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Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Apr 26, 2014

The Sacred Science of Ancient Japan: Lost Chronicles of the Age of the Gods

Every religion or collection of national myths requires a great deal of editing. Some texts are selected as 'official,' others are discarded. A by-product of this is the world of apocrypha, mysterious manuscripts that, it is claimed, contain esoteric insights or divine revelations.
CULTURE / Art
Apr 23, 2014

Best to approach Gursky's photos with a painterly eye

The invention of photography was supposed to bring about the death of painting.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Apr 23, 2014

'Soccer: What Lies Ahead of Our Imageries'

In terms of the number of people who play the game, soccer is one of the most popular sports in the world. As such, for many the sport means a great more than simply a game to play or watch.
Reader Mail
Apr 23, 2014

Muddling past the boomer bump

The line that really jumped out at me from the April 16 story "Japan population drops for third year straight; 25% are elderly" was that "Any suggestion of opening its borders to young workers who could help plug the population gap provokes strong reactions among the public."
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / ON: GAMES
Apr 21, 2014

Mario returns on wheels and in plastic, and the gun of a giant "Macross" robot fits in your hand

Start your Mario Karts
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Apr 20, 2014

For Hindu nationalists, a chance to right wrongs

From a distance, the scene is as colorful as any in India. Men dressed as Hindu deities, with tinsel crowns and tridents, wait for their turn on the stage. Teenagers saunter by trucks carrying effigies of mythological heroes and listen to speeches.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Apr 20, 2014

A collection of contradictions, east Ukraine's pro-Russian militants dig in

It is part Soviet theme park, part wacky anti-Western wonderland. Stuck to the barricades outside the "Donetsk People's Republic" are several caricatures of U.S. President Barack Obama.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Apr 19, 2014

Cannabis: the fabric of Japan

As counterculture groups around the world celebrate annual April 20 marijuana festivals, we examine the country's historical and cultural links to the much-maligned weed.
Japan Times
JAPAN / CHUBU CONNECTION
Apr 18, 2014

Nagoya appliance recycling drive reaps success

The city of Nagoya started collecting small household appliances for recycling in February and announced April 11 that it had received more than 31,000 kg of machinery in just two months — five times more than anticipated.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / JAPAN TIMES BLOGROLL
Apr 17, 2014

Hyakumonogatari Kaidankai: Tales of the Weird and the Strange

While many overseas scholars are attracted to the retrained aesthetics of Japanese arts and letters, it was the country's wild and wooly folklore that captivated Zack Davisson, an American writer and translator. While pursuing his masters degree in Japanese studies Davisson immersed himself in the mysterious...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Apr 15, 2014

E-Girls "Colorful Pop"

E-Girls are a 28-member-strong idol pop collective constructed by Avex. The "E" stands for "Exile," as in this is the female version of greased-up R&B doofs Exile.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Apr 15, 2014

Record Store Day finds its groove in Japan

It won't be business as usual at Big Love Records this Saturday, April 19. The store, one of the best places to shop for records in Tokyo's trendy Harajuku neighborhood, will be selling limited-edition music from various artists, including film director David Lynch. Meanwhile, shadowy beatmaker Sapphire...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Apr 9, 2014

'Jacques Callot: Theater of Realism and Fantasy'

Jacques Callot (1592-1635) is perhaps not a name many are familiar with. Overshadowed by the work of Albrecht Durer and Rembrandt van Rijn, he is sometimes overlooked. Yet Callot is one of the most important printmakers and pioneers of etching in western art history, and his work was admired by many...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Apr 9, 2014

'As Pure As the Lotus: East Asian Ceramics and the Eyes of the Photographer Muda Tomohiro'

A stark contrast to the muddy waters it grows in, the lotus is a beautiful flower that has a particular significance in East Asia. It is often used as a motif in paintings and artisanal works to symbolize life fulfillment or the affection between men and women, and it is also the emblem of kunshi, the...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / ESSENTIAL READING FOR JAPANOPHILES
Apr 5, 2014

The Cape And Other Stories From The Japanese Ghetto

When reading Kenji Nakagami, it is best to forget the stylistic niceties and aesthetic fussiness of writers such as Yasunari Kawabata. Instead, this collection of structurally complex stories by Nakagami contains accounts that, eschewing inference for the explicit, are nonetheless highly sophisticated,...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Apr 5, 2014

The Art of The Wind Rises

Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Apr 2, 2014

'French Ceramics at the Time of Impressionism 1866-1886: Maturity of Japonisme'

Most people associate Impressionism with the famous colorful impasto paintings of Renoir, Monet or Manet. Few, however, are familiar with its influence on 19th-century ceramics.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design / ON: DESIGN
Mar 31, 2014

Whether Starbucks mugs or traditional Shigaraki ceramics, interior design is about the detail

A special Trip for the ardent cyclists
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Mar 27, 2014

Me First and the Gimme Gimmes to show a feminine side at Punkspring

Punk rock's best-known cover band, Me First and the Gimme Gimmes, will be previewing material from their upcoming "Are We Not Men? We Are Diva!" album at this weekend's Punkspring festival.
LIFE / Digital
Mar 27, 2014

Military-industrial warnings ring as true as ever

On Jan. 17, 1961, the outgoing U.S. President, Dwight D. Eisenhower, went on TV to deliver his valedictory address to the American people. Ike had been a relatively uncontroversial president. He had overseen a period of astonishing prosperity and economic growth. He had impeccable military credentials,...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Mar 26, 2014

Shimooka Renjo, back in focus

It's not surprising that the Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography has organized a retrospective on Shimooka Renjo, one of the first commercial photographers in Japan. What is surprising is that it didn't happen sooner.
WORLD / Politics
Mar 25, 2014

Gold, luxury watches show ex-minister's taste for treasure

Eduard Stavytsky had a thing for bling, Ukrainians learned Monday, as the riches accumulated by their fugitive former energy minister were laid out on a table for the world to see.
LIFE / Lifestyle
Mar 22, 2014

Hay fever: nothing to sneeze at

Pharmaceutical companies are deploying a whole new generation of high-tech products in the fight against the seasonal irritant
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Mar 22, 2014

Go potter in Mashiko

If a visitor to Mashiko had any doubts about the town's dedication to pottery, the giant, iconic stoneware jar that stands near the station ticket barrier, would dispel them.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / ESSENTIAL READING FOR JAPANOPHILES
Mar 22, 2014

The Ise Stories

Before there was "The Tale of Genji," the "The Ise Stories" ("Ise Monogatari") presented ancient Japanese audiences with a titillating series of loosely connected episodes of love that are believed to be based on the romantic encounters of the poet and aristocrat Ariwara no Narihira (825-880).
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Mar 19, 2014

Deep feelings at high altitudes

The photographs, taken by artist Naoya Hatakeyama, hint at both the beauty and dangers of a mountain, as reflected in the shades of light and darkness alongside textures of soft-edged snow and sharply lined rocks.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Mar 19, 2014

'Future Beauty: The Tradition of Reinvention in Japanese Fashion'

Ever since Reiji Kawakubo's Comme des Garçons collection was dubbed "Hiroshima chic" when it debuted on a Paris runway in 1982, Japanese avant-garde fashion has been recognized for its international influence.

Longform

Visitors walk past Sou Fujimoto's Grand Ring, which has been recognized as the largest wooden structure in the world.
Can a World Expo still matter? Japan is about to find out.