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Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
Aug 21, 2019

Meet the women reframing black femininity in Japanese spaces

Ebony Bowens and Tynelle Pozdnyakov dip into Japanese fashion subcultures in an effort to challenge stereotypes and have a little fun while doing it.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
Jun 30, 2019

'A kimono is not supposed to be fast fashion'

After Kim Kardashian West revealed her Kimono shapewear line, the American celebrity and fashion designer received a dressing down from fans of the garment.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Mar 8, 2018

Labor reforms can't wait

The third and most crucial 'arrow' of Abenomics — structural reform — must be carried out to achieve sustained economic growth.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Jun 14, 2016

Renoir's true colors could rescue him from the haters

It's been a few years since the last big Pierre-Auguste Renoir exhibition in town. The last one, if I remember correctly, was "Renoir: Tradition & Innovation" at the National Art Center Tokyo (NACT). That brought over the French impressionist's "Dance at Bougival" (1883), an excellent painting, but padded...
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / JAPAN TIMES BLOGROLL
Feb 16, 2016

The Uwaga Pies

The YouTube duo known as The Uwaga Pies — Krzysztof Gonciarz, from Poland, and Kasia Mecinski, from America — use their channel to give English-speakers a peek into Japan.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Nov 17, 2015

The ripple effect of Tawaraya Sotatsu's waves

'The most important Japanese artist you've never heard of." That is how James Ulak, senior curator of Japanese art at the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery in Washington, describes Tawaraya Sotatsu, the focus of the gallery's current magnificent exhibition. The show presents the first in-depth examination of...
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 22, 2015

Positive thinking really is a hallmark of success

We're often irritated by people who make excuses when they lose and brag when they win, but they might just have the right attitude.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / BACKSTREET STORIES
Jan 24, 2015

Monkeying around in Sarugakucho

Sarugakucho — which loosely translates as "monkey fun town" — is a hot spot near Daikanyama Station in Shibuya, Tokyo. As a place to hang out, this area sets the bar pretty high: Its backstreets are a zoo of uber-cute boutiques offering exclusive jeans, aromatic drip coffee made with gourmet beans,...
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital
Sep 27, 2014

The tricky path abroad for Japanese games

On the website Change.org, there is a petition addressed to Bandai Namco Games signed by 711 people, as of Sept. 25, that reads simply, "Bring 'God Eater 2' to North America and EU."
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Mar 13, 2014

Ueno Park to welcome springtime with a song

The cherry trees of Ueno Park are inspirational in full bloom. Come early spring and Tokyoites head to the area early to snag spots beneath the pink blossoms, which inspire romance, revelry and perhaps more than a few visionary ideas.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Sep 9, 2013

Renovating business and hope in Onomichi

The city of Onomichi in the southeastern part of Hiroshima Prefecture, which looks out to the Seto Inland Sea, has a rich and long tradition as a hub of trade. During the Edo Period (1603-1867), it prospered as a key docking point for domestic ships peddling goods, and from the early 20th century it...
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Feb 25, 2010

Macrobiotic master extols joy of cooking

At age 51, Madonna still has a fantastic physique, and she has Chef Mayumi Nishimura to thank in part for that.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Nov 28, 2008

Chanson musicians bring a little warmth to a Japanese winter

As a genre, chanson is difficult to pin down. In French, it simply means "song," and for most of France's history the word described anything from madrigals to romantic poetry. Since the end of World War II, it has come to represent a pop style that places a premium on the fluidity of the French language....
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Jul 21, 2006

Waving goodbye to the city

The sound of waves lapping on the shore. The cool sea breeze. Beautiful people wearing very few clothes. Overdressed cocktails. What better way could there be to while away a hot summer's day than a beach-bar crawl along Shonan Bay?
CULTURE / Music
Oct 17, 2001

The sounds of Sweden

The ongoing Swedish Style event in Tokyo covers everything from architecture to aromatherapy. The music alone, however, merits our full attention.
JAPAN
May 6, 2001

All is not lost with youth, beautician, 90, reminds women

The trouble with Japanese women in their understanding of beauty, according to one veteran beautician, is their obsession with youthfulness -- true beauty shines through regardless of age.
CULTURE / Art
Feb 19, 2000

