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Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jan 25, 2013

'Life of Pi'

Director Ang Lee's adaptation of author Yann Martel's Man Booker Prize-winning "Life of Pi" feels almost like two films sandwiched into one. In the core, you have the succulent special-effects-driven story of a young Indian survivor of a shipwreck who's adrift in a lifeboat with a man-eating Bengal tiger....
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jan 23, 2013

“Mr. Children 2005-2010

My Japan Times colleague Ian Martin nailed the state of Japanese pop music when he wrote that it was "clinging on to the hoary old remains of the past." The Oricon Chart's top albums of 2012 list was dominated by "Best Of" compilations, with the top two spots going to a pair released by rock band Mr....
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Jan 23, 2013

"Wang Xizhi: Master Calligrapher"

Wang Xizhi (303-361) is remembered for his major influence on Chinese calligraphic style. After his death, his works continued to be revered by emperors in China, including Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty, who publicly proclaimed a fascination with the calligrapher.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Jan 19, 2013

Epiphanies for characters, readers

WE, THE CHILDREN OF CATS, by Tomoyuki Hoshino, edited and translated by Brian Bergstrom with an additional translation by Lucy Fraser. PM Press, 2012, 266 pages, $20 (paperback)
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / BJ-LEAGUE NOTEBOOK
Jan 18, 2013

Yokohama's Geary recalls getting to meet NBA legends

Like every midseason showcase, the 1997 NBA All-Star Weekend in Cleveland was a marquee event, not only for its collection of active players — Michael Jordan, Karl Malone, Hakeem Olajuwon, et al — but also for the much-planned celebration of the league's storied history.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Science & Health / NATURAL SELECTIONS
Jan 13, 2013

How Japan's teens can avoid sleep demons

Have you ever woken up but been unable to move; felt a powerful pressure holding you down, gripping you tight? Haruki Murakami has, and he describes it like this: "I was having a repulsive dream — a dark, slimy dream. ... After I awoke, my breath came in painful gasps for a time. My arms and legs felt...
JAPAN / Media / CHANNEL SURF
Jan 13, 2013

A signature mystery; "Last Hope"; CM of the week: Mister Donut

The new Fuji TV drama series, "Biburia Koshodo no Jiken Techo" ("Biblia Antique Book Shop Case Notebook"; Mon., 9 p.m.) is based on a series of "light mystery novels," meaning stories where no one is killed. Ayame Goriki plays Shioriko, who runs the titular store located in an alley near Kita Kamakura...
Japan Times
MULTIMEDIA
Jan 12, 2013

Nomad writer and photographer keeps his passions fueled by travel

Fiction can work like a cheap flight; a good novel takes off, jetting readers to new worlds. Writers and photographers triple the distance traveled. Sean Lotman, 37, an avid reader, writer, photographer and nomad, has logged thousands of kilometers around the world.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 10, 2013

At last, Russia wins the seal of French approval

President Vladimir Putin has finally done it. Russia has been vying for the West's esteem for centuries, with approval by the French — a sought-after prize since the time of Peter the Great — coveted the most. But, despite the defeat of Napoleon and the World War I alliance, Russia could never get...
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 10, 2013

China ups the ante in space

China recently opened its domestic satellite navigation network to commercial use across the Asia-Pacific region.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Jan 3, 2013

"Kimono Beauty"

The kimono is one of Japan's most famous traditions. Recently, it has garnered even more international attention as not only a fashionable garment but also as an art form.
CULTURE / Books / THE YEAR IN BOOKS
Dec 23, 2012

U.S. essays, Japan's Christians

It may seem like cheating, but my first best book of 2012 is "The Best American Essays of 2012" (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt), part of the Best American Series. I read it each year and am never disappointed. This year's selection was made by David Brooks, a moderately conservative author, columnist and...
EDITORIALS
Dec 23, 2012

Facedown over privacy

In and around Tokyo, face-recognition cameras have started to take photos of passersby at various locations. Supermarket chains, shopping malls and vending machines inside JR East stations all have been using face-recognition software to identify the sex and age of individuals who come within line of...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Dec 20, 2012

