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CULTURE / Music / PLAY BUTTON
May 12, 2000

Ascendancy of ska-core captured on compilation

With the latest releases by Kemuri, Snailramp and Potshot turning up in the record charts, ska-core has emerged from the underground. Ska-core has thrived through a network of small clubs and indie record labels across Japan much like its musical cousin, mellowcore. (Members of Snailramp run one of the...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Aug 27, 2022

Overseas acts make a joyous return to Summer Sonic

The future of live concerts seems much firmer after this year's edition of the two-day music festival, which featured acts such as The 1975, Post Malone, Megan Thee Stallion and Maneskin.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Dec 11, 2013

Tokyo's 'fayrest that ever was'

Scene 1: Late evening, Sept. 23, 1990, at the tiny Greek amphitheater, Shin-Okubo, Tokyo
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / THE SECOND ROOM
Mar 25, 2004

System rebooted: 2004 is about to get cool

By the looks of things, I'm not the only one who's been a little busy this winter.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design
Feb 12, 2019

Plastic fantastic: Examining the obsession over Japan's soft vinyl toys

It's a cold afternoon in mid-January and, inside a factory operated by Maruyama Toys in a quiet residential area in Tokyo's Katsushika Ward, Cory Privitera is making sofubi (soft vinyl toys).
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / B. League / HOOP SCOOP
Feb 2, 2018

B. League boosts Kumamoto recovery

Sometimes, the combined efforts of government officials, volunteers, local residents and sports leagues team up to produce a certifiable winner.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Sep 23, 2014

Remaking the EDM experience for Japan

Glitter showered the crowd at August's all-night Sonicmania event as electronic artist Zedd cued up his hit song, "Stay the Night." The crowd bobbed along at first, but as the track built and let loose in a whirlwind of bass and synthesizer the audience followed suit with fists pumping in the air and...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jun 19, 2009

South Korean festivals suffer a setback

In 2006, South Korean promoters I-Yescom Entertainment and Yellow9 launched the Incheon Pentaport Rock Festival to coincide with the Fuji Rock Festival in the hope of capitalizing on the amount of foreign acts touring Japan every July.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Apr 29, 2023

DJ Nobu: The face of Japanese techno is ready to break free

Japan’s current king of underground techno leaves the pandemic years with a renewed desire to defy the status quo... and maybe even skip the country.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL
Mar 13, 2023

Seedings for NCAA men’s tournament show wide-open field

The tournament has an on-any-given-Sunday feel, where blue bloods don’t feel so rich, mid-majors don’t feel so middling and every team enters with questions — even at the top.
Japan Times
Rugby
Sep 1, 2019

A guide to the 2019 Rugby World Cup and its host cities

What to do, see, drink and eat in each of the RWC cities as well as match dates and information on stadiums, transport and accommodation.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jun 22, 2017

One year after changes to the 'anti-dancing' law, clubbers are hopeful

Around two dozen people shuffle about the dark interior of Alzar, a recently opened nightclub on the eighth floor of a building in Osaka's Chuo Ward that also features a capsule hotel and sauna. Most hover near the concrete wall, watching a European DJ play house music. A group orders Champagne, taking...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
May 23, 2018

A world of art on display at Tokyo International Art Fair

This year's edition of the Tokyo International Art Fair will feature paintings, sculpture, photographic illustrations, jewelry and a "sumo-size" book, with the work coming courtesy of hundreds of artists from 30 different countries, fair organizer Joelle Dinnage tells The Japan Times.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jan 12, 2017

'Garage Rockin' Craze': 'It's not about fame, they want 15 minutes of fun'

Mario Cuzic used a video camera to face the question that keeps many expat English teachers up at night: What am I going to do before I head back home? His answer, "Garage Rockin' Craze," is a documentary on the history of Japan's underground garage rock scene that has nurtured internationally renowned...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
May 12, 2016

Art Fair Tokyo to feature more overseas representation and lower prices at this year's event

Every year, Tokyo becomes a hot spot for art and, every year, newcomers to the scene consider taking the plunge and buying their first piece. Now in its 11th year, Art Fair Tokyo hopes to make things a little easier on first-time buyers.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Oct 14, 2014

Getting a glimpse of Tokyo's metal underbelly

Loud Park will go down this weekend at Saitama Super Arena, drawing fans excited to see mainstream metal acts such as Manowar, Dream Theater and veteran Japanese group Loudness, who was the first heavy metal band from this country signed to an American label and is halfway through its third decade of...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jun 7, 2013

