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Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Jan 14, 2015

Ichiyanagi opera aims to be 'total work of art'

As part of its 40th-anniversary celebrations, Kanagawa Kenmin Hall in Yokohama will stage a world-premier version of "Legend of the Water Flame," an opera by the renowned composer Toshi Ichiyanagi that's scored around a libretto by a fellow octogenarian, the poet Makoto Ooka.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 11, 2015

Dispelling the glamor factor of Islamic State

The Pentagon is trying to figure out why Islamic State has been so successful at attracting followers. Islamic State's recruitment imagery offers a different, more contemporary and overtly violent form of glamour.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Jan 10, 2015

Code + culture: New Internet artists from Japan

If the Internet is an ocean, why do we spend so much time floating on its surface? What's really going on down there? Not just in the deepest, darkest trenches, but among the forgotten protocols, faulty algorithms and emerging parameters outside the busy shipping lanes and far from the crowded life rafts...
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 8, 2015

Pakistan at a tipping point

It may be too much wishful thinking to expect the slaughter of 132 schoolchildren and nine teaching staff in Peshawar last month to mark a tipping point that forces Pakistan's squabbling factions, the nominal political rulers, army commanders and judges to put their heads together to prevent their country from becoming a failed state.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jan 6, 2015

Britain's alt-j finds inspiration in Miley Cyrus and Nara

An un-Googleable delta symbol name (∆), genre-hopping, challenging sounds and esoteric lyrics inspired by Japanese deer are not the usual recipe for surefire pop success. Yet when alt-j arrives in Japan for its debut headline show — catapulted by 1 million album sales, a Mercury prize and a nomination...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Jan 1, 2015

Curtains up on 2015

Innovation adds sparkle to traditional forms
JAPAN / History
Jan 1, 2015

Donald Keene reflects on 70-year Japan experience

My first visit to Japan was very short, only a week or so in December 1945. Three months earlier, while on the island of Guam, I had heard the broadcast by the Emperor announcing the end of the war. Soon afterward, I was sent from Guam to China to serve as an interpreter between the Americans and the...
Japan Times
WORLD
Dec 25, 2014

Protests flare after Missouri police killing of armed black teen

Protests flared into early Thursday in the St. Louis suburb where a white policeman fatally shot a black man who brandished a gun at a gas station on Tuesday night.
Japan Times
Figure Skating / ICE TIME
Dec 23, 2014

Ina Bauer gone, but move lives on

A significant figure in the world of skating passed away earlier this month with nary a mention in the mainstream media. It was both sad and a reminder of how quickly history can be forgotten.
BASKETBALL / NBA / NBA REPORT
Dec 23, 2014

First Air Jordans were banned by NBA for clashing with team colors

This is the third installment from Hall of Fame writer Sam Smith's new book "There Is No Next: NBA Legends on the Legacy of Michael Jordan."
CULTURE / Japan Pulse
Dec 22, 2014

Rewinding some of Japan's top YouTubers

YouTube highlighted 14 of the Internet's best Japanese vloggers.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Dec 18, 2014

Sculpting the uncanny space between permanence and evanescence

Sculpture is supposedly the most solid and permanent of the creative arts, so it is a paradox that an artist like Junichi Mori — whose work often focuses on impermanence and evanescence — has chosen to work in this style, using materials like marble and wood, instead of something more fleeting and...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / COMMUNITY CHEST
Dec 17, 2014

Readers' letters: What to do about 'haro'? And where to study, Japan or China?

A selection of emails received in response to recent Community stories.
CULTURE / Music
Dec 16, 2014

Rock, J-pop and dance: Albums we liked in 2014

The year-end album charts in Japan have a tendency to prop up the same acts year after year: Exile, anything that ends in a "48," and almost every group from the Johnny & Associates stable of boy bands. Writers at The Japan Times, however, spent the year looking past the charts to find a few gems lurking...
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Dec 16, 2014

'Yasukuni' director says 2007 film timelier than ever

With Angelina Jolie's film "Unbroken" about Japan's brutal treatment of prisoners during World War II being released this month, Chinese filmmaker Li Ying figures his 2007 anti-militarist documentary "Yasukuni" has only gained in relevance.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / WILD WATCH
Dec 13, 2014

Twelve ways to spend 2015 with nature

As 2014 winds down and the promise of another year lies ahead, it's time to come up with a few New Year's resolutions. Instead of planning for the future or trying some new-fad diets or exercise regimes, how about a resolution to spend a little more time connecting with our wonderful natural world?
Japan Times
MORE SPORTS
Dec 12, 2014

Ice Bucks strive to build brand, promote league

"Hard work, every day."
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Dec 10, 2014

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies: 'initial exhilaration gives way to fatigue'

On the one hand, we have the fanboys, for whom "The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies" will be the "Best. Film. Ever.," as director Peter Jackson delivers a ginormously action-packed finale to his second Middle Earth trilogy. Kicking things off with a fire-breathing dragon razing the town of Lakewood,...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Dec 10, 2014

Maleficent

Director: Robert Stromberg Language: English
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / DESSERT WATCH
Dec 9, 2014

Organic chocolate-covered fruit snacks from Biople are a great gift idea

Biople by CosmeKitchen (biople.jp) has locations in Ogikubo, Odawara and Machida, and is known for a line of organic cosmetics. In addition to selling beauty products, the company also imports a growing selection of organic food, including tasty freeze-dried fruit covered in chocolate from Landgarten...
Japan Times
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Dec 9, 2014

Methamphetamine use soars in Iran as lifestyles speed up

Women in headscarves and men in tatty clothes puff on a glass pipe as smoke swirls around their faces. The pictures published by Iranian media and blogs in recent months are a sign of a new drug epidemic: shishe, or methamphetamine.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Dec 8, 2014

Post-'Abenomics' reforms

Japan needs to address six major challenges in the post-Abenomics era with an eye toward structural reforms aimed at reviving Japan's influence on the global scene.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design
Dec 6, 2014

Code + culture: new media art from Japan

Domestic media artists have been using programming code in recent years to create some astonishing works of art. We look back at how this scene developed over the years and examine four contemporary artists who have defined the way the genre has evolved.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Dec 6, 2014

Cultural differences shade reactions to robots

It was only right that Disney's new animated feature, "Big Hero 6," opened this year's Tokyo International Film Festival, and that Disney animation head John Lasseter was on hand to introduce it. Lasseter has often said that his career has been greatly influenced by Japanese anime — in particular the...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / TELLING LIVES
Nov 30, 2014

Stage veteran invites Tokyoites to try treading the boards

While Ann Jenkins has taken roles in numerous Tokyo International Players productions during her 24-year involvement with the group, she is just as active behind the scenes.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / ADOPT ME!
Nov 30, 2014

Spice girls: cats Laurier and Saffron

Laurier, one of four kittens rescued when they were only about a week old, is still looking for a home, along with her sister Saffron.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Nov 29, 2014

Milton Miltiadous: 'Now is the start of the future, and the end of the past'

Life coach Milton Miltiadous on expensive wine, Santa Claus and ancient Rome

Longform

Eme-Ima Kitchen is one of over 10,000 kodomo shokudō in Japan. A term first used in 2012 to describe makeshift eateries offering free or cheap meals to disadvantaged kids, it now refers to a diverse range of individuals, groups and organizations working to provide not only food but a sense of belonging to both children and adults.
Japan’s ‘children’s cafeterias’ are booming — but is that a good thing?