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COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Aug 9, 2009

Humor may be universal, but Japan's is largely its smut-free own

Swedes crack jokes about Norwegians, Poles knock the Russians, and though everyone likes a good Italian joke, they're less funny than they used to be thanks to the genuinely grotesque antics of Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Aug 7, 2009

'Summer Wars'

"Revenge," George Orwell once wrote, "is bitter," but it can also be sweet, can't it?
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHO'S WHO
Aug 4, 2009

Spontaneous Japanese TV keeps Dave Spector on his toes

Michael Jackson's death meant a lot of different things to a lot of different people. For Japanese television celebrity Dave Spector, it meant being woken on the morning of June 26 at 6 a.m. and spending most of the next two weeks either studying or commenting on the performer for the benefit of Japanese...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jul 31, 2009

'Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian'

What to say about "Night At The Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian" (opening locally as "Night Museum 2"), the latest outbreak of Hollywood sequelitis? Well, I can tell you with all confidence that leading man Ben Stiller is just as funny here as he was in "Meet The Parents 2" or "Madagascar 2." Or that...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jul 31, 2009

Bugy Craxone "Cheeseburgers Diary"

Bugy Craxone, whose name is a twisted mash-up of the English words blue, easy and klaxon, formed in Sapporo in 1997, relocating a year later to Tokyo. Their pop-infused, female-fronted hardcore sound won them a deal with Victor Entertainment within a year; but whereas many Japanese rock bands start out...
CULTURE / Books
Jul 26, 2009

The quirky terrain of an otaku mind

"Otaku" is one of those Japanese words that has no precise equivalent in English. "Geek" translates the knowledgeability as well as the social ineptness of the stereotypical otaku, but not quite his (and, more rarely, her) intense interest in what so-called serious adults regard as trivial pursuits:...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jul 24, 2009

'Bolt'

Brave, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed Bolt is the canine equivalent of Truman Burbank (Jim Carrey) of "The Truman Show" fame — he lives his whole life in a TV show but doesn't know it. And because he's a dog, the Kafka-esque/metaphysical angst that assailed Truman (once he discovered that his life is...
BUSINESS
Jul 23, 2009

Toshiba may turn to Blu-ray

After losing its battle to make the HD-DVD the successor to the DVD, Toshiba Corp. is considering making products in the winning Blu-ray format.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Jul 19, 2009

History in a stunning setting

It may be hard to imagine of a Saturday night in the gaijin gulches of Tokyo's seething Roppongi entertainment district, but back in the 16th century, foreigners — especially of a Western ilk — were a complete novelty in Japan.
Japan Times
LIFE / WEEK 3
Jul 19, 2009

Latin passions come to town with Asia's top tangoistas

Tango, that intimate dance of sorrow and passion that has swept the world since it was first developed in Argentina around 130 years ago, has proved increasingly attractive to "social dancers" in Japan in recent years.
Japan Times
MORE SPORTS
Jul 14, 2009

Lesnar casts bad light on UFC's new image

Brock Lesnar is well on his way to becoming mixed martial arts' biggest name. As he showed in UFC 100, he's already its biggest jerk.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jul 11, 2009

Will the latest 'Dragon Quest' pass the test?

Hitting store shelves Saturday, the long-awaited new installment in the "Dragon Quest" series, one of Japan's most successful video games, has industry watchers on the edge of their seats to see if the latest title can live up to its reputation.
EDITORIALS
Jul 8, 2009

Police's security camera plan

The National Police Agency has announced a plan to set up security camera networks in 15 residential areas in 14 prefectures, with 25 cameras installed in each area. The police already have 363 security cameras in operation at busy shopping and entertainment districts across the nation.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Jun 28, 2009

International community signs on to help keep Bobby V. in Chiba

You heard where those dedicated fans of the Chiba Lotte Marines gathered more than 110,000 signatures on a petition opposed to the team's dropping of American manager Bobby Valentine at the end of the 2009 season. The document was delivered to the team's front office earlier this month for presentation...
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Jun 28, 2009

Strong-spirited women, brain-body challenges and winter 'eco' action

The quiz show "Wafu Sohonke" ("Total Main House for Japanese Style"; TV Tokyo, Mon., 8 p.m.) tests celebrity contestants' knowledge of Japanese customs and traditions, many of which are arcane. On this week's two-hour special, they narrow the focus to customs and traditions having to do with Japanese...
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Jun 21, 2009

Tokyo spurned in the 'ultra miracle' of new film's linguistic embrace

On June 8, the evening edition of the Asahi Shimbun newspaper reported on a fascinating phenomenon — one that may be a harbinger of a broad cultural and social movement in Japan.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Jun 21, 2009

My son, I give you power over the people

Last Monday, TBS's noontime show "Hiruobi" was covering Kim Jong Un, the son of North Korean leader Kim Jong Il and presumed successor. One commentator on the show, an editor for an entertainment magazine, wondered what the citizens of North Korea really thought of this dynastic system. "In Japan right...
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Jun 21, 2009

Enoshima: Stepping back into 'old Japan'

Crossing Enoshima Benten Bridge to Enoshima Island in Sagami Bay, 80 km south of Tokyo, I was stopped in my tracks by a pair of mustard-eyed dragons slithering down gray granite lanterns. A man dismounted his bicycle and asked if I needed help. No, only his story, I replied.
Japan Times
LIFE / WEEK 3
Jun 21, 2009

Comedy with a sting in its tales

As a reporter, I don't particularly enjoy being swamped with breaking news to cover. That's when the pressure really becomes intense to get all the quotes and check all the facts in as short a time as possible.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jun 19, 2009

'The Reader'

Between Kate Winslet and the (as yet) little known David Kross, who shovel coal into the veritable steamship that is "The Reader" and keep it running, full speed ahead.

Longform

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