Search - culture

 
 
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Feb 11, 2017

Defiant Apa paints a target on its back

"The Japanese airplanes attacked, and a total of 1,200 men, roughly half the victims of Pearl Harbor, died in action on the USS Arizona. ... In general, the powder magazine at the ship's bottom is not induced to explode in a bombing and it would not have caught fire and blown up six minutes after the...
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Feb 11, 2017

Dealing with Taiwan's nightmares past and present

On Feb. 28, Taiwan will commemorate the 70th anniversary of what is known as the 2.28 Incident, when Taiwanese rioted against mainlanders from the Kuomintang (KMT) who had taken over control of the island when the Japanese departed in 1945 following their defeat in World War II.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Feb 11, 2017

First ladies Akie and Melania show independent streaks but are likely poles apart

When Japanese first lady Akie Abe made her rounds in Washington on Friday, noticeably absent was the high-level chaperone of previous visits — America's first lady.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Feb 10, 2017

Benedict Cumberbatch and Tilda Swinton bring their unique talents to the characters of 'Doctor Strange'

Chris Evans, Chris Pratt, Chris Hemsworth — all of them look like naturals when it comes to playing superheroes. Benedict Cumberbatch? Not as much. Though audiences love him as the new Sherlock Holmes, that iconic role has never been described as a superhero.
Reader Mail
Feb 10, 2017

Clarification on Singapore Biennale

I am writing in response to your article on the Singapore Biennale by John L. Tran ("Biennale takes good hard look in mirror" in the Jan. 29 edition), in which an intervention by myself at the Biennale symposium is cited. This fine piece sets out the challenges facing the Singapore Biennale as it moves...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Feb 8, 2017

Punk: How cinema ignored something so loud

Once upon a time, Hollywood was good at co-opting and selling youth culture. When rock 'n' roll and biker gangs came along in the 1950s, the studios came up with generational totems like "Blackboard Jungle" and "The Wild Ones." Beatlemania spawned "A Hard Days Night" and "Yellow Submarine," while the...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Feb 8, 2017

'Otaku' gather to celebrate the obsessive at Nerd Nite Tokyo

At Nerd Nite Tokyo, self-confessed nerds from all walks of life gather once a month to loosen their anoraks, sup a beverage or two and feed on the niche knowledge of three quietly obsessive speakers.
Japan Times
WORLD
Feb 8, 2017

Webster's throws shade on no one as it goes on word binge, even revives 'snollygoster'

The next time someone throws shade at you for ghosting them so you can binge-watch a TV show or retreat to your safe space, you can let them know your behavior has been recognized by the leading U.S. dictionary publisher.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 7, 2017

Iwate Prefecture introduces quirky signs and other initiatives to lure foreign visitors

Struggling to attract foreign visitors, Iwate Prefecture has embarked on a charm offensive using quirky signs and other techniques to endear tourists to the far-flung region.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Science & Health
Feb 3, 2017

Schools close, hospitals swell as influenza spikes

Japan sees a surge of 400,000 influenza cases in just one week as patients rush to get doctor's notes instead of resting.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 3, 2017

Nintendo treading on shaky ground as new mobile game takes 'gacha' global

Nintendo Co. found out with its first smartphone game it's tough to get people to pay $10 even if the draw is Super Mario. With its second mobile title, the Japanese powerhouse is taking a different approach that is potentially more lucrative — and much more controversial.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Feb 2, 2017

Justin Miller brings an American touch to one of Japan's richest musical genres: Showa pop

Justin Miller isn't a stranger to Japanese TV. He has been a guest on various morning shows to promote Showa Kayo Night, a party he co-founded in 2011. But the reaction he got after appearing on TV Tokyo's evening program "You wa Nani Shi ni Nippon E?" ("Why Did You Come To Japan?") really surprised...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Feb 1, 2017

'Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children': A peculiar offering from Tim Burton

A date with Tim Burton isn't what it used to be; it hasn't been for a long time. The outrageous visionary who took us to amazing places that can only be described as cinematic nirvana, with titles such as "Edward Scissorhands," "Ed Wood" and "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," to name my favorites,...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Feb 1, 2017

'It's Only the End of the World': Dolan's fraught, flawed family affair

The word gets bandied around a lot, but genuine cinematic "auteurs" are a rare breed. It's easy to understand the excitement that Xavier Dolan inspires, even before you've watched any of his gloriously overheated films. The Quebecois director — who also writes, edits and sometimes stars in his movies,...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Jan 31, 2017

'N.S. Harsha: Charming Journey'

Feb. 4-June 11
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 31, 2017

Sony to take writedown of ¥112 billion as movie business founders

Sony Corp. said it will take a ¥112 billion ($1 billion) writedown in its movie business after reviewing the future profitability of its operations.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 30, 2017

U.S. suffers an excess of intellectual emptiness

Both U.S. President Donald Trump and higher education suffer from a 'storm of outraged ego.'
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Jan 30, 2017

A woman's lowly place in Japan, mirrored in its language

Given that so many demeaning and negative words related to women endure, is it any surprise that sexism is still rife in Japan?
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jan 29, 2017

Vocational universities may be the way forward

Universities in Japan and the U.S. face unprecedented challenges that will make them unrecognizable in the years ahead.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Jan 28, 2017

Photographer John Paul Foster: 'Little details separate a good photograph from a great one'

American photographer on geisha cluture and the art of taking a great picture.
Reader Mail
Jan 27, 2017

Bureaucrat bullies know no bounds

The revelations of education ministry impropriety are likely the tiniest tip of the ugliest iceberg in Japan sea's of state sordidness.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 26, 2017

Abe warms to bilateral trade deal with U.S. but vows to still protect farmers

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Thursday gave the clearest indication yet that Tokyo may accept Washington's departure from the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade pact.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LEARNING CURVE
Jan 25, 2017

Education in Japan in 2016: new solutions and age-old problems, from teaching English to bullying

With schools well into their final term and the university academic year already winding down it's time to reflect on the most significant events in Japanese education this past year.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LEARNING CURVE
Jan 25, 2017

Your school may be international, but what values does it teach?

If you are vested in an international school as a parent, student, member of staff or management, here are four questions to consider.

Longform

Totopa in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward was picked by consultants TTNE as the best sauna of the year.
Japan’s sauna movement: Relax, refresh, repeat