Show of hands for the National Museum of Western Art

Sometimes it seems that hands have a mind of their own. They remember where the keys are on a keyboard and which brushstroke in a Chinese character comes next, without too much conscious input from the brain. The instinctive way they work can also give a lot of art its style.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 18, 2012

Building an inclusive society for the disabled

The 2012 London Paralympics captivated the world's attention with the strength of the human spirit demonstrated by people with disabilities. We were all moved by the determination and perseverance of the athletes to overcome the odds that defeat so many of us.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Dec 18, 2012

Charles and Ray Eames: A deep-seated legacy

A touring exhibition and a recently released full-length documentary are shedding new light on the polymathic world of the U.S. couple Charles and Ray Eames, two of the most prolific and influential creatives of the 20th century.
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Dec 14, 2012

View waves from a new vantage

American photographer Clark Little gives nonsurfers a chance to see what they're missing in a series of pictures he is showing at the "Clark Little Photo Exhibition" in Tokyo.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Dec 13, 2012

Nature that goes beyond its course

The easiest way to describe this exhibition is "The meeting of two Mets," with the Metropolitan Museum of Art Tokyo serving as a venue for 133 works from its much more renowned New York version, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, known simply as "The Met."
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Dec 13, 2012

"Celebratory "Vessels": From the Lacquer Art Collection of the Crafts Gallery"

For thousands of years, artisans have used Japanese lacquer, which is both resilient and attractive in appearance, to protect and decorate their work.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design / ON: FASHION
Dec 11, 2012

Fashion's Night Out hits Japan's second-largest city, with another all-star cast of names

The popular Fashion's Night Out festival — helmed by Vogue magazine and held in the top fashion cities of the world every September — is about to be replicated in Osaka, Japan's second-largest city.
Events / KANSAI: WHO & WHAT
Dec 8, 2012

Tour Suita library's foreign-language collection

A library tour will be offered for foreigners in the city of Suita, Osaka Prefecture, on Monday. The event will run from noon to 1 p.m. at Senri Library, which has the biggest selection of foreign-language books, CDs and DVDs in among the many libraries in the city.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Dec 7, 2012

Holiday gift ideas for the film buff you love best

As the end of the year approaches and the air is filled with the kerching of winter bonuses and brazen consumerist excess, thoughts turn to our loved ones, and the trinkets that will best pacify them at gift-swapping time. For the cinephile in your life, the JT's film critics suggest the following fine...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Dec 6, 2012

"Hideki Nakazawa Exhibition"

A former eye doctor, artist Hideki Nakazawa takes advantage of his medical knowledge to create a colorful, slightly facetious interpretation of conceptual art. Nakazawa's artworks explores avant-gardism and artistic profundity in such an eclectic manner that his diverse collection of works have left...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Dec 6, 2012

"The 25th Anniversary of Opening Menard Museum: Masterpieces from the Collection I"

Shozo and Ayuko Shimada are highly respected European-style artists in Japan.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / BJ-LEAGUE NOTEBOOK
Nov 30, 2012

Oita defaults on player salaries, asks league to intervene

The Oita HeatDevils assembled one of the league's top rosters, a smart collection of veterans, and produced nine victories over their first 14 games, fewer wins than only one club in the 10-team Western Conference — the perennial powerhouse Ryukyu Golden Kings. More of the same appears impossible....
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Nov 29, 2012

Ikko Tanaka's designs live on

The idea of a retrospective makes me nervous. Simply put, it often signals the end of something. So in the case of a designer's show, a retrospective feels like a parting shot, final note or a bid farewell. Not what you want if your motivation is continuous relevance.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Nov 27, 2012

What role will 'walking NGO' Clinton choose next?

On a recent Monday, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton walked with her husband onto a stage at the New York Sheraton to cheers and whoops and a standing ovation that only got louder as she tried to quiet things down.

Longform

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