Economy | ANALYSIS
Households to take hit from tax hike
by Tomoko Otake
The consumption tax increase will hit every household in Japan hard, with many people’s financial future hanging on whether their wages rise enough to offset the hike's impact.
John Potter
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Music Aug 21, 2013
After decades in the music biz, Kinjo goes solo
Okinawa is known for its climate, beaches and distinct culture, but its real hidden treasures are its female vocalists. Keiko Kinjo is one such treasure. It’s hard to stand out in such a crowded field, but she has been active for many years, performing ...
Music Sep 22, 2011
Generation gap nonexistent on album of minyō tunes
Seventy-five-year-old Misako Oshiro is widely regarded as Okinawa’s greatest living singer of minyō (traditional folk song). In the 1970s her recordings with the late great Rinsho Kadekaru produced some of the finest moments of Okinawan music, and she continues to sing and record — ...
CD Review Jan 18, 2008
Seijin Noborikawa "Suiko Jizai"
With the death of mentor Rinsho Kadekaru in 1999, Seijin Noborikawa became the outstanding singer and sanshin (three-stringed lute) player from the older generation still active in Okinawan music. While Kadekaru was often reserved and reticent, Seigwa (as he’s known) was never anything of ...