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Japan Times
LIFE
May 11, 2008

Reaching from the skies

One of the classic images from Japanese anime — immortalized in the famous post-apocalyptic "Neon Genesis Evangelion" franchise — is of a child-pilot sitting at the controls of a robot that's so huge it stands head and shoulders above the surrounding buildings. It's the key to the genre's escapist...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
May 8, 2008

Westernized subjects for a distinct Japanese style

The history of modern Japanese art has a hierarchy of narratives. As in the West, at the top is the story of the avant-garde. This is a tale of trail-blazing artists taking trips to foreign locales, usually Paris, and bringing back radical foreign styles in their suitcases.
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
May 4, 2008

Bringing beauty to all through surprisingly unrefined language

BASHO: The Complete Haiku, translated, annotated and with an introduction by Jane Reichhold; artwork by Shiro Tsujimura. Kodansha International, 2008, 432 pp., ¥2,600 (cloth) Matsuo Basho (1644-1694) is not only Japan's most revered poet, he is also the one most translated into other languages. Yet,...
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
May 4, 2008

Japan's media plays nursemaid to nation's immature democracy

A major Japanese newspaper publishes an article denouncing the prime minister. Reporters hold a rally to criticize his Cabinet. The government responds by banning sales of the edition of the newspaper that carried the article, indicting its author for violation of the Newspaper Law. Rightwing agitators...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
May 2, 2008

'Suna Dokei'

Japanese films based on manga (Japanese comics) are so common now that if I were a young Japanese writer ambitious for a big movie payday, I'd skip the scriptwriting classes and learn how to draw.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Apr 24, 2008

Yet to have peaked?

Japanese artists, as they age, often benefit from the "Hokusai Effect." This is the notion, based on a famous quote from the great ukiyo-e (genre painting) artist, that they only attain real greatness well beyond the normal retirement age for other professions.
CULTURE / Art / INSIDE ART
Apr 24, 2008

Hiding in Japan are the world's best attended exhibitions

If you didn't know the best-attended exhibition in the world last year was held in Nara Prefecture, you're not alone.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Apr 20, 2008

Tuffy blasts pair as Buffs win

Orix Buffaloes manager Terry Collins said that Tuffy Rhodes "is swinging the bat really well right now."
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Apr 17, 2008

A simulacrum of the city

'With love from . . ." — it's the kind of message an expatriate might pen. Implicit in it is the warmth in the offering, a written embrace.
LIFE
Apr 13, 2008

Art and life in a grain of rice

Artist Mitsuaki Tanabe is stubborn.
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Apr 13, 2008

Mishima's literary mistress

MISHIMA ON STAGE: The Black Lizard and Other Plays, edited and with an introduction by Laurence Kominz, foreword by Donald Keene. Ann Arbor: Center for Japanese Studies, University of Michigan, 2007, xii + 328 pp., with photographs, $70.00 (cloth), $26.00 (paper) Though most famous as a novelist, Mishima...
JAPAN
Apr 12, 2008

Hospital doctors feeling the strain

Whenever Naoshi Tamura is on a night shift at Ota Hospital in Tokyo, the surgeon works 36 consecutive hours with little sleep, seeing patients during the daytime and treating those transported to the emergency room at night.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Apr 10, 2008

Moving pictures

When its video "One Week of Artwork" received 1 million hits on YouTube in one week, art collective Rinpa Eshidan quickly learned the meaning of the word "viral."
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / CLOSE-UP
Apr 6, 2008

Tom Maschler: A storied life of luck and literary passions

Regardless of whether you take it with a pinch of salt or think this consummate professional is simply being modest, Tom Maschler says that throughout his celebrated publishing career, "luck" has often played a significant role.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Apr 3, 2008

One huge fan of civilization

As long as you've at least half a sleepy eye slightly focused on popular culture, you've seen his art work, even if you never go to galleries. Up until two years ago, he'd never even shown in one, at least not the ones where you stand around sipping wine and eating imported cheeses.
CULTURE / Art
Apr 3, 2008

Orphan and the Old Single

Yamamoto Gendai, Tokyo's Shirokane
CULTURE / Books
Mar 23, 2008

Astute teenage detective in a thriller for grownups

THE DEVIL'S WHISPER (Majutsu wa Sasayaku) by Miyuki Miyabe, translated by Deborah Stuhr Iwabuchi. Kodansha International, 2008, 250 pp., ¥2,600 (cloth) In ancient Greek tragedies, hopeless predicaments were often resolved through on-the-spot intervention of the gods — or rather actors playing gods...
COMMUNITY
Mar 22, 2008

Gallery brings Vietnamese art to Tokyo

Karen Thomas' Thai housekeeper is apologetic. "Karen" is down in the garage basement, unpacking a shipment. So down we go from the Bird-Thomas household on the sixth floor and find a tiny dynamic powerhouse, power tool in hand, tackling large flat wooden crates of art, flown in by Fedex from Vietnam....
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Mar 21, 2008

Setagaya theater brings kyogen forward

Mansai Nomura is the leading star of kyogen (Japan's traditional comedy theater), but this 41-year-old who made his stage debut at age 3 has several other artistic faces, having acted in films, TV dramas and in contemporary theater dramas, too.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Mar 21, 2008

'Jellyfish'

War and its implications are the first things one tends to associate with Israeli cinema, perhaps because those kind of films are the ones that make it to the film festivals and get international releases (most notable are the works of director Amos Gitai).
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Mar 21, 2008

Anime universe shifts to Tokyo

Tokyo International Anime Fair 2008, one of the world's largest animation conventions, will be held at Tokyo Big Sight from March 27 to 30.
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Mar 7, 2008

Booker pioneer Maschler to share publishing passions

Tom Maschler, a legendary British editor who put 13 Nobel Prize-winning authors into print, will address audiences at two events set for March 18 and 20 in Tokyo.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / CLOSE-UP
Mar 2, 2008

Shintaro Tsuji: 'Mr. Cute' shares his wisdoms and wit

Shintaro Tsuji isn't joking when he says he wants to make Hello Kitty, his company's best-selling character, into a brand name that rivals Gucci or Hermes.
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Feb 29, 2008

Animate yourself a la UrumaDelvi

A n exhibition of works by UrumaDelvi, who created the popular TV character "Oshirikajiri-mushi," will be held March 1 to 16 at Parco Factory in Tokyo's Shibuya.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Feb 28, 2008

The time before the 'starchitects'

A brief respite from the 21st century's relentless demand for "starchitects" — exemplified by Rem Koolhaas, Tadao Ando and Frank Gehry — can be found at the Museum of Modern Art, Shiga, in "100 Years of W. M. Vories' Works."
CULTURE / Art
Feb 21, 2008

"Kiyoshi Nakagami"

Museum of Modern Art, Kamakura
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jan 11, 2008

Vega steals into the spotlight

A city of extremes, New York represents different things to different people. For singer- songwriter Suzanne Vega, its infinite variety is a constant source of inspiration.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jan 10, 2008

The Renaissance Man

Peter Greenaway's first film in eight years is every bit as enigmatic and tantalizing as the painting it takes its name from, Rembrandt van Rijn's "The Night Watch." Completed in 1642, this work in oils is considered by many critics to be the Dutch master's greatest and most mysterious work.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 9, 2008

Day-care centers for sick kids few, strapped

It's a dilemma many working parents face when their children fall ill.

Longform

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