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Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jan 5, 2023

‘Angry Son’: A sensitive portrayal of modern youth

Kazuki Horike gives a standout performance as a gay biracial teen in Kasho Iizuka's flawed but heartfelt coming-of-age tale.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / ANALYSIS
Jan 3, 2023

Casinos in Macao deal themselves a tough hand with nongaming investment pledges

Casinos have committed to investing a total of $15 billion in the coming decade, 90% of which must be spent on nongaming.
CULTURE / Books / 2022 in Review
Dec 31, 2022

Japanese stories captivated overseas audiences in 2022

This year marked increased recognition for female Japanese authors, while Japan-based stories provided the inspiration for Hollywood adaptations such as 'Bullet Train' and 'Tokyo Vice.'
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film / 2022 in Review
Dec 22, 2022

Anime continued its dominance in 2022

Anime proved to be bankable content in chaotic times, with 'One Piece' and 'Dragon Ball' scoring big at the box office, while major streaming services expanded their anime offerings.
Japan Times
WORLD
Dec 20, 2022

'It all fell on me': Russian mothers alone as draft exiles dads

The chaotic and hurried exodus of tens of thousands of military-age men has torn apart families and piled pressure on mothers.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film / 2022 in Review
Dec 16, 2022

Marginalized voices in film spoke louder in 2022

While Ryusuke Hamaguchi's 'Drive My Car' and Chie Hayakawa's 'Plan 75' received wide acclaim at home and abroad, the Japanese film industry took stock of a sobering reality.
Japan Times
PODCAST / deep dive
Dec 16, 2022

Is it too late to save the Japanese giant salamander?

Environmental journalist Mara Budgen comes on the show to talk about the Japanese giant salamander, which is well-protected within Japan through various laws but is still at risk of becoming an endangered species.
Japan Times
WORLD
Nov 25, 2022

Russian lawmakers approve bill banning LGBTQ 'propaganda'

Activists say the legislation ramps up the crackdown on 'non-traditional' relationships in Russia, affecting everything from books and films to social media posts.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Nov 25, 2022

Kah Wai Lim's ode to Japanese mini-theaters gets meta

The director's new film, 'Your Lovely Smile,' is a love letter to indie cinema that doubles as a plea for help to keep struggling theaters open.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / EVENTS AND INFORMATION
Nov 18, 2022

Anime translation project to stream videos in Ukrainian

The Japan Visualmedia Translation Academy is a school in Tokyo that offers courses on becoming a translator of visual media, mainly between Japanese and English. But for its upcoming streaming event, the academy’s adding a third language to its repertoire: Ukrainian.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Nov 17, 2022

‘Remember to Breathe’: Tensions simmer in mother-daughter drama

Mao Inoue gives a subtle but poignant performance as the long-suffering adult child of an aging single mother in Masakazu Sugita's muted sophomore feature.
Japan Times
JAPAN / History / JAPAN TIMES GONE BY
Nov 7, 2022

Japan Times 1997: 15 Japanese wives arrive on visit from North Korea

Twenty-five years ago, the Japanese media became fascinated by the women who left Japan for North Korea with their husbands 40 years prior.
BUSINESS / Longform
Oct 31, 2022

Can Japan’s pandemic-hit amusement parks return with a bang?

Does the opening of Ghibli Park in Aichi Prefecture reflect a turnaround in fortunes for theme park operators in Japan?
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Oct 20, 2022

‘Journey Beyond the Night’: A bad trip worth savoring

Takayuki Kayano's genre-switching drama starts slow but delivers a one-way ticket to weirdness.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Oct 20, 2022

‘The Ring’ at 20: Millennial horror that’s still infecting movies today

The film that kicked off the West's J-horror fascination was made in the shadow of 9/11. Its influence can be seen in “Smile,” “It Follows” and more.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Oct 2, 2022

For Constance Wu, there’s more to the story

The actor reveals her isolation, racism in her career and how she's moving on in her memoir, “Making a Scene.”
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Sep 19, 2022

Frugal is the new cool for young Chinese as economy falters

Penny pinching by China's youth is a problem for China's economic policymakers, who have long relied on increased consumption to bolster growth.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Sep 8, 2022

