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Kazuko Ide
For Kazuko Ide's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
JAPAN
Aug 31, 2007
Roppongi 'art triangle' paints new museum picture
When the National Art Center Tokyo was inaugurated Jan. 21, it was expected to attract about 1.5 million visitors in its first year.
CULTURE / Art
Mar 18, 2000
Getting your roots crossed
Contemporary art on the cutting edge and traditional crafts firmly rooted in the past seem poles apart. But what if their paths crossed? One answer to the question is currently on show in Tokyo's Sumida Ward, where various crafts -- from ivory carving to hagoita battledores -- have been given a new twist by a rising modern artist.
CULTURE / Art
Feb 19, 2000
A tradition that's all pinned down
To decorate one's hair with morning glories, complete with a tiny snail on one leaf, may not be everyone's idea of chic. However, if they are fashioned by Tsuyoshi Ishida out of sheer silk, it is another matter.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Jan 15, 2000
The seven-flavored spice of life
For more than 370 years, Yagenbori's merchandise has added zest to Japanese meals. The seven-colored seasoning is sprinkled on a variety of dishes, from a steaming bowl of soba (buckwheat) noodles to grilled fish.
CULTURE / Art
Aug 28, 1999
Nihonga exhibit blossoming
To be able to admire paintings by the nation's top 120 nihonga artists in the confines of a single room sounds quite remarkable. Yet when the new assembly building of Zojoji Temple in Tokyo opens its doors in the spring of 2001, the coffered ceiling of its hall will be adorned with that number of Japanese-style paintings of the flowers and plants of the four seasons.
CULTURE / Art / ARTS AND ARTISANS
Jul 24, 1999
The food that never lets you down
Eventually, a bowl of steaming noodles will go soggy, the lettuce in a salad will go limp and turn brown and a piece of sushi will dry up.
CULTURE / Art / ARTS AND ARTISANS
Apr 24, 1999
Combing through antiquity for quality
Unlike in those days when everyone wore kimono, Tsutomu Takeuchi's customers today are somewhat limited in number: hairdressers for sumo wrestlers, theatrical coiffeurs and makers of Japanese coiffure bridal wigs, and a few longtime aficionados.

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