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Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
May 16, 2013

'The Flowering of Edo Period Painting: Japanese Masterworks from the Feinberg Collection'

During a visit to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City in the 1970s, Robert Feinberg, a chemist and businessman from Maryland, found himself admiring an Edo Period (1603-1867) painting.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / JAPAN WEB WATCH
May 15, 2013

Google Glass may shatter Japan's 'manner' mode

Google Glass is the latest mobile Internet gadget to grab headlines. Resembling a pair of glasses, the futuristic device enables wearers to access the Internet — in particular Google's search, maps and translation functions — as long as they have a Wifi or Bluetooth connection. The mini computer...
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
May 4, 2013

Evolution: a new boost for 'aquatic ape' theory

It is one of the most unusual evolutionary ideas ever proposed: humans are amphibious apes who lost their fur, started to walk upright and developed big brains because they took to living the good life by the water's edge.
Japan Times
JAPAN
May 2, 2013

Huffington Post looks to weave new Web in Japan

The Japanese version of the Huffington Post will offer a website that spurs more interaction between the media and the public and empower Generation Y, the children of the baby boomers, said Shigeki Matsuura, editor-in-chief of Huffington Post Japan, which is scheduled to launch next Tuesday.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / HOTELS & RESTAURANTS
Apr 26, 2013

Renewed rooms at InterContinental Tokyo Bay; complete tasks, stay at Hilton Shinjuku for free; special French Courses at Park Hyatt

InterContinental Tokyo Bay renewal
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / HOTELS & RESTAURANTS
Apr 5, 2013

Shangri-La, Tokyo handmade pasta fair; reasonable Ginza buffet; Armani cafe in Omotesando

Handmade pasta fair at Shangri-La
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Mar 31, 2013

Bollywood bigwigs hope Japan fans are in it for keeps

In the 1990s, one of the most popular foreign movie stars in Japan was an Indian actor named Rajinikanth, who appeared in films made for India's Tamil-speaking southern region.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Mar 28, 2013

April: Karl Hyde to headline SonarSound

The next month features a great mix of concerts for all sorts of live-music fans. Several long-running bands visit Japan in April, as do some of the most hyped-up young outfits in the world today. Whether you like apocalyptic postrock or Swedish indie rock, the next 30 days have you covered.
JAPAN / Media
Mar 10, 2013

Meals on memory lane; "For That Inevitable Day"; CM of the week: Chunichi Shimbun

Fuji TV's Sunday lunchtime show, "Uchi Kuru!" ("Home Visit"), is the king of peripatetic eating programs. Hosts Shoko Nakagawa and Hideyuki Nakayama accompany the week's celebrity guest on a tour of eateries and watering holes from his or her past, dredging up memories while consuming to excess.
CULTURE / Film
Mar 1, 2013

Inequity of slavery reaps vengeance in 'Django'

Quentin Tarantino, whose film plots are often fueled by a mania for vengeance, has struck again with the Oscar-winning “Django Unchained.”
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / TECH_JAPAN
Feb 27, 2013

A new crop of smartphones for spring

As spring descends on Japan, we'll all be welcoming warmer temperatures and cherry blossoms in the coming weeks. But spring in Japan typically means new smartphone lineups from Japan's major mobile carriers, too. And while consumers' love for Apple's iPhone is still in full bloom, there are a number...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media
Feb 17, 2013

Bringing the love of short films to a local audience

If there was a birthday cake for the Brillia Short Shorts Theater, it would probably be an elegant, minimalist affair — no excessive decorations, nothing too calorific and five slim candles giving off a modest orange glow. One of just four movie theaters in and around Tokyo dedicated to short films,...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Feb 14, 2013

Pianist Yazawa looks to the past to find security in the future

Pianist Tomoko Yazawa always thinks about her music with the future in mind. However, for her latest album, "Playing in the Dark," she made a rare diversion into the past — specifically, France at the end of the 19th century.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jan 31, 2013

February: My Bloody Valentine returns

January featured a ton of great concerts across Japan, but February might be even better — hope your wallet isn't too thin this month.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design / ON: DESIGN
Jan 28, 2013