From Björk to Kyary, festival season has arrived

Summer means a lot of things in Japan: stifling heat and humidity, fireworks and the Bon holidays, nagashi-sōmen noodles and chilled barley tea. For music fans though, the season brings a different kind of to-do list: booking cheap train tickets in advance, stocking up on essential supplies — and...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Mar 11, 2011

New dance-music label Diskotopia aims to bring Tokyo in step

Glance at the lineups of Tokyo's larger nightclubs on any given weekend and you'd be forgiven for feeling some deja vu. Mainstays such as Takkyu Ishino, Shinichi Osawa or Dexpistols are likely to be headlining, much as they have been doing for the past several years.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / THE SECOND ROOM
Sep 19, 2005

The Gathering 2005 preview -- return to Tsumagoi

Ready or not, here comes the spectacular end of another amazing summer season.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Feb 19, 2003

I am what I play -- live

Internationally acclaimed DJ Karsh Kale has spent the last three months carrying a laptop loaded with ProTools recording and editing software through the chaos and inspiration that is India. Relishing both the miracles of technology and the wonders of the ancient, Kale stopped in Madras, Delhi and Bombay,...
A banner at the entrance to Shibuya’s Center Street makes it clear this is no place for a party.
PODCAST / deep dive
Oct 26, 2023

The specter of Itaewon has Shibuya spooked

One year on, Elizabeth Beattie joins us to discuss where Itaewon stands after its Halloween disaster, and what its legacy means for celebrations in Japan.
Four-piece Atarashii Gakko! and Okinawan rapper Awich (center) shared the Mojave Stage at 88Risings’s “Futures” showcase at Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival last weekend.
CULTURE / Music
Apr 19, 2024

Japanese acts seize Coachella's spotlight — and this ain't your typical J-pop

Yoasobi, Awich and Atarashii Gakko! shine at the California festival, proving just how much J-pop has made strides in reaching international audiences.
Naoko Motooka began hunting 10 years ago. Her hobby is one way Hokkaido hopes to curb a current boom in the deer population.
PODCAST / deep dive
Feb 15, 2024

Hunting in Hokkaido; Taylor Swift comes to Tokyo

You probably don’t think of guns when you think of Japan, but Hokkaido’s hunters do.
Alongside Germany's Gamescom, Tokyo Game Show is one of the last remaining major gaming conventions in the world.
LIFE / Digital
Sep 21, 2023

Tokyo Game Show returns in full force with ‘largest-ever’ event

Participants at the gaming convention should expect long wait times for demos, but the Final Fantasy remake is worth it.
A man dressed as Kentucky Fried Chicken founder Colonel Sanders jumps into the Dotonbori River in Osaka after the Hanshin Tigers won the Japan Series.
PODCAST / deep dive
Nov 9, 2023

Japan’s 'four-eyed tax hiker' and the curse of Colonel Sanders

Baseball writer Jason Coskrey and editor Joel Tansey discuss the Hanshin Tigers’ Japan Series victory; Gabriele Ninivaggi explains how the prime minister hopes to get a home run with his tax plan.
People wait for the main act to begin at Summer Sonic, which holds simultaneous music festivals for those in Tokyo and Osaka.
CULTURE / Music / Longform
Jun 9, 2024

Can Japan's summer music festivals adapt to a post-pandemic reality?

Soaring temperatures, the cheap yen and a dearth of headline options may require reshaping the outdoor concert formula.
Forensic police work at the scene of a stabbing in Paris on Saturday.
WORLD
Dec 3, 2023

Attacker fatally stabs German tourist in Paris

The attack took place close to the Eiffel Tower during a busy late weekend night and came with the country on its highest alert for attacks.
If all you drink is Asahi, Sapporo and Kirin, you're depriving yourself of some of the best craft beer Tokyo has to offer — and there sure is a lot of it out there.
LIFE / Food & Drink / Top 5
Apr 21, 2024

A craft beer crawl through Tokyo’s top bars, brewpubs and dives

From microbreweries to tiny pubs stocking umpteen bottled choices, Tokyo is now more than ever a beer lover’s dream.
J-pop act Atarashii Gakko! is set to deliver a jubilant performance at Summer Sonic this weekend.
CULTURE / Music
Aug 14, 2024

Summer Sonic bets on a more local lineup

The international music festival seeks to boost attendance figures with more domestic and Asian acts such as Atarashii Gakko!, Number_i and Creepy Nuts.
Chinese police have cracked down on an internet craze that saw thousands of cyclists throng a highway under cover of night to gorge on dumplings in a nearby city.
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Nov 12, 2024

China makes a U-turn on night biking, opting to crack down on it

Thousands of cyclists flooded a six-lane highway in China for the chance to "go crazy once.”

Longform

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