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Christopher Robinson
For Christopher Robinson's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LIGHT GIST
Aug 28, 2012
How did we end up here, in 'Hashimotopia,' 2022?
Walking home the other night, I glanced furtively over my shoulder and clocked the notorious tattoo-enforcement police heading in my direction. I ducked into a nearby konbini and cursed that bad decision inked onto my forearm in the 1990s.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Jul 26, 2012
"Future Beauty: 30 Years of Japanese Fashion"
The world first began to take notice of Japanese fashion in the 1980s after Issey Miyake and Kenzo Takada began presenting their collections in Paris. Their work signaled a departure from an industry dominated by Western norms, and their unusual aesthetic shocked fashion critics.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Jul 26, 2012
"Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale 2012"
One of the world's largest art festivals, Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale is held across this mountainous Niigata region every three years. Its goal is to revive the area by encouraging visitors to interact with the countryside and its locals.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / JAPAN TIMES BLOGROLL
Jul 22, 2012
Shisaku
Shisaku is a homophone meaning essay, a meditation upon a subject, a policy or measures a government takes. A fitting title for analyst Michael Cucek's blog which provides insight and opinion on Japanese politics, with a distinct hint of satire. In the eight years he's been writing the blog, Shisaku has become a go-to English-language resource for anyone who follows or is curious about the political culture in Japan. Topics focus on current events but often segue into commentaries on overarching political issues. Cucek has a degree in East Asian Studies from Stanford University and did graduate work at UC Santa Barbara and Columbia University. He now lives in Tokyo where he writes and does private consulting, with an emphasis on Japanese politics. He is also a research associate at the MIT Center for International Studies.
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Jul 20, 2012
Party at night with the animals at Japan's zoos
As Tokyo's Ueno Park Zoo and the nation mourn the death of the first panda cub to be born in Japan in 24 years, we can show our support for the institution, and other zoos, by visiting other rare and unusual animals.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Jul 19, 2012
"Debussy, Music and the Arts"
During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, not only did music, art, literature and the performing arts influence each other, but some artists created works that spanned art forms. Among such artists was the famous French composer Claude Debussy.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Japan Pulse
Jul 18, 2012
Today's J-blip: Suteteko
Hot under the collar? Cool down with suteteko.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Jul 12, 2012
"Hiroshi Fuji Exhibition: Central Kaeru Station —Where Have All These Toys Come From?"
"Kaeru" — the Japanese word for "to change, return, exchange" that can also mean "to be able to purchase" — is the central theme of artist Hiroshi Fuji's solo exhibition, "Central Kaeru Sation."
CULTURE / Art / Japan Pulse
Jul 11, 2012
Today's J-blip: K-Pocke pocket
Your gadgets may be secure, but we're not sure what the K-Pocke does for your style.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art / Japan Pulse
Jul 10, 2012
Today's J-blip: Mount Fuji summit panorama
A photo that will make you feel like you're at the top of Mount Fuji — minus the crowds and exhaustion.
CULTURE / Japan Pulse
Jul 5, 2012
Today's J-blip: Line's Birzzle
Angry Birds + Bejeweled + Tetris + a free sticker? We have a winner.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Jul 5, 2012
"Eiji Mitooka Railway Design Exhibition: From Ekiben to Shinkansen"
Eiji Mitooka is one of Japan's leading train designers, and he is particularly well known as the designer for the Kyushu Railway Company. His work has been highly acclaimed and won him many awards in the industry, not to mention fans.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Jul 5, 2012
What is iconic photography?
Osamu Wataya is a photographer, but only in the dictionary sense of the word. Most artistic photographers use their subjects to make a work of art, "I want to be able to serve my subjects," he says, "I want my subjects to be able to use me." When the shutter snaps, he isn't so much freezing a moment in time, as he is giving it reason to exist, "I don't believe in photography for photography's sake, but for the potential of an image, the potential of photography."
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
Jul 4, 2012
Today's J-blip: Running man, powered by Facebook
How would you like to make a man run at the click of a button?
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art / Japan Pulse
Jun 21, 2012
Today's J-blip: Geek-approved cutting board
Mario and other 8-bit favorites, now in the form of geektastic cutting boards.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Jun 21, 2012
"Inaudible Sound"
"Inaudible Sound" was originally a one-day event that was scheduled for March 19, 2011, but was canceled after the Great East Japan Earthquake.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Jun 21, 2012
"Edward Burne-Jones"
Edward Burne-Jones (1833-1898) was the son of a frame-maker from Birmingham, England, and a student of Dante Gabriel Rossetti, the founder of the Pre-Raphaelite movement.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Japan Pulse
Jun 20, 2012
Today's J-blip: It's a bike, it's a car, it's ... illegally parked at Lawson
Not quite your typical mama-chari.
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
Jun 14, 2012
Today's J-blip: Japanese soldiers march through Tokyo
Something you don't see every day: Ground Self-Defense Force rangers marching through central Tokyo.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Japan Pulse
May 31, 2012
Today's blip: Is Boo Japan's hide-and-seek champion?
Meet Boo, stealth stuffed animal.

Longform

Historically, kabuki was considered the entertainment of the merchant and peasant classes, a far cry from how it is regarded today.
For Japan's oldest kabuki theater, the show must go on