Living with birds, communicating with flowers and OnDesign favorites

Traditional chochin (Japanese paper lanterns) are beautiful, but that doesn't mean they can't also be modern and playful.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jan 11, 2013

Gordon-Levitt, Willis take film fans for a loop

Film director Rian Johnson and actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt are neighbors in the Silver Lake area of Los Angeles. They're also pretty close, since Gordon-Levitt says they hang out at each other's house and he also praises Johnson's cooking.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jan 3, 2013

Kitaro taps into Native American culture

"Kitaro and I were destined to meet each other," Dennis Banks tells The Japan Times. "Our beliefs are similar: Mother Earth, who we are ... we are all the children of this Earth."
LIFE / Digital / TECH_JAPAN
Dec 19, 2012

2012 has been a big year on the Japanese social-media scene

Twitter continues to ride high. Facebook has grown a lot, but newcomer Line seems set to overtake it. Social game companies Gree and Mobage have shifted their overseas expansion into high gear. And Mixi finally admits that it needs to try harder to understand what its members want. In this month's column,...
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Dec 16, 2012

Mount Fuji's lacustrine Gang of Five

Among Japan's many physical features, none comes even close to matching the manner in which its loftiest peak has carved out the fondest niche in the national psyche. The Mount Fuji name and image are evident practically everywhere in Japan today — as they have been one way or another over the centuries....
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Dec 7, 2012

Geisha to perform yearly dance

It may be a bit touristy to hunt for geisha in Kyoto, but head to Fukuoka and they're there for all to see.
LIFE / Digital / TECH_JAPAN
Nov 28, 2012

Two new viewing options for your collection

With so many different types of screens to choose from, it's a wonderful time for home entertainment these days. Whether you opt for the latest HDTV, or a shiny new tablet computer as your second screen, there's something for everybody depending on your specific needs and preferences.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Nov 24, 2012

Yaeyama stray cats steal the show on the beaches of Taketomi

After eight days on Miyakojima in which again our departure was delayed by bad weather, we finally set sail for Ishigaki Island, part of the Yaeyama Island chain and the end of our sailing trip through Japan.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Nov 23, 2012

Musician Shugo Tokumaru starts to adjust to the spotlight

Among the many billboards looming over Shibuya Station crossing, one of the busiest and most famous intersections in Tokyo, is one for Tower Records that features musician Shugo Tokumaru. The picture looks slightly awkward. The artist sits on a spiral staircase and clutches a guitar, positioned just...
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Oct 23, 2012

Doctors discuss a face-lift for Japan's plastic surgery societies

Though it's hardly talked about in public, cosmetic surgery appears to be an increasingly popular option in Japan for people trying to enhance their looks and defy the signs of aging.
CULTURE / Film
Oct 19, 2012

Special screenings and other spinoffs at TIFF

The Special Screenings section at Tokyo International Film Festival is largely made up of films that will soon be opening in Japan anyway, but there are still a few hot tickets this year. With "Cirque du Soleil: Worlds Away," TIFF has scored the world premiere of this 3-D spectacle featuring the much-loved...
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / TECH_JAPAN
Oct 17, 2012

Apple should team up with local companies to solve Maps dilemma

In September, a major update of Apple's iOS software for iPhones and iPads (iOS6) replaced the devices' long-standing Google Maps application with Apple's self-made Maps service. However, the new app soon caused outrage among iDevice users around the world due to the low quality of the maps.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / CLOSE-UP
Oct 7, 2012

Shigesato Itoi shares lots of 'delicious life'

Shigesato Itoi is an established name in the Japanese cultural scene, but what he is known for may differ depending on who you ask.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / HOTELS & RESTAURANTS
Oct 5, 2012

Sweets in honor of Ogai Mori; Hyatt Regency fall kaiseki; preorder Cerulean Tower Christmas cakes

Novelist Ogai honored with sweets To mark the 150th anniversary of the birth of Ogai Mori, one of Japan's most famous novelists, Bunkyo Ward in Tokyo held a special project earlier this year in which it commissioned new desserts named after authors associated with the ward, such as Mori, Natsume Soseki,...

Longform

Professional cleaner Hirofumi Sakurai takes a moment to appreciate some photographs in a Gotanda apartment whose occupant died alone.
The last cleanup: Life and death in a lonely Japan