Modern Japanese painting's other capital

The figure of Kakuzo Okakura, better known in Japan by his pen name Tenshin, looms large over modern nihonga (Japanese-style painting). Not a painter of distinction himself, his importance was as a critic, curator and organizer. As the founder of what is now Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and...
LIFE / Digital / CYBERIA
Nov 10, 1999

A trans-Pacific e-channel

The name, us-style.com, hints at the focus: e-commerce with an American twist. The use of "US" suggests that the target audience considers place of origin important.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 12, 2023

Jobs vs. membership: Making sense of Japan's system of employment

A family-based 'membership-type' system of work underpins Japanese society, but the conditions and traditions attached to it aren't always favorable — or easy to understand.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / 2022 in Review
Dec 29, 2022

Kizuna AI's departure marked a new era for virtual stars in 2022

Fans were shocked when the pioneering digital character stepped down in February, but virtual YouTubers are still proving to be one of Japan's strongest pop culture exports.
Kaz Shiomi is looking forward to the Osaka Expo this year, which will be held from April 13 to Oct. 13.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Jan 10, 2025

Kaz Shiomi: ‘I want to show people … how to color outside the lines’

Producing toys under her kiko+ & gg* brand, the business owner hopes to encourage children to find their own unique paths in life.
A former pop idol (Mai Fukagawa) finds herself in a slump with little money, no partner and precarious mental health as she nears her 30s in “Tsundol.”
CULTURE / Film
Nov 2, 2023

‘Tsundol’: Pop idol on the brink gets mental health uplift

While it is a predictable drama about a former singer getting her life together, the film addresses her mental well-being in a refreshing manner.
From left: Yusuke Nagai, Taiyo Someya and Kaori Sakakibara formed their band Lamp in 2000, developing a cult following over the years with their own blend of 1960s pop harmonies, ’70s folk craft and ’80s bossa nova brightness.
CULTURE / Music
Nov 3, 2023

The slow and steady rise of Lamp, a cult favorite

With new album 'Dusk to Dawn,' the folk rockers bring light to the new Japanese music canon.
Britain's King Charles leaves the London Clinic with Britain's Queen Camilla after receiving treatment for an enlarged prostate, in London on Jan. 29.
WORLD
Feb 6, 2024

King Charles diagnosed with cancer just 18 months into his reign

Buckingham Palace said that the king would postpone public-facing duties while he undergoes treatment.
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.
Damo Suzuki, who passed away at the age of 74 on Feb. 9, was best known as a vocalist for the German “krautrock” pioneers Can. He later launched Damo Suzuki’s Network, a live music project that took him around the world, playing with different musicians every night. 
CULTURE / Music
Feb 17, 2024

Damo Suzuki forged a path outside of mainstream pop and rock

Idiosyncratic and spontaneous, the Can vocalist was an influential figure of the “krautrock” scene.
Motoki Taniguchi (left) and one of his clients, Maurice Shelton, hope their lawsuit can change alleged police practices involving stop-and-search.
PODCAST / deep dive
Mar 8, 2024

A lawsuit puts alleged racial profiling by police on trial in Japan

Three residents with foreign roots have filed a lawsuit claiming Japanese police target visible minorities. We discuss what they hope to achieve.
Kumamoto-based sakura researcher Toshio Katsuki  says Japan's interpretations of the cherry tree have evolved over the course of history.
COMMUNITY / 20 QUESTIONS
Mar 22, 2024

Toshio Katsuki: 'The cherry blossoms have been my vehicle to find new relationships'

A sakura researcher tells us what drew him to the flowering trees, how their significance has changed over time and his tips on the best way to enjoy them.
Yassine Alaoui Ismaili, who goes by Yoriyas, turned to photography, shooting motion while in motion himself, after an injury forced him to give up his career as a professional breakdancer.
CULTURE / Art
Apr 22, 2024

Kyotographie's strong 12th edition shines light into the margins

This year’s installment of the photography festival highlights underrepresented groups from around the world — while avoiding anything too challenging.
Photographer Toko Jinno is passionate about documenting the lives of Japan’s fishermen.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
May 11, 2024

Toko Jinno: 'Eating fish is common in Japan, but the lives of fishers are not so well-known'

Photographer goes behind-the-scenes of the fishing industry in hopes to inspire and educate people to support its workers.

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