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COMMUNITY
Nov 25, 2001

Key insight spells riches for Hollywood nail care magnate

All it took for a small dental supply business to become the world's largest independent manufacturer of nail products was one man's realization that some of his biggest buyers of dental acrylics weren't dentists at all they were manicurists.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Nov 25, 2001

Japan's designers show they're going places

Sitting under the glare of the runway lights for three weeks of fashion shows, watching model after model sashaying up and down the catwalk, isn't such a bad way to spend time. It's kind of like traveling.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Nov 21, 2001

Visual aromatherapy for tired execs

After visiting the current exhibition of corporate art at Shibuya's Bunkamura, I have arrived at a daring new explanation of Japan's economic downturn. But more on this later.
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
May 13, 2001

A passion for Japan

SIEBOLD AND JAPAN: His Life and Work, by Arlette Kouwenhouven, with Matthi Forrer. Leiden: Hotei Publishing, 2000, 112 pp., with 87 plates, 3,200 yen. Shortly after arriving in Japan in 1823, Philipp Franz von Siebold wrote to a relative back in Holland, "I do not intend to leave Japan until I have...
COMMUNITY
Apr 22, 2001

Fashion cuts above and shapes to come

The offerings by over 40 designers at the recent Tokyo collections mapped out the direction for next autumn/winter: bias or asymmetrical cuts, draping and wrapping, patchwork, fringing and quilting, and lots of stripes (both vertical and horizontal).
CULTURE / Art
Feb 17, 2001

Ukiyo-e treasures make brief return

The Baur Collection of ukiyo-e woodcuts by several of Japan's top masters is this country's own version of the Elgin Marbles. Perhaps this is why the 200 works are only on display so briefly. If you want to see these excellent examples of print art in their homeland, you have only a short time.
COMMUNITY
Aug 17, 2000

Masatomo couture at the Ritz

The dragons are coming!
CULTURE / Books
Jul 13, 2000

No easy explanation for overseas Chinese success

ETHNIC CHINESE: Their Economy, Politics and Culture, edited by Yu Chunghsun. Tokyo: The Japan Times, 2000, 247 pp., 2,800 yen (cloth). The essays in this book explore the role of the ethnic Chinese economies in economic recovery and development in Asia in the 21st century. They are largely the product...
JAPAN
May 27, 1999

RCC plans to purchase bad loans in June

The Resolution and Collection Corp. hopes to start buying bad loans from healthy banks in late June or July, its president said Thursday.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Jun 11, 2023

‘How Kyoto Breaks Your Heart’: Welcome sustenance for the Japan memoir genre

Author Florentyna Leow offers descriptive musings and pithy wisdom about love, food and Japan’s historical city as she traces the dissolution of a friendship in her new collection of essays.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
May 7, 2023

'Hit Parade of Tears': Izumi Suzuki attacks genre and gender with twisted precision

The cult literary figure's new collection of 11 stories unveil the chaos, conflict and pain of women rebelling against the desires of men and seeking messy self-actualization.
PODCAST / deep dive
Mar 15, 2023

Haruki Murakami’s new novel. Plus, allegations resurface in J-pop.

Celebrated author Haruki Murakami reveals the title to a new novel, “The City and its Uncertain Walls.” Also, the BBC puts out a documentary on J-pop titan Johnny Kitagawa.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Jul 15, 2023

Tennoz Isle: Tokyo’s new contemporary art hub

The goal of making Tennoz Isle a vital art hub is closely tied to opening up the Japanese art market. With plans for artist residencies and business expansion, the bayside area's future is bright.
Japan Times
PODCAST / deep dive
Dec 21, 2022

Culture in 2022: Good books, outdoor art and 'Tokyo Vice'

Culture editor Alyssa I. Smith talks to culture critic Thu-Huong Ha about the books they read, the festivals they went to and how Japanese stories are currently capturing Hollywood's attention.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jun 16, 2022

'Everything Everywhere All at Once' costume designer Shirley Kurata becomes the story

With the success of the film 'Everything Everywhere All at Once,' the work of Shirley Kurata is in demand, but her personal style has always had its own fans.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design / ON: FASHION
Jun 11, 2022

Can unlikely friendships kickstart fashion’s lackluster recovery?

Breaking down brand barriers may be the only way forward for Tokyo's couturiers
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / Longform
Mar 14, 2022

Plastic love: Proliferation of PET bottles in Japan complicates a sustainable future

Japan recycles and reuses its ubiquitous plastic container more than almost any other country — but some say it's still not enough.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design / ON: FASHION
Feb 19, 2022

Expressing gender: Fresh approaches to unisex collections

A diverse fashion market is one that is broad enough to include everyone.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Jan 23, 2022

Exploring the poetry of an exiled emperor on the Oki Islands

Go-Toba, Japan's 82nd emperor, used his time in exile to advance the ancient poetic form known as waka.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Jan 18, 2022

Olympic athletes told to leave phones at home to dodge spying in China

Beijing has promised the world's top athletes access to a partially unfettered internet during the Winter Games, but security experts say there are reasons to exercise caution.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design / ON: DESIGN
May 23, 2021

Japan’s latest woodwork designs go against the grain

“On: Design” introduces innovative new products inspired by traditional bamboo and wood crafts.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Apr 11, 2021

‘Terminal Boredom’ is a treasure trove of Izumi Suzuki’s subversive science fiction

Izumi Suzuki, a prolific writer of speculative science fiction and a counterculture figure in the 1970s and '80s, has gone largely overlooked by modern readers — until now.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Mar 27, 2021

‘That We May Live’: New Chinese fiction delves into the playfully weird

Explaining the difference between speculative fiction and science fiction can feel like sorting out overlapping nebulae. The main distinction of speculative fiction may be that a story is just barely possible, at a slight remove from reality that veers into the playfully weird. A Japanese author exemplifying...
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design / ON: FASHION
Jan 9, 2021

Flashbacks and fantasy kick off Japan’s 2021 fashion scene

As department stores try to make up for a dismal 2020, recently released capsule collections turn to feel-good, nostalgic escapism.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design
Dec 19, 2020

There’s a story behind each of Makiko Minagawa’s textiles

The former textile director of Miyake Design Studio is still pushing the boundaries of natural fabric, craftsmanship and sustainability.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design / ON: FASHION
Sep 13, 2020

As the industry goes online, fashion trends go retro

Rakuten Fashion Week Tokyo is still on schedule; Animal Crossing is haute couture; and Wacko Maria celebrates 15 years.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Jul 24, 2020

Plastic pollution flowing into oceans to triple by 2040, study says

The new research offers solutions that could cut the projected volume of plastic entering the ocean by more than 80 percent.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design / ON: DESIGN
Jul 19, 2020

Omotenashi Selection 2020: Artisanal items with Japanese flair

The sixth annual Omotenashi Selection recognized 68 products for good design and cultural relevance. Three homeware items caught On: Design's eye.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design / ON: FASHION
Jul 12, 2020

The everyday mask gets more designer upgrades

Japan's department stores see a surprising sales recovery in June and masks continue to move high-end.
Japan Times
LIFE / EVENTS AND INFORMATION
Apr 3, 2020

Bold, vibrant stencil art remains alive today

Gazing upon artworks using kappazuri , an innovative Japanese stencil printing technique, similarities can be seen with Japan’s rich tradition of ukiyo-e woodblock printing. Others might recognize an affinity with stenciling techniques found in contemporary street art.

Longform

An ongoing shortage of rice has resulted in rising prices for Japan's main food staple.
Why Japan is running out of rice — and farmers to grow it