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Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Nov 20, 2009

What lies behind the eccentric?

The German philosopher Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel wrote that what is "familiarly known" is not "properly known," just for the reason that it is familiar. The familiar historical image of the Edo Period Eccentric painters, one of whom was Ito Jakuchu (1716-1800), is no exception. They are remembered...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Nov 20, 2009

Rediscovering Rebecca Horn

If you've been paying attention to recent contemporary art, both in Japan and abroad, you might be struck by the question "Why now?" during a visit to German artist Rebecca Horn's survey at the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOT), Tokyo.
CULTURE / Books
Nov 8, 2009

Cha's genius remains at modern vanguard

EXILEE AND TEMPS MORTS: Selected Works, by Theresa Hak Kyung Cha. Edited by Constance M. Lewallen. University of California Press, 2009, 277 pp., $24.95 (paperback) Pablo Picasso was a poet and a good one, but it would be a tragedy if his literary work had somehow diverted attention from his achievement...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Oct 30, 2009

Izu's great stormy weather

The new Izu Photo Museum opened over the weekend, and Raijin, the Japanese god of thunder and lightning, was evidently pleased by what he saw.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Oct 30, 2009

Beneath a city of chaos lies a dark psychological realm

At times, Tokyoites appear to be some of the most poker-faced people on the planet. But what exactly is going on behind those apparently emotionless expressions? The art of Mikiko Kumazawa suggests maybe quite a lot.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Oct 30, 2009

Bringing SecondLife into the real art world

Born in Guangzhou in 1978 and now based in Beijing, Cao Fei is one of China's most prominent young artists, known for photographs and videos that combine elements of fantasy and documentary to reflect on cultural shifts since the country's economic opening at the start of the 1980s.
EDITORIALS
Oct 10, 2009

A victory for beautiful landscapes

The Hiroshima District Court on Oct. 1 ordered Hiroshima Gov. Yuzan Fujita not to issue a license sought by the prefectural and Fukuyama city governments to reclaim a portion of a bay in the scenic Tomonoura area for by-pass bridge construction. This is an epoch-making ruling. It has blocked a large...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Oct 10, 2009

Fundraising Japanese hanga print exhibition coming up

A Tokyo-based women's volunteer group — now in its 60th year of activity — is holding an annual fundraising show of print works next week.
JAPAN
Oct 7, 2009

DPJ finds funds for pet programs

The administration said Tuesday it will suspend ¥2.5 trillion in the supplementary budget drawn up by the previous government and use the money to bankroll the Democratic Party of Japan's election pledges, including child-rearing allowances and toll-free expressways.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Oct 2, 2009

Shin hanga bringing ukiyo-e back to life

The great print works of ukiyo-e, by the likes of Hokusai, Hiroshige, and Utamaro, became fine art almost by accident. Originally mass produced for the popular market, their status was roughly equivalent to that of illustrated calendars and posters of pop stars today. But, ironically, the fact that they...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Sep 29, 2009

Brace for a possible spring shock

When spring approaches next year, many foreigners in Japan could be in for a rude awakening: From April 1, all those who apply to extend their visa in Japan will be asked to show proof of enrollment in one or other of Japan's main national health systems, the shakai hoken (social health insurance and...
BUSINESS
Sep 8, 2009

Japan Steel boss says China will build more nuclear power plants

Japan Steel Works Ltd., which makes reactor parts for Areva SA, Toshiba Corp. and other companies, more than doubled its forecast for China's nuclear plant construction because of stimulus spending and environmental pressure.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Sep 8, 2009

Half a room, without a view

If you live or travel on a budget and are looking for the cheapest digs in Tokyo, why not try staying in the closet?
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Sep 4, 2009

Still photography: a new art market

Tokyo probably has more photo fans than any megalopolis on the planet, but strangely there's never been an international photography art fair here — until now. Tokyo Photo 2009, running Sept. 4-6, offers still photography artworks for sale from 12 Japan-based galleries, four from the United States...
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Aug 30, 2009

The artistic influence of the East

This large and lavish volume is the catalog of an important art exhibition at the New York Guggenheim Museum that ran from Jan. 20 to April 19 this year. Since the show itself is not traveling to other venues, this excellent account of its purposes and content is now all that remains of one of the most...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Aug 26, 2009

Rural areas fear DPJ bid to ax big projects

AGATSUMA, Gunma Pref. — As media speculation mounts that the Democratic Party of Japan will win big in Sunday's Lower House election, Akiyoshi Toyoda, 44, is spending sleepless nights worrying about what may happen to his business if the opposition camp takes power.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Aug 21, 2009

A dream venue for new artists

"I'm still a housewife so its amazing that an amateur can do something like this," says DanDans founder and organizer Kazuko Aso, now presenting the contemporary art cooperative's fifth exhibition titled "A Midsummer Dream" until Aug. 30 at Chinzan-so in Mejiro, Tokyo. "Maybe it's because I have such...
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / IGADGET
Jul 22, 2009

Long-lasting netbooks and deep snapping

Get a battery life: Mobile computers these days suffer from a lack of mobility thanks to combining huge power consumption habits with little way to satisfy this demand. Asus is trying to redress the shortcoming in netbooks with a newly released model in its Seashell series of thin and light mobiles,...
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Jul 19, 2009

To be human in today's Japan, is it best to be 'no longer human'?

On June 22, playwright and novelist Hisashi Inoue appeared on national broadcaster NHK's television program, "Close Up Gendai." The occasion was the centenary of the birth of the novelist Osamu Dazai.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Jul 17, 2009

A cool show at Shiseido with the Helsinki School

Finland may seem like a cold, distant land better known for Nokia and reindeer than photography and art. But the Helsinki School, an art cooperative formed about 15 years ago, is heating up the international photography and video art world. Showing in Asia for the first time, the Helsinki School's photography...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Jul 11, 2009

Brit muscles way to BayStar success

Young boys, bright-eyed and clutching miniature gloves, gather in ballparks and dream of their own futures as part of a professional team.
EDITORIALS
Jul 3, 2009

Budget guideline adopted

The government has adopted the fiscal 2010 budgetary request guideline, setting a record-high cap on general expenditures. General spending will climb to ¥52.67 trillion, an ¥940 billion increase over the ¥51.73 trillion initially budgeted for fiscal 2009 — when the ¥50 trillion mark was topped...
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Jul 2, 2009

Whether to come out at the office

"Do you live on your own?"
EDITORIALS
Jun 25, 2009

Admission of illegal donations

The hearing in the trial of Mr. Mikio Kunisawa, the former Nishimatsu Construction Co. president charged with violating the Political Funds Control Law, began and was concluded on the same day last Friday. Mr. Kunisawa, who was indicted on a charge of providing ¥5 million in illegal political donations...
Japan Times
Events / WHERE IT'S AT
May 5, 2009

'Silent Auction' lends ear to plea of needy

There are many ways to enjoy art: Visit an art museum, join a pottery club or simply walk around a town and take a look at the different architecture.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art / ART BRIEF
May 1, 2009

Stephen G. Rhodes: 'There is No Bear Bear Ladder'

Misako & Rosen Gallery, Kita-Otsuka (near Ikebukuro)

Longform

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