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Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle / CHILD'S PLAY
Jan 9, 2015

Kids can benefit from a little community spirit

Frowning with concentration at a low table, a clutch of overall-clad toddlers set about their task: stamping potatoes into paints to create rainbow-bright artworks.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Jan 8, 2015

'Monogatari-e Illustrated Narrative Painting: Words and Forms'

It's been 24 years since the Idemitsu Museum of Arts held its last major exhibition on monogatari-e — illustrated narrative paintings that depict important scenes from Japanese traditional literature and Buddhist myths.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Jan 7, 2015

Star Belgian choreographer celebrates manga and more

"Tokyo, my brother, my protector" was the tweet posted by Belgian-born Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui — often dubbed "the busiest choreographer in the world" — straight after he arrived here two months ago.
Japan Times
JAPAN / History
Jan 1, 2015

Donald Keene reflects on 70-year Japan experience

My first visit to Japan was very short, only a week or so in December 1945. Three months earlier, while on the island of Guam, I had heard the broadcast by the Emperor announcing the end of the war. Soon afterward, I was sent from Guam to China to serve as an interpreter between the Americans and the...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Dec 25, 2014

'Ukiyo-e New Years Exhibition'

Ukiyo-e Ota Memorial Museum of Art will exhibit paintings from its collection, including works by Keisai Eisen (1790-1848), Utagawa Kunisada (1786-1865) and Utagawa Hiroshige (1797-1858).
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Dec 20, 2014

Blowing the dust off Edo Period erotica

You always remember your first time.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Dec 17, 2014

'Entrance/Exit' shows the way for new arts fest

Bulging like a half moon out into the Seto Inland Sea from Kyushu's northeast corner, the Kunisaki Peninsula in Oita Prefecture may be remote and lack rail links to the rest of the country, but since time immemorial it has been a crossroads for travelers in both directions between Japan, the Korean Peninsula...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Dec 16, 2014

Rock, J-pop and dance: Albums we liked in 2014

The year-end album charts in Japan have a tendency to prop up the same acts year after year: Exile, anything that ends in a "48," and almost every group from the Johnny & Associates stable of boy bands. Writers at The Japan Times, however, spent the year looking past the charts to find a few gems lurking...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Dec 13, 2014

From a hostess club to a mountain village: Five notable Japanese photo books of 2014

While selecting some of the best photography books released in 2014, I was struck by the range of specific places that Japanese photographers captured — from a pleasure district to a mountain village and an old rooftop. Photo books with such a geographic focus might be a good way to store up energies...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Dec 11, 2014

'Architecture for Dogs'

Despite dogs being "man's best friend," we rarely design our world around the happiness of our pets.
Japan Times
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Dec 6, 2014

Pirates coach Momose making most of skills

He is Japanese, trilingual and works for a major league baseball team. Kiyoshi Momose was the strength and conditioning coach for the visiting Major League Baseball squad on the recent All-Star tour of Japan. During the regular season, he works for the Pittsburgh Pirates, keeping in shape the players...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Dec 4, 2014

Isn't it time to take art out of storage?

Tokyo's art scene has always comprised many hubs, and it's about to get a new one — one that promises to be among the most exciting.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Dec 4, 2014

'The Power of a Pencil: Susumu Kinoshita and Yoshio Yoshimura'

A special exhibition focusing on pencil works, "The Power of Pencil" features the drawings of Susumu Kinoshita and Toshio Yoshimura. Both artists focus on portraits for this show, though each produces very different works. Kinoshita illustrates models, capturing their lives through the careful observation...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Nov 29, 2014

Crafting words with Osamu Dazai's translator

Two of the most successful Japanese novels of the past few years that have been translated into English are Hiromi Kawakami's "The Briefcase" and Fuminori Nakamura's "Last Winter, We Parted." Both were translated by Allison Markin Powell, a literary translator and editor based in New York.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Nov 20, 2014

'The World of Kenji Ekuan: A Great Master of Design, Hiroshima Produced'

One of the pioneers of Japanese industrial design, Hiroshima-based artist Kenji Ekuan may not be a household name, but his works are. He designed the famous glass Kikkoman soy-sauce bottle with its bright red cap, the JR Narita Express train, the Yamaha VMAX motorcycle and many more objects that are...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Nov 12, 2014

Tatsumi: Godfather of alternative manga is reborn on film

Manga artist Yoshihiro Tatsumi has always enjoyed a certain level of fame in his home country, where he's known as the originator of gekiga, a hard-boiled style of manga from the 1960s-'70s. Overseas, however, it's only since 2009 that his reputation has risen meteorically, after an English-language...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Nov 4, 2014

Japan wakes up to reality of dementia, seeks unique solutions

Asayo Sakai banged on the front door, demanding to be let out. She was at her daughter's apartment, where Asayo has lived for the past six years. She has no memory of how she got there or what she's doing there.
Japan Times
JAPAN / AT A GLANCE
Nov 2, 2014

Tokyo Station's iconic brick building, witness to war, stands test of time

Approaching its 100th anniversary in December, the red brick building of JR Tokyo Station in the Marunouchi business district is a symbol of the capital that continues to defy the high-rises around it with its classical architecture and stately appearance.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Nov 1, 2014

Hello Kitty: still fabulous at 40

Who is only five apples high and has no mouth — yet is one of the country's biggest cultural ambassadors?
Japan Times
JAPAN
Oct 31, 2014

Japan's 3/11 tsunami evacuees caught in $30 billion money trap

Some ¥3.28 trillion in funding for roads, bridges and thousands of new homes in areas devastated by the tsunami in Tohoku 3½ years ago is still languishing unspent in the bank. That means Keiko Abe is heading into a fourth winter of subzero temperatures in a cramped, temporary dwelling that is succumbing...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Oct 30, 2014

'The Principles of Art by Genpei Akasegawa'

The Chiba City Museum of Art has accumulated more than 500 works by Genpei Akasegawa, who sadly passed away this week. A multidisciplinary artist whose oeuvre includes everything from illustration, comics and photography to conceptual art and novels, he has left behind a legacy of notable influence....
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 and...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Oct 28, 2014

OK Go shares a love of Japan with fans

'Sharing' used to be a dirty word in the music industry, but OK Go have been instrumental in changing that.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Oct 25, 2014

Yuichi Yoshi: 'Stop being so shy, have some courage and take some action'

My name means 'The best of all the boys,' but I was raised completely opposite to that sentiment.
Japan Times
JAPAN / HOTEL SPECIAL 2014
Oct 24, 2014

Haneda sees nation's first transit hotel

If Japan is famous for its omotenashi (hospitality) around the world, a new service to further strengthen the message is now available at Tokyo's Haneda airport, a gateway to Japan. Royal Park Hotel The Haneda, Tokyo opened this September to provide an option for passengers on layovers.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 24, 2014

Kenny G runs afoul of Xi's artist crackdown

Chinese President Xi Jinping has launched a Maoist campaign against art and artists whom he judges as having 'negative social impact.' Saxman Kenny G, who is super popular in China, ran afoul of the authorities this week when he tweeted images of himself visiting protesters in Hong Kong.

Longform

Construction takes place on the Takanawa Gateway Convention Center in Tokyo, slated to open in 2025.
A boom for business tourism in Japan?