‘Love Life’ tells a meandering story about grief

Koji Fukada's drama about a married couple hit by tragedy is a little too oblique for its own good.
LIFE / Style & Design
Aug 18, 2022

Hanae Mori, trailblazer of Japanese fashion design, dies at 96

The fashion pioneer, known as 'Madame Butterfly' for her signature motif, became the first Japanese person to be listed as an official haute couture designer in Paris in 1977.
Japan Times
WORLD
Aug 2, 2022

Ayman al-Zawahri: From Cairo physician to al-Qaida leader

The first time the world heard of him was when he stood in a courtroom cage after the assassination of Egyptian President Anwar al-Sadat in 1981.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jul 29, 2022

A cinematic plea for peace in Ukraine

Slovakian filmmaker Juraj Mravec Jr. presents firsthand accounts from a war zone in Ukraine's eastern Donbas region in his 2016 documentary “Peace to You All.”
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jul 28, 2022

‘Yokaipedia’: Fantasy flick takes a page out of ‘Harry Potter’

Takashi Yamazaki's supernatural adventure film will cast a spell on younger viewers, but parents should find it entertaining, too.
“The Cats of Gokogu Shrine” centers on a local shrine in Ushimado’s Honmachi district, which has become home to a colony of street cats.
CULTURE / Film
Oct 12, 2024

Kazuhiro Soda embraces the wisdom of street cats

The filmmaker turns his camera closer to home in his new documentary, “The Cats of Gokogu Shrine,” and brings a community into focus.
Naoko (Ayaka Onishi, right) starts moonlighting as a paid companion for older men under her missing colleague’s identity in “Strangers.”
CULTURE / Film
Oct 24, 2024

‘Strangers’: A satisfyingly unnerving stolen identity drama

Kenta Ikeda and his cinematographer imbue the thriller about a woman who takes on the identity of her more carefree and flirtatious colleague with a sense of paranoia.
Located in the Otemachi neighborhood, the 'skull mound' of Taira no Masakado is said to be the source of ills and misfortunes of any who would disturb the site.
LIFE / Travel
Oct 26, 2024

Take a Halloween stroll through Tokyo’s dark history

Tokyo has no shortage of creepy places to check out this Halloween, and the good news is that many are conveniently accessible.
Studio Ghibli’s “Kiki’s Delivery Service” draws inspiration from Sweden’s medieval town of Visby as well as Stockholm for its vibrant setting of Koriko, a fictional city where the film’s titular character decides to use her powers as a witch to benefit the inhabitants of her new home.
CULTURE / Film
Oct 27, 2024

The Swedish heart of Hayao Miyazaki's ‘Kiki's Delivery Service’

Inspiration for the 1989 Studio Ghibli classic is still very evident in Visby, a picturesque town that captivated the animator on his first trip abroad in 1971.
A cruel twist of fate upends the life of Jin Ai-hsia (Sylvia Chang) in "Daughter's Daughter," director Huang Xi's meditation on maternal grief.
CULTURE / Film
Nov 6, 2024

Chinese ghosts and grief compete at Tokyo International Film Festival

A slate of evocative features at Tokyo's major film event showcased established and upcoming directors from China, Hong Kong and Taiwan.
In the United States, Temu has bid on keywords including "Walmart Black Friday deals," "Kohls Black Friday," and "Bed Bath Beyond." Shein has bid on keywords including "Walmart clothes," "Zara jeans," and "Mango dresses."
BUSINESS / Tech
Nov 28, 2024

Online marketing costs jump amid bidding war by Temu and Shein

Both platforms' aggressive bids on search keywords used by competitors make it more costly for other retailers and brands to reach shoppers on Black Friday.
Japan’s national sport made its second foray into Western Europe, and first to the U.K., with a five-day tournament at London’s historic Royal Albert Hall in October 1991.
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Dec 11, 2024

London calling: Sumo's U.K. trip brings back memories of 1991

Such was sumo’s popularity in the U.K. in the late '80s and early '90s that all five days at the 5,000-seat Royal Albert Hall sold out quickly.

Longform

A man offers prayers at Hebikubo Shrine in Tokyo's Shinagawa Ward. The shrine is one of several across the country dedicated to the snake.
Shed your skin and reinvent yourself in the Year of the Snake