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CULTURE / Music
Dec 30, 2014

The young stars creating a buzz in the enka scene

Even though enka star Saburo Kitajima announced his retirement from NHK's annual "Kohaku Uta Gassen" music program last year, and U.S. singer Jero has seemingly moved into R&B, don't count enka out of the zeitgeist just yet.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Dec 27, 2014

Isolation helps preserve Ishigaki's unique charm

In his 1926 story, "The Man Who Loved Islands," D.H. Lawrence wrote, "Isolate yourself on a little island in the sea of space, and the moment begins to heave and expand in great circles, the solid earth is gone, and your slippery, naked dark soul finds itself out in the timeless world."
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics / FOCUS
Dec 20, 2014

Cuba's Raul Castro sees support surge as he steps out of brother's shadow, brings historic changes

Stepping out of his legendary brother's shadow, President Raul Castro has scored a diplomatic triumph and a surge in popular support with the deal that ends decades of open hostility with the United States.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Dec 18, 2014

Sculpting the uncanny space between permanence and evanescence

Sculpture is supposedly the most solid and permanent of the creative arts, so it is a paradox that an artist like Junichi Mori — whose work often focuses on impermanence and evanescence — has chosen to work in this style, using materials like marble and wood, instead of something more fleeting and...
Reader Mail
Dec 17, 2014

Despicable attack on violinist

As a musician and composer, I was greatly saddened to read in The Japan Times-incorporated International New York Times the Dec. 9 article "Fraud accusations stir violin world," describing an American violinist's despicable attack on the late Shinichi Suzuki, Japan's highly respected founder of the world-famous...
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...
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 16, 2014

What economics can learn from human beings

Legend has it that it's hard even to get bank staff to read the 'World Development Report' published annually by the World Bank. The report for 2015 should prove to be an exception, though, as it appears to help policymakers understand deeply ingrained habits or cultural settings.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / NBA / HOOP SCOOP
Dec 12, 2014

Casey has fueled rise by Raptors

The Toronto Raptors' climb hasn't been an overnight miracle. But it's been a memorable climb under the steady leadership of head coach Dwane Casey.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LAW OF THE LAND
Dec 10, 2014

Electoral dysfunction leaves Japan's voters feeling impotent

This Sunday's poll could well prove a high-water mark of pointlessness even for Japan: an election campaign waged against the unelected.
EDITORIALS
Dec 6, 2014

Paper-making gets culture tag

Japanese culture gets another global pat-on-the-back after UNESCO designates Japanese traditional paper-making techniques an intangible cultural heritage in this digital age.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Japan Pulse
Dec 4, 2014

#pulsepresents: gift idea grab bag

Gifts ideas for all stripes of Japanophiles.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Nov 27, 2014

The beating art of Ferdinand Hodler

With Japan and Switzerland celebrating the 150th anniversary of diplomatic relations, there have been a few Swiss-themed events in town, such as the exhibition "Masterpieces from the Kunsthaus Zurich" at the National Art Center, Tokyo, reviewed earlier this month. That exhibition contained some paintings...
CULTURE / Music / STRANGE BOUTIQUE
Nov 25, 2014

Pop artifice was never better with Aya Matsuura

When a pop singer who has long faded from the limelight suddenly starts appearing in your Twitter timeline in the form of glowing, nostalgic re-evaluations, they're either gearing up for a comeback . . . or dead.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 21, 2014

Why Merkel is playing long ball with Putin

German Chancellor Angela Merkel's strategy of dealing with Russian President Vladimir Putin stems from her keen understanding of 20th century history.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Nov 19, 2014

Asia enriches the Bard's work-in-progress

Whatever would William Shakespeare make of it all if he were to journey now through Asia, where the interpretations of his works differ so much across vast regions, ethnic groups, cultures and languages?
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / TELLING LIVES
Nov 16, 2014

A slice less ordinary: the 'cheese guy' of Okinawa

Briton sells cheese-eating culture to Okinawa and a taste of the Ryukyus to the rest of Japan as a retirement hobby morphs into a business.
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Nov 15, 2014

