Tag - music

 
 

MUSIC

Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KNOWING KISSATEN
Mar 24, 2017
Tokyo's classical music cafes are time capsules for audiophiles
In this age of musical abundance, it's hard to fathom that an LP once cost the equivalent of a few days' wages in Japan. In the 1950s, audiophiles who couldn't afford to buy their own music did their listening at coffee shops known as meikyoku kissaten ("musical masterpiece cafes"), which boasted high-end...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Mar 2, 2017
Yo-Yo Ma and Silk Road Ensemble build bridges between cultures one note at a time
Even before the Grammy award for best world music album was announced during a pre-telecast ceremony on Feb. 12, Haruka Fujii was awestruck.
CULTURE / Music / STRANGE BOUTIQUE
Feb 26, 2017
Music venue Three tries to up its numbers
Tokyo's independent live music scene has always been somewhat dysfunctional.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KNOWING KISSATEN
Feb 24, 2017
Tokyo's retro coffee palaces are in a class entirely their own
The archetypical kissaten (traditional coffee shop) would probably be a cozy neighborhood joint with faded '60s decor, one of those vintage pink pay phones that only take ¥10 coins and a couple of elderly customers smoking furiously as they squint over their newspapers.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Feb 7, 2017
Lady Gaga soars over Super Bowl stage with bow to inclusion
Standing atop the roof of Houston's NRG Stadium with drones illuminating an American flag in the night sky behind her, Lady Gaga kicked off her Super Bowl halftime set on Sunday by singing "God Bless America" as a subtle message of inclusion and unity in a deeply divided United States.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Feb 5, 2017
Passion rules in Japan's amateur orchestras
Classical music has always been a big part of Ikuo Nakajima's life. He never became a professional trumpeter, opting instead to become a managing engineer, but that hasn't stopped him from performing.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Feb 5, 2017
Former North Korean envoy tells of taking Kim's brother to Clapton concert
Two years ago, Thae Yong Ho, then North Korea's deputy ambassador in London, received an unexpected phone call from the ruling Workers' Party Central Committee in Pyongyang telling him to get ready to receive a very important e-mail.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jan 29, 2017
Quarta330 rewires his sound on 'Pixelated'
Unlike a lot of kids growing up in the 1990s, Toru Koda didn't have much hands-on experience with video games.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jan 27, 2017
Real-time concert videos at the touch of a button
Live Earth (officially written LiVEARTH), a trio of IT workers who invented an application that helps bands turn their live performances into music videos, was awarded the grand prize at Billboard Japan's first Live Music Hackasong on Jan. 26.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Dec 27, 2016
In China, George Michael had his own cultural revolution
It was strangely muted when George Michael, as part of the British pop duo Wham!, took the stage at the Workers Gymnasium in Beijing in April 1985, recalled one of those who attended that now legendary first Western pop act in Communist China.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film / Wide Angle
Dec 14, 2016
'Beep' tracks down 8-bit maestros
Here's one for the gamers: "Beep: A Documentary History of Game Sound" interviews more than 80 composers, sound designers and voice actors in a comprehensive look at its topic. Starting with mechanical pinball bells, "Beep" moves through the bleepy 8-bit sounds of 1980s arcade games to the present, where...
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Dec 9, 2016
After air crash, Pakistan fights over legacy of 'disco mullah,' a rock star-turned-cleric
The death of Junaid Jamshed, a Pakistani rock star-turned-evangelist, in a plane crash on Wednesday has stirred debate over his legacy, raising questions that cut to the heart of Pakistan's widening cultural schisms.
LIFE / Language / MORNING ENGLISH
Dec 5, 2016
Let's discuss SMAP's 'Kohaku' no-show
NHK announced the lineup for the next edition of its 'Kohaku' music contest, but SMAP was not on the list.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Nov 27, 2016
Dai Hirai moves from beach to campfire on 'Love is Beautiful'
Dai Hirai "Love is Beautiful" (Avex Trax)
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Nov 23, 2016
'Born to be Blue': Biopic goes free-form on Chet Baker's story
For casual fans or people who have yet to encounter Baker, 'Born To Be Blue' is a good place to start, perfectly encapsulating the fragility and self-destructive urges that underlined his uniquely beautiful and melancholic music.
LIFE / Language / COMMUNICATION CUES
Nov 21, 2016
Pikotaro's 'PPAP' sets Guinness World Record
Comedian Pikotaro's music video 'Pen-Pineapple-Apple-Pen' has been recognized as the shortest song ever to make the U.S. Billboard Top 100 singles chart.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Nov 16, 2016
Orchestra from Jerusalem to tour Japan
Classical music fans in Japan are set for a treat when the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra conducts its first tour of this country from Nov. 19 through Dec. 4.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Nov 6, 2016
Thank God it's Wednesday: Kom_I and her band are shaking up Japan's pop scene
Kom_I, the lead singer of electro-pop trio Suiyoubi no Campanella, could very well be the personification of the term "free spirit."

Longform

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