Search - culture

 
 
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Aug 2, 2014

Hot in the city: scorching Kumagaya

Exploring new ways of dealing with the heat from a city in Saitama that certainly knows a thing or two about keeping cool
EDITORIALS
Aug 2, 2014

Getting tough on hate speech

Japan needs to respond to criticism of it by the U.N. Human Rights Committee for allowing instances of hate speech, directed mostly against Koreans, to proliferate in 2013.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 1, 2014

Communist roots of China's capitalist corruption

Official voices and microbloggers are becoming more comfortable discussing the broad and entrenched nature of corruption in China. Meanwhile, personalities remain at the heart of President Xi Jinping's current anti-corruption purge.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / NBL NOTEBOOK
Jul 31, 2014

New challenges for Takeuchi, Okada

Because of the disparity in the talent pool, the National Basketball League ended up with enormous gaps between the elite teams and weaker teams during its inaugural 2013-14 season.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Jul 31, 2014

Lacquerware's overseas journey into the arts

Rejuvenating the traditional lacquer industry was done by emulating international exposition models, and they sold well. At the 1873 Vienna International Exhibition, lacquer by Zeshin Shibata and Taishin Ikeda received progress medals.
EDITORIALS
Jul 30, 2014

Aiming for more women managers

The government and businesses need to get to the bottom of why the gender gap remains so steep in Japan and remove the glass ceiling blocking the rise of women.
Japan Times
Events / Events In Tokyo
Jul 29, 2014

A midsummer night's dream of dance

Looking out with expressive eyes, their fingertips delicately fluttering and their heads and hips swaying in unique angular movements, Balinese dancers have long enchanted people around the world, with their elegant and at times powerful performances.
COMMENTARY / Japan / SENTAKU MAGAZINE
Jul 29, 2014

Abe's flawed contingency plan

If the barren state of Tokyo-Seoul ties continues, Shinzo Abe's call for the exercise of the right to collective self-defense as well as the protection of Japanese citizens on the Korean Peninsula in an emergency is doomed to become pie in the sky.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 29, 2014

Why I'll be flying again on Malaysia Airlines

Despite losing its second airliner in four months, Malaysia Airlines says its generous refund policy for 2014 has not resulted in a surge in requests for refunds. There is good reason for that.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Jul 26, 2014

Japan's 'Moe' obsession: the purest form of love, or creepy fetishization of young girls?

Anyone who has visited Tokyo's Akihabara district in the past decade will have run into countless images of cartoonish girls: in posters, in figurines and in the form of real women dressed up as French maids.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Jul 23, 2014

To appear or not to appear on Japanese TV . . .

If you're in Japan long enough, you're bound to get the opportunity to appear on Japanese TV. But you might want to think twice before you make the leap to 'TV gaijin.'
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jul 23, 2014

Technique to prevent drowning catches on

To prevent drownings, a growing number of children around Asia are being trained using a Japanese technique called "uitemate," meaning floating and waiting.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Jul 23, 2014

Diverse joys unite distant theater fests

In early summer this year, I went to the famous theater festivals in two European cities — first the Theater der Welt 2014, which ran May 23-June 8 in the war-blitzed and rebuilt southwest German city of Mannheim, then to the Sibiu International Theatre Festival 2014 held June 6-15 in the Romanian...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / EVERYMAN EATS
Jul 22, 2014

O-chūgen: Hand-picked gourmet gifts courtesy of the postman

Even though the Japanese didn't invent the idea of exchanging gifts, they seem to be doing everything they can to convince themselves that they did. This is a culture, after all, that celebrates Christmas without Jesus, piles White Day on top of Valentine's Day, and has developed a whole species of cloth...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / THE PERSISTENT VEGETARIAN
Jul 22, 2014

Defying old habits with Taiwanese faux-meat

I happen to be one of those vegetarians who has never developed even an inkling of a taste for meat. It was thus one of the most bizarre culinary experiences I could have imagined to bite into a juicy, steaming dumpling of flesh — albeit fake flesh — during a recent dining experiment.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / TELLING LIVES
Jul 22, 2014

Linking Japan, Ukraine via songs

Nearly 20 years have passed since Nataliya Gudziy visited Japan for the first time, when she performed live with fellow members of the Ukrainian folk dance ensemble Chervona Kalyna, or Red Viburnum, named after Ukraine's national symbol.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 21, 2014

Coca-Cola pays expats to breathe China's air

It's hard to believe that the 15 percent bonus Coca-Cola is said to be offering will do much to help it attract or retain expatriate employees to breathe China's polluted air.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
Jul 21, 2014

Chores, charges and chin-wags: the chōnaikai ties that bind

Perhaps fearing that the entire council could fall apart, some neighborhood associations resort to drastic measures to keep members active and in line. The culture clash is not foreigner vs. Japanese, but traditional vs. modern.
Japan Times
WORLD
Jul 21, 2014

Nigerian journalists fear state censorship

Nigeria's press is traditionally free to write almost anything about anyone — whether it's true or not. But reporters fear a government sensitive to criticism is now cracking down, especially on coverage of the battle against Boko Haram.
EDITORIALS
Jul 20, 2014

Godzilla's message still relevant

Ahead of the first run of the latest, Hollywood-produced version of 'Godzilla,' the digitally remastered edition of the original 1954 movie has been making the rounds at theaters across the country to mark the 60th anniversary of the birth of the pop culture icon. After some 30 sequels, Godzilla's message remains relevant today.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jul 20, 2014

Few biting so far on special visa for workers

Indefinite stay, ramped-up privileges so far failing to attract highly skilled foreign workers said to be key to the nation's economic revival.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 18, 2014

World needs to right Israel's wrongs

The Israeli bombardment of the Palestinians has proven a policy failure, demonstrated by the Israeli government's resumption of bombing. The Israelis tried to give up, but failed.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 17, 2014

Liberal values on gender are saving marriage

One view of American society surprisingly has the more educated people — despite being much more socially liberal than their less educated counterparts — espousing more traditional family values today. They get married more, get divorced less and pay more attention to their children.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Jul 17, 2014

Ryuichi Sakamoto delves into cities and nature at Sapporo International Art Festival

Sapporo is generally known for three things: snow, ramen and beer. These things, and festivals such as the Snow Festival or City Jazz, are what draw more than 14 million tourists to the city every year.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Jul 17, 2014

'Ancient Egyptian Queens and Goddesses: Treasures from The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York'

Though Cleopatra is the most memorable female pharaoh of ancient Egypt, she was just one of many women rulers and goddesses who had prominent roles in the country's history and culture. With the support of Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Tokyo Metropolitan Museum is show casing around 200...
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 17, 2014

Automated cars may boost sprawl and fuel use, Toyota scientist warns

Toyota Motor Corp. is cautioning that the appeal of autonomous cars carries the risk of adding to urban sprawl and pollution, as they may encourage commuters to travel farther to work.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jul 16, 2014

Reflections on the dark side of a tropical island

Naomi Kawase was once Japan's best-known female director abroad; now she is one of its most internationally prominent directors, regardless of gender.

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