Creative crooks stay one step ahead

The "Ore, ore" ("It's me") fraudsters and their ilk, who telephone elderly people and pretend to be a relative in need of money to help them out of a jam, keep coming up with new scams.
Japan Times
BASEBALL / MLB
Nov 15, 2014

MLB, Under Armour announce tie-up

It remains to be seen if MLB leaves Japan with a victory on the field, but the league feels like it's hit a home run on the business side of things.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Nov 14, 2014

Stumped for gift ideas? We've got you covered

It's that time of the year again, and The Japan Times contributors and columnists are here to help.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Nov 12, 2014

Tatsumi: 'Alternative noir histories from Japan's postwar period'

The stories of comic-book artist Yoshihiro Tatsumi — an originator of the gekiga (literally, "dramatic pictures") style — reach the screen in this intriguing compilation film by Singaporean director Eric Khoo.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / SYMPOSIUM ON EUROZONE
Nov 11, 2014

Europe, Japan face similar problems

Europe and Japan may want to learn from each other when it comes to dealing with mounting government debt, opportunities for the Japanese food industry, whether Japan and Britain should strengthen their ties in trade and consumption tax increases.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Nov 8, 2014

Yamadera: 1,000-step staircase to paradise

We're only a few minutes into our climb up one of Yamagata Prefecture's holy mountains, Mount Hojusan, and already our pace has slowed considerably. Our destination is Risshakuji Temple, more colloquially known as Yamadera (literally: "mountain temple"), a far-north outpost of Tendai Buddhism since 860....
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Nov 5, 2014

A more potent beauty, a more complex beast

Some people under 40 are likely to think "Beauty and the Beast" is a classic story created by Disney in 1991. But that animated movie, which has enthralled millions of little girls and boys (and many of their parents, too), was actually based on a hefty novel by France's Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve...
Japan Times
MORE SPORTS / MAN ABOUT SPORTS
Nov 4, 2014

Surprise showing by Jaguars forces change of plan

Every NFL dog has its day. Even the lowly Jacksonville Jaguars.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / A TASTE OF HOME
Nov 4, 2014

Pizza the way they make it in Naples — more or less

With pizza, as with many things in life, simple is often the best. And it doesn't get any more minimal than a true pizza Napoletana.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design
Oct 25, 2014

Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Tokyo: packing a punch

The womenswear showcased during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Tokyo marched to its own beat, with eye-opening collections coming from far-flung ends of the fashion spectrum. From stark minimalism to '80s idols, the collections delivered a pinata of fashion treats, and since the seasons change faster than...
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design
Oct 23, 2014

Tokyo Designers Week plays artistic matchmaker to attendees

Someone needs to designate October as "culture month" in Tokyo. Almost every artistic discipline has offered up a major event in the capital this month: Tokyo Fashion Week, Tokyo International Film Festival, Red Bull Music Academy — day planners are full.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY
Oct 21, 2014

Joining Islamic State is about 'sex and aggression'

As a psychological counter to Islamic State, might young men vulnerable to the appeal of such extremist ideology be persuaded to fight the desecration of their religion and promised a place in history by defeating the satanic evil that soils their faith?
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / ESSENTIAL READING FOR JAPANOPHILES
Oct 11, 2014

Black Rain

Masuji Ibuse's classic 1965 novel "Black Rain" takes readers into the everyday lives of a family poisoned by radiation sickness. The narrative structure carefully balances between the present time of the novel and journal entries from the bombings of Hiroshima to craft a carefully wrought masterpiece...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 3, 2014

Could Obuchi become Japan's first female prime minister?

With a telegenic presence, powerful ruling party mentors and a talent for avoiding making political enemies, new trade and industry minister Yuko Obuchi may have what it takes to become the country's first female prime minister.

Longform

A man offers prayers at Hebikubo Shrine in Tokyo's Shinagawa Ward. The shrine is one of several across the country dedicated to the snake.
Shed your skin and reinvent yourself in the Year of the Snake