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Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Jul 29, 2018

Japan embraces esports after lagging global peers but seeks a star to put it on the map

Esports is quickly establishing itself as a way for video game lovers around the world to make a name for themselves — and a living — from their favorite pastime.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Jul 28, 2018

A late addition to urban culture, parks say a lot about life in Japan

"Life is park!" proclaims Brutus magazine.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jul 24, 2018

Flea market apps transforming Japan's thrift culture

When strapped for cash before his next paycheck, Ryo Takezawa would trudge over to the nearest Bookoff, the nation's largest chain of secondhand bookstores, to sell his novels and CDs.
Japan Times
WORLD
Jul 21, 2018

Missouri boat accident kills 17, including nine from one family

Nine members of the same family were among 17 people killed when a "duck boat" sank during a storm on Thursday on a Missouri lake in one of the deadliest U.S. tourist tragedies in years.
Japan Times
MORE SPORTS
Jul 19, 2018

NPB getting on board with boom in esports

Nippon Professional Baseball is ready to take a swing at esports.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jul 19, 2018

Singapore Airlines tops passenger survey

If you want to fly premium, the best route around the globe is via Singapore.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jul 18, 2018

'Boy Soldiers: The Secret War in Okinawa': Gripping stories told by Okinawans provide a firsthand account of war

By documenting the tales of those who lived through the Battle of Okinawa in 1945, filmmakers Chie Mikami and Hanayo Oya question the island's current role as a military stronghold.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jul 16, 2018

'Akira': Looking back at the future

On the 30th anniversary of the release of the animated version of 'Akira' in Japan, we examine the enduring legacy of Katsuhiro Otomo's sci-fi classic.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle / CHILD'S PLAY
Jul 15, 2018

Summer with the kids can be a walk in the park

Japan has more playgrounds than you could ever visit. Admittedly, some are more like patches of dirt with a few swings, but others are spectacular constructions that can inspire the childish imagination. Here are a few worth seeking out.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Jul 13, 2018

Soccer's World Cup detoxifies Russia's global brand

When the last fan files out of Moscow's Luzhniki stadium on Sunday after the soccer World Cup final, Vladimir Putin can bask in the knowledge that his objective for the tournament has been met: Russia has, for now at least, been re-branded.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 13, 2018

Adobe to launch Photoshop for iPad in strategy shift

Adobe Systems Inc., the maker of popular digital design programs for creatives, is planning to launch the full version of its Photoshop app for Apple Inc.'s iPad as part of a new strategy to make its products compatible across multiple devices and boost subscription sales.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jul 13, 2018

Reshaping the sound of Neo-Tokyo for 'Akira'

If you were watching anime in English in the 1990s and 2000s, chances are you've heard a dub recorded by Les Claypool III. Some of the films and series that passed through Claypool's studio, Magnitude 8 Post, include "Macross Plus," "Ghost in the Shell" and "Cowboy Bebop." In 2001, Pioneer Entertainment...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jul 10, 2018

'The Chrysanthemum and the Guillotine': A sumo subplot stands out in a crowded film

One man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter. I'm not sure if Takahisa Zeze knows this phrase but it applies to the heroes of his new film, "The Chrysanthemum and the Guillotine," an overly long, high-energy passion project that languished in development hell for nearly two decades.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Jul 6, 2018

Trudeau, facing 2000 journalist groping allegation, says he apologized and did nothing wrong

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, a supporter of feminist causes, on Thursday conceded for the first time that he had apologized in 2000 to a woman who accused him of groping her but insisted he did not feel he had done anything wrong.
Japan Times
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / Wide Angle
Jul 5, 2018

The small screen needs the small mercies of 'Terrace House'

Television has long been my connection to home. White Walkers ushering in an apocalyptic winter, Cold War sleeper agents going rogue, robots running amok in an Old West theme park — all of these have but a passing resemblance to my former life in New York. However, beyond mere entertainment, the act...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jul 4, 2018

‘Deep’ tourism explores the darker side of Tokyo

Hidden behind the capital's glassy high-rises and bustling shopping streets are dusty remnants of red-light districts and smoky bar alleys preserving traces of an older Tokyo — pockets of history Hisaki Kurosawa explores to catch glimpses of the other, more textured face of the slickly modern metropolis....
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / B. League
Jul 4, 2018

Brave Thunders to retain name under new ownership

Now under new ownership, the Kawasaki Brave Thunders will be called ... the Kawasaki Brave Thunders.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Jul 3, 2018

Keiko Miyata to mark departure from the New National Theatre, Tokyo, with piece by up-and-coming playwright

After eight years as artistic director for drama at the New National Theatre, Tokyo, Keiko Miyata, 60, is now tackling her final program there before passing the baton to 39-year-old Eriko Ogawa, who is set to become the theater's youngest-ever director in September.
Japan Times
SOCCER / SOCCER SCENE
Jul 3, 2018

Despite disappointing departure, Samurai Blue exceeded expectations at World Cup

Japan's exit from the World Cup on Monday was soccer at its cruelest, but once the dust has settled the team will be able to look back on its campaign with pride and satisfaction.
Japan Times
Jul 2, 2018

QBIT Robotics partners with Rethink Robotics and Sumitomo Heavy Industries to enter the service robotics market

~New business includes consulting, robot service design, system integration, maintenance, and sales promotion~
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Jun 27, 2018

The mind games of choreographer Philippe Decoufle

Choreographer Philippe Decoufle describes his new circus-inspired show, "Nouvelles Pieces Courtes" ("New Short Pieces"), as a "sort of visual and physical mind game."
Japan Times
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Jun 27, 2018

Sumo world attracts wide range of characters

Sumo is a monolith. Individual stables may exhibit variances in training and culture, but for the most part life for wrestlers is the same throughout the sport. Enter any stable early in the day and you will find training going on. Come back at 6 p.m. and everyone will be eating dinner.
Japan Times
CULTURE / CULTURE SMASH
Jun 24, 2018

Can Japanese 'light novels' remain publishing heavyweights?

Two years ago, light novel publisher Kadokawa added Thailand to its list of foreign publishing investments, which already includes Taiwan, Hong Kong, China, Malaysia and the United States. Now there are signs that English-language readers are catching on.
Japan Times
JAPAN / History / Defining the Heisei Era
Jun 23, 2018

Defining the Heisei Era: Japan experiences a hangover

The Japan Times presents the second installment of a monthly 12-part series that looks back at the leading issues of the past three decades.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Jun 23, 2018

Marriage is not always the bed of roses it's supposed to be

Whenever you read about people doing things you yourself would never dream of doing, you naturally wonder: Is it a warped individual nature that is to blame? Is it the nature of the time, the place, the circumstances?
ASIA PACIFIC
Jun 20, 2018

Inspired by #MeToo, Australia launches inquiry into workplace sexual harassment

Australia launched an independent inquiry on Wednesday into workplace sexual harassment, one of the first of its kind in the world, hoping to find solutions to problems brought to light by the global #MeToo movement.

Longform

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