Tag - cool-x

 
 

COOL X

COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Oct 26, 2013
Branding Japan: Not always onward and upward
Branding is not an exact science. Take for example the recent campaign by Fukushima Industries to launch a new consumer-friendly corporate mascot.
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Sep 5, 2013
Manga fans to gather in Kyoto for annual fair
Kyoto is well-known for temples, geisha and other pieces of Japan's past. This weekend, though, the city will be abuzz with the country's present treasured artifacts.
CULTURE / Music / STRANGE BOUTIQUE
Aug 28, 2013
Twenty years ago, Cornelius releases the track that defined Shibuya-kei
The song "The Sun is My Enemy," released 20 years ago on Sept. 1, 1993, may have only reached No. 15 on the Japanese singles charts, but its importance lingers.
Japan Times
CULTURE / CULTURE SMASH
Aug 13, 2013
Otakon celebrates 20 years of anime fandom in the U.S.
The American anime convention, Otakon ("Otaku Convention"), begins with a costume parade before it officially opens. Last week I had a bird's-eye view of the spectacle from my 14th-floor hotel room in Baltimore, Maryland. An endless army of imaginary characters trudged across the elevated concourse and...
JAPAN
Jul 31, 2013
Panel plans strategy for overseas Japanese language education
Experts discussing ways to increase the number of Japanese language learners overseas propose promoting 'Cool Japan' pop culture and online services to provide more opportunities for speaking the language.
Japan Times
CULTURE / CULTURE SMASH
Jul 9, 2013
Can METI's ¥50 billion fund unfreeze 'Cool Japan'?
Naysaying is almost always risk-free, especially if you do it online. If you're a cynic, you're usually right, and if you're wrong, you can just delete those errant tweets and posts and join the party.
CULTURE / Japan Pulse
Jun 11, 2013
Japan by the numbers (06.11.13)
Who would read every book in a series of 70? One in four Japanese people in their 20s, according to one poll. There's more where that came from.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Apr 26, 2013
Murakami's 'Jellyfish Eyes' blends kawaii and creepy into a postquake critique
In the West he's been referred to as 'the other Murakami.' To those in Japan, the difference is so prominent that very few would ever confuse artist-cum-filmmaker Takashi Murakami with novelist Haruki Murakami.
JAPAN
Apr 4, 2013
Cool Japan campaign needs to sweeten the pot: Taiwanese critic
The government should take the initiative to promote made-in-Japan Western confectionery overseas as a part of its Cool Japan campaign, Kin Bi-leng, a well-known Taiwanese critic based in Japan, said Wednesday during a government-hosted meeting to discuss promotional strategies.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Feb 21, 2013
The nations that make it easier for bands to leap overseas
At the end of last November, a flock of Canadians descended on concert venue Duo Music Exchange in Tokyo's bustling Shibuya district. It wasn't an attack of any sort; the Canuck invasion was only peppered with spirited calls to "Clap with us!"
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Feb 7, 2013
Tadasu Takamine's not so 'Cool Japan'
In May 2011, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry promoted the idea of "Cool Japan," presenting Japanese culture as a product amid the confusing circumstances after the Great East Japan Earthquake. As Japan continues to suffer a declining population and weak economy, it was a government attempt...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Dec 20, 2012
"Tadasu Takamine's Cool Japan"
The term "Cool Japan" was recently used by the Japanese government to help boost global interest in some of the nation's most admirable achievements, such as its altruism and pursuit of cutting-edge technology.
CULTURE / Books
Nov 18, 2012
'Cool Japan is over': a sociologist looks at Japan's art world
BEFORE AND AFTER SUPERFLAT: A Short History of Japanese Contemporary Art 1990-2011, by Adrian Favell. Blue Kingfisher, 2012, 246 pp., $24.95 (paper)
EDITORIALS
Jun 10, 2012
Exporting 'Japanland'
The government's Cool Japan strategy of promoting the country abroad has taken another step as the trade ministry plans to recreate trendy districts of Tokyo in cities across the globe. The plan is aimed at promoting Japan and encouraging exports by organizing areas for Japan-style shops, restaurants...
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
May 15, 2012
Exporting culture via 'Cool Japan'
The auto and electronics industries have served as the economy's main locomotives for decades, but now they are being eclipsed by heavier global competition, particularly from their aggressive Asian rivals.
LIFE / Food & Drink / Japan Pulse
Jul 12, 2011
Doing your bit for setsuden? Here's your discount
Guru Nabi hops on the setsuden bandwagon and gets restaurants and bars to climb on board with coupons designed to encourage energy conservation.

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?