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Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Sep 8, 2015

Pure landscape photography

The exhibition "Stream of Consciousness" at Tokyo Opera City Art Gallery is an extremely successful representation of contemporary Japanese photographic art. It combines some of the salient aspects of Japanese culture with the aesthetically formal, yet emotive imagery that is indicative of what gives...
Japan Times
JAPAN / GENERATIONAL CHANGE
Sep 7, 2015

Self-made co-inventor of SD card connects public with lawmakers

If a solution doesn't exist, make one yourself. That's what computer programmer Fukuyuki Murakami has done with his career.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Sep 4, 2015

Sleep-deprived Tokyo gets an Australian wake-up with granola

Thinking about Tokyo's morning rush hour is enough to make anybody want to crawl back into bed. After working late in the office or attending an obligatory drinking party with coworkers, the last thing anyone wants to do is squeeze themselves onto a packed morning train for a somber repeat of the day...
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design
Aug 29, 2015

Keith Haring's urban art finds apt lodgings in Japan's countryside

If someone were to tell you that the largest private collection of New York street and pop artist Keith Haring's work is stashed in some of Japan's lushest mountainous countryside, and if you went to visit it, you could stay in a Keith Haring-inspired boutique hotel, you would probably think they were...
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / HOTELS & RESTAURANTS
Aug 27, 2015

A hotel experience for the ladies; cocktails to celebrate centenary; revisiting an iconic American era

A hotel experience for the ladies
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies / EXECUTIVE DECISIONS
Aug 24, 2015

First non-Japanese chief of Tomy believes innovation is key to reviving toymaker's fortunes

Tomy Co.'s new CEO said the company plans to introduce innovation that changes the way people play with toys and will improve the branding of its iconic products, such as its Licca-chan dolls, as part of a global expansion strategy.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Aug 24, 2015

Corporate Japan gets a jolt from an outsider

Japan's business executives would do well to emulate Softbank President Nikesh Arora's risk-taking spirit.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Aug 11, 2015

There's a residual energy to Cai Guo-Qiang's explosive works

Japanese artist Taro Okamoto once said, "Art is an explosion." This was despite the fact that his own works were carefully planned and developed, as the exhibition "Taro Okamoto's Paintings: From Impulse to Realization" at the Taro Okamoto Museum of Art made clear back in 2006. Okamoto's famous dictum,...
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Aug 3, 2015

Jiko PR gives job seekers a rare chance to brag in Japanese

One of the most interesting aspects of job-hunting here is jiko-PR ('self-public relations'), one of the few times when Japanese are forced to show off about their abilities and accomplishments.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Aug 3, 2015

Curiosity overcomes animosity as Chinese tourists flock to Japan

While shuffling his family aboard the 16-deck Quantum of the Seas in Shanghai, Yu Zhihong admitted he has often told his kids that Japan is no good.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jul 31, 2015

Shibuya shines in summertime Bon dance festival

International students and workers in Tokyo's Shibuya Ward slipped into yukata summer kimono and enjoyed traditional folk dancing Friday during the district's second annual summer festival.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jul 27, 2015

FT challenges Nikkei's values

The Financial Times is everything that Nikkei is not. It is questionable whether international and Japanese news values will fit easily together.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jul 26, 2015

Abe's move to beef up military role brings Asia closer to war

Given the unrelenting chauvinism that pervades Japan's political establishment, it is no wonder that in East Asia there is serious concern about the resurgence of Japanese militarism — and hence the prospect of war in Asia.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Jul 25, 2015

America still rules the world of Japan's theme parks

The success of Tokyo Disney Resort and Universal Studios Japan has a lot to do with their business models and the way they've exploited their appeal to certain demographics in Japan.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jul 22, 2015

Toshiba scandal exposes Japan's weak oversight

It's well and good that three of Toshiba's top executives have resigned in the wake of a $1.2 billion accounting scandal, but when do we see some criminal indictments?
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 21, 2015

Heads roll at Toshiba as scandal claims top brass

President Hisao Tanaka resigns over the accounting scandal that saw the firm allegedly pad its profits over the past seven years.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jul 19, 2015

How Nintendo squandered its Wii triumph

Nintendo's lost half-decade is a microcosm of 2015 Japan: teeming with innovative energy yet held back by a culture that tends to squander rather than harness it.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jul 15, 2015

Is hospitality sapping productivity in Japan?

Customers are gods, as a saying goes in Japan, where staffers press buttons for shoppers in department store elevators and hotel porters line up to bow to guests.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 13, 2015

Famed director Miyazaki calls Abe's move to revise Constitution 'despicable'

Famed director Hayao Miyazaki made a rare public appearance Monday in Tokyo, but the one-hour news conference may not have satisfied fans of his magical animation: The subject wasn't movies but politics.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Jul 7, 2015

Enjoy something new under the sun at Japan's outdoor art festivals

There's no excuse to stay indoors this summer when so many regions in Japan are offering great outdoor art festivals. Here's a few that we think are worth putting on the sun lotion for.
Japan Times
SOCCER / Women's World Cup
Jul 6, 2015

Nadeshiko fans unbowed by 5-2 loss to U.S. in World Cup final

Even a stunning 5-2 loss to the United States can't harm the legacy of Homare Sawa, who likely made her final World Cup appearance in Sunday's match. That's how many of her local supporters feel, at least.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 5, 2015

'Affirmative consent' will make rape laws worse

Proposed legal reforms in the U.S. intended to make it easier to prosecute sexual assault are eerily totalitarian and would go too far.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jul 5, 2015

Rockin'On's Yoichi Shibuya sits atop Japan's last rock empire

When it comes to music journalism in Japan, monthly magazine Rockin'On is an institution. The man behind the mag, 64-year-old Yoichi Shibuya, has expanded it from a print publication to two massive festivals to a multimedia force that covers everything from music to food and art.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jul 5, 2015

City pop revival is literally a trend in name only

City pop is the latest trend to hit Japan's indie-music scene. Well, not the musical style, just the words.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LEARNING CURVE
Jul 1, 2015

Public schooling is a two-way street

Earlier this year, a reader wrote to The Japan Times in response to an education feature on schooling options for the children of non-Japanese parents. The reader wanted to know more, but the earlier feature was unfortunately curtailed by space.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Jun 30, 2015

The Edo samurai knew how to look sharp

'The World of Edo Dandyism: From Swords to Inro" at the Nezu Museum is a splendid collection of Edo Period (1603-1868) swords and sword accessories that includes blades, scabbards and metal fittings, as well as decorative sets of inrō (pill boxes) and netsuke (carved toggles). The exhibition looks back...
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design
Jun 27, 2015

Kou-an glass teahouse gives tradition clarity

Tokujin Yoshioka is a familiar name in the design world, but it's hard to say which discipline he belongs to. His oeuvre spans products, including a mobile phone, watch and chandelier; architecture and interiors, such as his Rainbow Church (2010, 2013) and Swarovski Ginza (2008) display; even artworks...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jun 22, 2015

Omotenashi promo video of quick shinkansen cleanup goes viral

A short video depicting the cleaning of Japan's famous bullet trains has become an online hit, garnering more than 2.6 million views on YouTube as of Monday.

Longform

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