Search - entertainment

 
 
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media
Feb 26, 2012

AV stars out to play despite hard times

Since her steamy debut in late 2008, adult-video (AV) actress Kokomi Naruse has starred in hundreds of features, many of which find her playing a young girl desired by older men.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Feb 24, 2012

Yearly statistics put recession into slightly better focus

If it's February, it's time for the government to release its yearly economic statistics.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Feb 21, 2012

Tokyo Skytree opener looms large

Tokyo Skytree, the world's tallest free-standing tower, is already a Sumida Ward landmark and will become even more so when it opens in May.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / ONE-ON-ONE WITH ...
Feb 19, 2012

Setoyama says team play has Kyoto on pace for Final Four

The Japan Times features periodic interviews with players in the bj-league. Kyosuke Setoyama of the Kyoto Hannaryz is the subject of this week's profile.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / HOTELS & RESTAURANTS
Feb 17, 2012

Wake refreshed at the Pan Pacific

The cold, dry winter can be utterly exhausting, so the Pan Pacific Yokohama Bay Hotel Tokyu is offering special accommodation packages for women to have a relaxing time, through March 15.
CULTURE / Art
Feb 16, 2012

"15th Japan Media Arts Festival"

The Japan Media Arts Festival, organized by Japan's Agency for Cultural Affairs, is an annual festival that brings together new Japanese media works, divided into four categories: art, entertainment, animation and manga.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Feb 16, 2012

"15th Japan Media Arts Festival"

The Japan Media Arts Festival, organized by Japan's Agency for Cultural Affairs, is an annual festival that brings together new Japanese media works, divided into four categories: art, entertainment, animation and manga.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Feb 11, 2012

Enjoying the quiet life in Kanazawa, in black and white

Coincidence can shape people's lives in many ways. Ask Mark Hammond, and he will certainly agree.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Feb 4, 2012

Valentine's Day — the perfect holiday for one

Valentine's Day is coming up, and once again, you may be wondering how to deal with it in Japan.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Feb 3, 2012

DiCaprio visits America's dark past in 'J. Edgar'

Leonardo DiCaprio admits that he didn't hear much about the famously feared J. Edgar Hoover while he was growing up. That doesn't stop him from making an astute observation: "The man was a troll."
BUSINESS
Jan 28, 2012

Nintendo losses could triple as 3DS sales sink

Nintendo Co. has more than tripled its full-year loss forecast as the success of Apple Inc.'s popular devices has eroded demand for the company's 3DS handheld player.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jan 26, 2012

Ethnic Minority "Startin' ”

If you've been near Shibuya Station in Tokyo at night in the past 12 months, you may well have encountered three young guys playing up a storm to passers-by, many of whom have stopped to listen, cheer and/or dance. This trio goes by the name of Ethnic Minority, and is led by saxophonist Hiroyuki Yokota....
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Jan 20, 2012

Condors fly in the face of contemporary dance scene

The Japanese are often described as being inward-looking and stoic, with a sense of humor that often fails to connect with people from overseas. However, there are still rare birds among that bunch.
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Jan 13, 2012

Antinuclear event open to general public

As public interest in nuclear-power issues soared following the Great East Japan Earthquake on March 11, there has been a push to get more people involved in discussing alternate energy solutions.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 12, 2012

U.S. overlooks the true tolls of its wars

As the United States officially ended the war in Iraq last month, President Barack Obama spoke eloquently at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, lauding troops for "your patriotism, your commitment to fulfill your mission, your abiding commitment to one another," and offering words of grief for the nearly 4,500...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Jan 6, 2012

'Spamalot' cast hopes 2012 is Year of the Python

"This is Spam," says Eric Idle to a room full of Japanese journalists, holding up a can of the precooked meat product that he and his fellow Monty Python cast members mocked to lasting effect in 1970 in their iconic BBC TV series.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / CLOSE-UP
Jan 1, 2012

Mayumi Kagita: A fusion of cultures revealed in dance

On Nov. 19, the Pit hall of the New National Theatre, Tokyo, in Shibuya, was filled with hundreds of eager theater-goers. They had come to see a performance of "Onna Goroshi Abura no Jigoku" ("The Women-Killer and the Hell of Oil"), a play written by Chikamatsu Monzaemon (1653-1724) — Japan's greatest...
Japan Times
CULTURE / TV & Streaming
Dec 30, 2011

Heian Period 'Godfather' brought to life on NHK

Marlon Brando's title character in the 1972 film "The Godfather" might not be the first thing that comes to mind at the mention of 12th century warlord Taira no Kiyomori, but the comparison has proven particularly effective for public broadcaster NHK, which will air a yearlong Sunday-evening drama about...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Dec 30, 2011

Top 5 DVDs to alleviate holiday cabin fever

The three Japan Times film critics (Mark Schilling, Giovanni Fazio and me, Kaori Shoji) are taking a much-needed and entirely fictional break in a log cabin in a remote location, with no entertainment except for five DVDs. (Personally, I would rather have camped out at a 24-hour cocktail lounge in my...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Dec 29, 2011

Kabuki returns to its Asakusa home for special New Year's performances

As kabuki fans will already know, for more than 30 years, the Kokaido (public hall) in Asakusa has celebrated the Tokyo district's history as a thriving entertainment area by reviving the Edo Period (1603-1867) tradition of New Year's special kabuki performances. These shows have also become a great...
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / TECH_JAPAN
Dec 28, 2011

Looking forward to the next year in tech

If you can manage to look past the bummer of Mayan doomsday prophecies, 2012 looks pretty promising from a tech geek's point of view.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Japan Pulse
Dec 23, 2011

2011 trends: Korean boom spreads to a new generation

The love of all things Korean continued to grow in 2011, and along with it, a bit of a backlash.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Dec 22, 2011

Natural disasters rock year in music

The year 2011 in Japan was undoubtedly defined by the triple disasters of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, and the subsequent nuclear crisis. The impact of those catastrophes was also felt across the entire entertainment world. The industry pretty much put itself on hold for the remainder of March...
BASKETBALL / NBA / NBA REPORT
Dec 21, 2011

Support helps Jackson take first coaching steps

Five minutes before Mark Jackson was to conduct his initial rehearsal as a head coach at any level — ahem, exempting a brief AAU fling — he sat in the Warriors' locker room by himself and let his wired emotions guide him.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Dec 16, 2011

'Cut'

A director who makes a film that loudly complains about the sad state of current cinema is setting himself up as a critics' punching bag ("You, sir, are part of the problem ..."). Also, if he inserts his list of 100 all-time best films into his climax he is asking for some impolite comments about his...
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Dec 16, 2011

Cinderella tale gets K-popped

The curtain had hardly gone down at the world premiere of "Kun (Goong) — Love in a Palace" in Seoul in 2010 when the musical suddenly became the hottest ticket in South Korea's entertainment scene.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Dec 16, 2011

Iran's Naderi explains why he shot 'Cut' in Japan

A founding member of Iranian cinema's 1970s New Wave, Amir Naderi made his directorial debut with his 1971 film "Goodbye Friend." Since the 1980s he has been screening his film at festivals around the world, including Venice, Cannes and Sundance.

Longform

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