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Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Apr 10, 2009

A taste for the unusual leads to excellence

Since the Heian Period (794-1185), landscapes have served as the inspiration for generations of Japanese painters. Many followed the standards and styles of a particular school, while other — often encouragingly eccentric — individuals broke with all conventions to wield their brushes in a completely...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Apr 10, 2009

A series of solo shows filed together as one

The term "group show" usually conjures an image of multiple meetings, shared spaces, collaborative installations and a common theme to tie it all together. "Artist File 2009," a group show at The National Art Center Tokyo (NACT) till May 5, has none of these things. But this is not a typical group of...
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Apr 5, 2009

Dead ends, about turns abound in the politics of roads

About a year ago, the government was all in a lather about extending the gasoline tax. Local governments and the ruling coalition, not to mention interested bureaucracies, wanted to continue the tax because they said the revenues were necessary to build more roads. Opposition parties were against the...
BUSINESS
Apr 4, 2009

Venezuela's Chavez angling for oil project investment

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said he'll seek investment agreements this week during his trip to Japan and China to secure financing for oil projects in the South American country. Chavez is making stops in Asia and the Middle East to deepen economic ties after a plunge in oil prices forced him to...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Apr 3, 2009

Lost & Found

The discovery in a German archive of documents and photographs related to the Prussian mission to Japan in 1860-61 has shed new light on the early history of photography in Japan. In particular, newly uncovered letters and records help explain the mystery of why so few images from the well-equipped mission...
CULTURE / Books
Mar 29, 2009

Between modernism and modanizumu

When reading William J. Tyler's anthology, "Modanizumu: Modernist Fiction from Japan, 1913-1938," one realizes that "modanizumu" (modernism) is a very broad term. It seems to mean, for Tyler anyway, any work produced during the years he designates that is not absolutely reactionary in its style or concerns....
CULTURE / Books
Mar 29, 2009

Between modernism and modanizumu

MODANIZUMU: Modernist Fiction From Japan, 1913-1938, compiled and edited by William J. Tyler. Honolulu: University of Hawai'i Press, 2008, 605 pp., $47 (cloth). When reading William J. Tyler's anthology, "Modanizumu: Modernist Fiction from Japan, 1913-1938," one realizes that "modanizumu" (modernism)...
COMMENTARY
Mar 27, 2009

Perks of the warring states

WATERLOO, Ontario — Since the end of World War II, America, Britain and Israel have been among the countries most heavily involved in war and armed conflict. Don't expect to see any of their political or military leaders in an international criminal dock anytime soon.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design / ON: DESIGN
Mar 26, 2009

Going Postalco, smashing smileys and sounding fuzzy

Material emoticons
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Mar 20, 2009

Free of cash concerns, Estonia produces top-class animation

A collection of witty and cynical animation films from Estonia are taking center stage at Laputa Asagaya, an art-house theater in Tokyo's Suginami Ward.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / IGADGET
Mar 18, 2009

Clarity up for reading, dieting and television

Tuned in: The small fortunes people spend on television antennas or television sets can be a waste of money if both products are not of a similar quality. Panasonic looks to solve this problem with its new compact LCD high-definition TV, the 17-inch Viera TH-L17F1. The key to this innovative set is that...
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 15, 2009

Maritime lines of conflict in South China Sea

SINGAPORE — America's protest last week to China over the alleged harassment of two of its navy ships by Chinese vessels, and China's reaffirmation of ownership of the contested Spratly Islands in the South China Sea, highlight two festering maritime disputes. Either position could lead to conflict...
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Mar 15, 2009

Loveliest of trees, the cherry now Is hung with bloom along the bough

It's sakura (cherry blossom) time again, and I've got three special spots to recommend beneath the pale, poetic petals in Tokyo. One will present you with a single starlit beauty, another will have you rolling around in an expansive venue of varied cherries, or if the spirit moves you there's a climb...
LIFE / Travel
Mar 15, 2009

Loveliest of trees, the cherry now Is hung with bloom along the bough

It's sakura (cherry blossom) time again, and I've got three special spots to recommend beneath the pale, poetic petals in Tokyo. One will present you with a single starlit beauty, another will have you rolling around in an expansive venue of varied cherries, or if the spirit moves you there's a climb...
Japan Times
SUMO / SUMO SCRIBBLINGS
Mar 11, 2009

Catwalks for the King, a shot at glory for his underlings

With the Spring Basho less than two weeks away now, sumo fans might be forgiven for thinking something is amiss given the lack of any real news coming out of Osaka.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / IGADGET
Mar 11, 2009

Dust off your old records for one final play

Movie marvel: Just as the arrival of home video in the 1980s impacted heavily on the movie-theater industry, free-to-air TV is now being undermined by pay TV and movies delivered via the Internet. Television-set manufacturers are helping to widen channels for the new methods of movie distribution, and...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Mar 6, 2009

'Plastic City'

You can take the boy out of Tokyo but you can't take Tokyo out of the boy. Jo^ Odagiri, currently described by the Japanese media as "the most Tokyo-like of actors" stars in "Plastic City," an ambitious, multicultural project by Nelson Yu Lik-Wai (best known as director Jia Zhang-Ke's cinematographer)...
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / JAPAN TIMES BLOGROLL
Mar 4, 2009

AltJapan

Author and translator Matt Alt runs AltJapan, an entertaining and informative blog launched in 2006. Calling it a "digital scratchpad," the Maryland native writes about a wide variety of Japan-related subjects, ranging from the role of Lolita girls in military simulations to the majesty of Japan's toy...
LIFE / Style & Design / ON: DESIGN
Feb 26, 2009

Lowdown Scandinavians, trashy bears and a natural rack

Lowdown Scandinavian cool If you're in the market for a modular sofa, check out Osaka-based Teruhiro Yanagihara's Grow (above). The designer, who also works under the name Isolation Unit, has created the attractive couch for interior brand OFFECCT, a Swedish company that's known for its collaborations...
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design / ON: DESIGN
Feb 26, 2009

Lowdown Scandinavians, trashy bears and a natural rack

Lowdown Scandinavian cool If you're in the market for a modular sofa, check out Osaka-based Teruhiro Yanagihara's Grow (above). The designer, who also works under the name Isolation Unit, has created the attractive couch for interior brand OFFECCT, a Swedish company that's known for its collaborations...
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 18, 2009

Are we ready for a new form of capitalism?

MELBOURNE — Is the global financial crisis an opportunity to forge a new form of capitalism based on sound values?

Longform

Visitors walk past Sou Fujimoto's Grand Ring, which has been recognized as the largest wooden structure in the world.
Can a World Expo still matter? Japan is about to find out.