Search - entertainment

 
 
BUSINESS / Companies
May 18, 2013

Game maker GungHo blows by rivals

GungHo Online Entertainment Inc.'s presence on the stock market has been growing rapidly on the growth of its monstrously popular smartphone game "Puzzle and Dragons."
EDITORIALS
May 18, 2013

Alleviate Okinawa's burden

Forty-one years after Okinawa reverted from U.S. administration to Japan, Okinawans are not happy about the U.S. military presence or Japan-China territorial tensions.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
May 17, 2013

KAT-TUN star's knack for reinvention aids film role

Director Satoshi Miki's new comedy "Ore Ore (It's Me, it's Me)" is more on the cultish than the commercial end of the scale, with its head-scratcher of a story about a first-time scammer who starts encountering various versions of himself in a bizarre new world: karmic payback for impersonating a stranger...
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / HOTELS & RESTAURANTS
May 17, 2013

"Veggie sweets" buffet; all-day pancakes; sparkling Turkish celebration

Eat your veggies for dessert in buffet The InterContinental Yokohama Grand is collaborating with Toryu, a finalist in the buffet connoisseur competition on the TV show "TV Champion," to offer a new buffet at the hotel's lounge, Marine Blue, through June 27.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
May 16, 2013

The comedy and drama of Takashi Fujii

At age 41, Takashi Fujii has quite the resume. In 2000 and 2001, he appeared on national broadcaster NHK's annual top-rated New Year's variety show, "Kohaku Utagassen" ("Red and White Song Battle"); he toured abroad as a pop singer in 2004, including shows in Los Angeles and Shanghai; and in 2009 he...
EDITORIALS
May 16, 2013

Mr. Hashimoto's unacceptable words

Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto's call for greater use of sex shops by U.S. Marines stationed in Okinawa increase suspicions about his common sense and sense of dignity.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
May 11, 2013

GungHo's smash hit title takes social gaming by storm

Thanks to the startling success of its smartphone game "Puzzle and Dragons," the spotlight is beaming brightly on GungHo Online Entertainment Inc.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
May 10, 2013

Ideas to trump names on TEDxTokyo stage

TEDxTokyo is set to kick off its fifth annual event on May 11 at Hikarie Hall in Shibuya Ward, featuring a bevy of talented speakers, among whom are many you've likely never heard of.
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
May 10, 2013

African culture takes center stage ahead of international conference

If you missed the African Festival last month, head over to Yokohama this weekend to take part in Africa Festa.
Japan Times
JAPAN
May 9, 2013

Huffington in Tokyo for launch of Japanese-language version of HuffPost

The Japanese version of the Huffington Post website aims to encourage reserved Japanese people to participate in online discussions and express themselves, Arianna Huffington, founder of the online media giant, said Wednesday.
CULTURE / Music / JAZZ NOTES
May 9, 2013

Female jazz acts are the real Cool Japan

One of the highlights of my Golden Week this year was a concert by the Toshiko Akiyoshi-Lew Tabackin Jazz Orchestra at Blue Note in Tokyo. Reuniting her big band for the first time in a decade, Akiyoshi rolled back the clock with a superb set and some witty banter. The high point of the Sunday night...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Entertainment news
May 9, 2013

U.S. fan revolt threatens Stones tour

Could it be the tour too far for the Rolling Stones?
Japan Times
CULTURE / CULTURE SMASH
May 8, 2013

Social clubbing takes off with iFlyer service

Clubbing in Japan is a kick. The country's zeal for global pop trends and its prominent club scene draws big-name DJs and performers from the international circuit. Japan's hodgepodge approach to urban planning means that clubs seem to blossom nearly anywhere — in the back alleys of unsung neighborhoods...
Japan Times
Events / Events In Tokyo
May 3, 2013

End Golden Week with Cinco de Mayo party

The timing of this year's Golden Week holidays doesn't allow many people to travel far. You can, however, get a taste of Latin America if you head down to Yoyogi Park.
Japan Times
JAPAN
May 2, 2013

Huffington Post looks to weave new Web in Japan

The Japanese version of the Huffington Post will offer a website that spurs more interaction between the media and the public and empower Generation Y, the children of the baby boomers, said Shigeki Matsuura, editor-in-chief of Huffington Post Japan, which is scheduled to launch next Tuesday.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 1, 2013

IPhone brings carriers record profit

KDDI and Softbank said Tuesday that they posted record high sales and operating profit in the business year through March 31 thanks to the hugely popularity of the Apple iPhone, which is continuing to contribute to their growth.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 26, 2013

Parties lining up celebrities for Upper House race

Former prosecutor Masaru Wakasa, 56, a frequent commentator on news programs and talk shows who once worked in the Tokyo District Public Prosecutor's Office, said Thursday he will run in this summer's Upper House election as a Liberal Democratic Party candidate.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Apr 26, 2013

'Wara no Tate (Shield of Straw)'

Takashi Miike has hit the director career sweet spot, being both feted at major festivals abroad and scoring at the box office at home, often with the same film.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Apr 20, 2013

Doraemon trumps Hello Kitty for Olympic Games ambassador

Japan's most lovable anime character, el gato cosmico (the cosmic cat) has been chosen to be Japan's ambassador in Tokyo's bid for the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic games. It's the first time Japan has chosen an anime character for an Olympic ambassadorship. Congratulations Doraemon!
Events / Events In Tokyo
Apr 19, 2013

School's family festival promises to be a multicultural smorgasbord

People from all around the world flock to Tokyo looking for excitement. As a result, Tokyo is home to many ethnicities and walks of life. Celebrate that diversity on April 20 at the International School of the Sacred Heart's Family Festival.
Reader Mail
Apr 18, 2013

Takarazuka hits discordant note

I read Mark Buckton's April 14 Timeout feature article, "Takarazuka: Japan's newest 'traditional' theater turns 100," and thought, "Maybe I need to get out more."
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle / CHILD'S PLAY
Apr 17, 2013

Give the kids a dose of culture and fun at Tokyo Midtown

Since the 1950s, the Roppongi entertainment district has been synonymous with drink, debauchery and the like ... or so people tell me.
LIFE / Digital / JAPAN WEB WATCH
Apr 17, 2013

Shows on the road: mobile, on-demand TV a hit in Japan

There must be very few homes in the developed world that don't have a television, and Japan is no exception. Even in the Internet era, as terrestrial TV is slowly being replaced by networked TVs, cable channels and computers, regular TV broadcasting still makes up for much of many people's leisure time....
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 17, 2013

It's the end of everything as we know it (perhaps)

I hope you had it while you could because, last week, sex ended.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Apr 14, 2013

Takarazuka: Japan's newest 'traditional' theater turns 100

Ask your average Japanese person or non-native Japanophile to name a “traditional” form of domestic theater and the classics such as kabuki and noh would feature prominently.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics / FOCUS
Apr 14, 2013

Late Chavez haunts Venezuela's election

In Venezuela's brief but raucous presidential campaign, the ruling party has let Hugo Chavez do the talking. On state television, he provides words of wisdom in frequent ads, and loudspeakers at campaign rallies belt out recordings of him singing the national anthem.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Apr 13, 2013

How keeping it real took Matt Damon to the top

In 1987, when Bruce Springsteen wrote the song "Ain't Got You," he was the biggest rock star in the world. He had vast estates in New Jersey and Beverly Hills, and he had not long returned from a honeymoon at Gianni Versace's villa in Lake Como. "Ain't Got You" was Springsteen's attempt to make a self-aware...

Longform

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