with The Japan Times: " 'The Sleeping Beauty' should be a spectacle — it should be gorgeous and dramatic."
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Oct 29, 2014
Millepied's L.A. Dance Project arrives with a triple bill of disparate delights
Two years after its inaugural performance, L.A. Dance Project is already a must-see company. In part that's because its founder and artistic director is the legendary French-born ballet dancer and choreographer Benjamin Millepied — but also because of its trendy innovations in contemporary dance...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / ESSENTIAL READING FOR JAPANOPHILES
Oct 11, 2014
Black Rain
Masuji Ibuse's classic 1965 novel "Black Rain" takes readers into the everyday lives of a family poisoned by radiation sickness. The narrative structure carefully balances between the present time of the novel and journal entries from the bombings of Hiroshima to craft a carefully wrought masterpiece...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Oct 8, 2014
Hit play reveals a wife and mistress baring all
English playwright David Hare's acclaimed 2002 West End hit "The Breath of Life" this week launches a new series titled "Drama for Two: the power of dialogue" at the New National Theatre Tokyo.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Sep 27, 2014
Read up on books about books about Japan
Revving up the metabolism of culture with the pulse of new artistic voices, a good literary journal doesn't usually have much to do with profit — it's all about circulation. Japanese literary journals enjoy a healthy transmission here, thanks to the financial backing of big publishing firms. How...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / ESSENTIAL READING FOR JAPANOPHILES
Sep 20, 2014
Nip the Bud, Shoot the Kids
Fiercely lyrical and tenderly dark, Kenzaburo Oe's "Nip the Bud, Shoot the Kids" marked the literary ascent of a Japanese writer whose star continues to shine internationally and at home. Written when he was just 23 years old, the 1958 novel can be read as existential coming-of-age, an indictment of...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Sep 17, 2014
Tokyo Ballet's 'Don Quixote' revels in its Russian roots
From its inception, the ballet "Don Quixote" has been a global collaboration.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Sep 3, 2014
Bourne's 'Swan Lake' puts a dance revolution on stage
To the delight of the nation's ballet fans, "Swan Lake" will shortly be gracing the Tokyo summer for two weeks — not in its traditional classical form, but in the new-classic guise of "Matthew Bourne's Swan Lake," a revolutionary twist on ballet's most tried-and-true tutu tale.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Aug 27, 2014
Tokyo Ballet turns 50 with a glorious Gala of thanks
Ahead of The Tokyo Ballet's official 50th anniversary on Aug. 30, its website is already garlanded with tributes from international dancers and choreographers such as Sweden's Mats Ek and Britain's Akram Khan — and even from Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Aug 23, 2014
A Great Valley Under the Stars
A vibrant collection of subdued observation, the poems in this small volume, "A Great Valley Under the Stars," contemplate meaning everywhere — from a truck-stop toilet, over stones in the New Mexican desert and under the great expanse of sky referenced in the title.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LEARNING CURVE
Aug 17, 2014
Could the lingua franca approach to learning break Japan's English curse?
Learning English as a lingua franca (ELF) involves approaching the language as a tongue shared by non-native speakers around the world rather than as a lingo that must be mastered to native-speaker level.
Who needs AI when you have Hatsune Miku?
Over the first six months of 2024, a handful of songs using Vocaloid singer Hatsune Miku’s voice have enjoyed widespread attention, underlining a global interest in the character and the technology she represents.
Bloodied Trump survives assassination attempt at political rally
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is surrounded and evacuated by Secret Service agents at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday. Trump was rushed off stage at the rally after shots rang out.
Shooter came within inches of killing Trump, but left few clues as to why
An aerial view shows the stage where Republican presidential candidate and former U.S. President Donald Trump had been standing during an assassination attempt the day before, and the roof of a nearby building where a gunman was shot dead by law enforcement, in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Sunday.
Yen’s woes seem too big for even a BOJ hike this month to solve
The Bank of Japan headquarters in Tokyo
How to beat Japan’s summer heat in ways better for the planet
Tenugui towels hang up to dry at a dyeing company in Sakai, Osaka Prefecture, on May 8. The durable and versatile tenugui, which many people have in their homes, can be used in many ways to cool one’s body.
The neurological disorder that 'kills culture'
Akiko Trush says her experience with the neurological disorder dystonia left her feeling like she wanted to chop her own hand off.
How to beat Japan’s summer heat in ways better for the planet
Tenugui towels hang up to dry at a dyeing company in Sakai, Osaka Prefecture, on May 8. The durable and versatile tenugui, which many people have in their homes, can be used in many ways to cool one’s body.
After Trump shooting, U.S. presidential race might take a violent turn
United States Secret Service Counter Snipers stand guard on a rooftop during a campaign rally for U.S. President Donald Trump in Avoca, Pennsylvania, in 2020.
No AC this summer? No problem (for me).
Think air conditioning is a requirement for a Tokyo summer? Think again.
She’s paying ¥1 million to help behind the scenes at the Paris Olympics
Mai Tarumi, who previously volunteered at the postponed Tokyo Olympics in 2021, has a travel budget of ¥1 million for her trip to volunteer at the Paris Games.

Podcast

You can often see generations of families enjoying performances together at Fuji Rock Festival.
Japan’s summer music festivals are feeling the heat in more ways than one

Longform

Akiko Trush says her experience with the neurological disorder dystonia left her feeling like she wanted to chop her own hand off.
The neurological disorder that 'kills culture'
By Tomoko Otake

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