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January 15, 2025
 

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CULTURE

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Entertainment news
On Dec. 31, rock duo B’z appeared on NHK's year-end "Kohaku Uta Gassen" music extravaganza for the first time in a career spanning more than three decades.
CULTURE / Music / Sound Off
An explosive B’z set on ‘Kohaku’ hints at a strategy to win over viewers
Japan’s best selling act delivered one of the biggest moments of the year-end music blowout and reinforced the importance of catering to a more middle-aged market.
CULTURE / Music
Toru Fuyuki, composer of 'Ultraseven' theme song, dies at 89
The "Father of Ultra Music" is known for his contributions to the special effects series, including the theme for "Return of Ultraman."
CULTURE / Music / 2024 in Review
Bling-Bang, baby: The J-pop soundtrack of 2024
Japanese music made waves globally, fueled by Coachella debuts, TikTok virality and unexpected hits like Creepy Nuts' "Bling-Bang-Bang-Born."
Indian musician Zakir Hussain performs during a concert at the Indian Music Experience in Bangalore in 2019
CULTURE / Music
Dec 16, 2024
Zakir Hussain, peerless Indian tabla player, dies at 73
By Yan Zhuang
Considered a national treasure in his homeland, the percussionist brought classical Indian music to a global audience
The time and location for Amapinight parties are never certain, but two things you can be assured of when attending are that there will be dancing and a lot of amapiano.
CULTURE / Music
Nov 24, 2024
There's no room for wallflowers at Amapinight
By Kim Kahan
From amapiano to dancehall, Japanese dancers and DJs are moving the masses with African beats at Tokyo's most energetic party.
Emerging Gen Z J-pop group ME:I will perform on this year's "Kohaku Uta Gassen," national broadcaster NHK’s New Year's Eve spectacle.
CULTURE / Music / Sound Off
Nov 24, 2024
'Kohaku' still matters for J-pop bragging rights
By Patrick St. Michel
The recently announced 2024 lineup underlines how capturing a year of J-pop in one broadcast bonanza is impossible these days.
The Tubassadors are (from left) Tomohiro Sosogi, Kazuto Shikada, Soen Tamura and Keisuke Nishibu.
CULTURE / Music
Nov 5, 2024
The Tubassadors hope to change the tuba’s tune
By Louise George Kittaka
Orchestras aren't known for tuba solos in their performances. However, this Tokyo-based quartet puts the instrument front and center.
Members of the rock band Bright Eyes Super-Duper perform a song using sign language at a venue in Nagoya on Sept. 15.
CULTURE / Music
Oct 27, 2024
Sign-language rock band marks 35 years in Japan
To keep rhythm for their performances, the members of Bright Eyes Super-Duper with impaired hearing feel the vibrations of the music.
The members of Mareo! (Francisca Silva, Ernesto Duboy and Camila Sanchez) are on their second tour of Japan. And among the performances this time around was a gig at an Osaka high school.
CULTURE / Music
Oct 21, 2024
Chilean trio Mareo! is on a lengthy tour to help grow its Latin-inspired sound in Japan
By Patrick St. Michel
Latin sounds are taking off in the world's biggest music markets, but this indie group thinks you need to be a bit more present in order to grab opportunities.
Annual festival Peter Barakan’s Live Magic! was born a decade ago when Barakan (left) decided to create a platform to share his love of roots music, which he attributes to growing up in 1960s England.
CULTURE / Music
Oct 11, 2024
Peter Barakan’s Live Magic! takes its final bow
By Matt Schley
The 11th edition of the annual blues, jazz and roots festival will also be its last, at least in its current form, but the core concept of the event will live on.

Strong quake strikes southwestern Japan
A magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck southwestern Japan at 9:19 p.m. on Monday evening
Japanese companies rush to up English-language disclosures in 2025
The Tokyo Stock Exchange will soon require some companies to publish their financials in English in addition to Japanese.
Osaka Expo kicks off pavilion reservation lottery amid sales concerns
The mascot character of the Osaka Expo promotes the event at Tokyo's Haneda Airport last week.
Japan top diplomat visits South Korea amid political turmoil in Seoul
Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya (left) and his South Korean counterpart, Cho Tae-yul, shake hands during their meeting at the Foreign Ministry in Seoul on Monday.
Japan farm ministry aims to dispatch corporate workers to rural areas
To counter the impact of aging rural demographics, the agriculture ministry is introducing a new initiative to dispatch corporate personnel to rural areas to increase the number of people engaged with farming communities.
Japanese companies rush to up English-language disclosures in 2025
The Tokyo Stock Exchange will soon require some companies to publish their financials in English in addition to Japanese.
From wrath to radiance: Why the 'Manyoshu' feels like paradise lost
The entrance gate to Arakura Sengen Shrine in Fujiyoshida, Yamanashi Prefecture, with Mount Fuji in the distance.
Due north: Foreign-born guides introduce Hokkaido’s unique charms
Lantoko, a company operated by Taiwan native Ping-Fang Lan, offers drift ice walking tours and other exhilarating experiences in and around Shiretoko National Park.
30 minutes with Yuzuru Hanyu
Yuzuru Hanyu smiles during an interview in his hometown of Sendai in between performances of his latest tour, Ice Story.
Disaster-hardened Japan faces enormous costs from climate change
Rescue workers search a flooded area during the aftermath of Typhoon Hagibis, which caused severe floods at the Chikuma River, in the city of Nagano in October 2019.

Podcast

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

Longform

It's back to the classroom for some residents as municipal governments across the country conduct lessons to learn how to use new technologies.
Can aging Japan go digital without leaving anyone behind?
By Tomoko Otake

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

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