author

 
 

Meta

Mario Castro
For Mario Castro's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Apr 3, 2009
Bookstore offers a place for political debating
"You have to fight your way in with a knife every time you want to talk," said Good Day Books manager Stephen Kott. "A bookstore is a natural venue for something like this."
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Mar 27, 2009
Film exposes struggles of Japan's 'hidden' workers
"They said: 'If you get injured, you will be fired immediately.' 'What kind of law is this?' I asked. They said: 'The Company's law.' "
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Mar 20, 2009
Chill out in Nagano's hot water
In Hayao Miyazaki's Oscar-winning fantasy "Spirited Away," the main character, Chihiro, survives by working at a sento (bathhouse) bathing spirits. The sento is depicted as a wooden structure several floors high and as a lively, hectic place where creatures take care of the guests, including a stink spirit who drives all of the other visitors out when he arrives for a bath.
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Mar 6, 2009
International Anime Fair brings enthusiasts to Tokyo
The golden age of manga was the 1960s and '70s, and anime shot to mainstream acceptance in the '80s and '90s. Now, this decade has spawned a craze for Japanese animation that has spread around the world. Back home, too, the Tokyo International Anime Fair has bloomed, with more than 120,000 visitors and 250 companies packing in to Tokyo Big Sight in Koto-ku for the four-day event last year.
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Feb 27, 2009
Clowning around at Cirque du Soleil
For a limited time only, join Cirque du Soleil and its international cast for "Corteo," a magical parade of clowns, acrobats and musicians, imagined by a clown at his funeral. Conceived and directed by veteran writer and choreographer Daniele Finzi Pasca, the show is set between Heaven and Earth, with angels watching over the experience and escorting the Dreamer Clown Mauro from act to act as he enjoys his funeral procession.
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Feb 27, 2009
Clowning around at Cirque du Soleil
For a limited time only, join Cirque du Soleil and its international cast for "Corteo," a magical parade of clowns, acrobats and musicians, imagined by a clown at his funeral. Conceived and directed by veteran writer and choreographer Daniele Finzi Pasca, the show is set between Heaven and Earth, with angels watching over the experience and escorting the Dreamer Clown Mauro from act to act as he enjoys his funeral procession.

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