Transport authorities launched a full-fledged investigation Sunday into the derailment of a bullet train on the Akita Shinkansen Line in Daisen, Akita Prefecture, on Saturday afternoon.
It's a dangerous, unpredictable world. Twice in January Chinese warships in the East China Sea challenged Japan's Maritime Self Defense Forces patrols in a manner deemed threatening. And on Feb. 12 came North Korea's nuclear test.
Here's an open secret: Japanese men have a bad international reputation on the romance front.
SELLING WOMEN: Prostitution, Markets and the Household in Early Modern Japan, by Amy Stanley. University of California Press, 2012, 282 pp., $49.95 (hardcover) In the vast cultural landscape, Japan fascinates the mainstream with manga and anime, the martial arts, Zen and kimono. Of course, ...
Kenta Maeda shook off worries about his form with five shutout innings as Japan beat China 5-2 in first-round Pool A of the World Baseball Classic on Sunday at Fukuoka Dome. Japan improved to 2-0 following a tough win over Brazil in Saturday evening’s ...
Dubbed by some as a more sonically adventurous Japanese version of the White Stripes, Tokyo malefemale duo Uhnellys have gigged in Europe and Australia, and participated in last autumn’s Next Music from Tokyo Canadian tour with Mass of the Fermenting Dregs, Susquatch and Sgt. ...
Early in his career, Wavves’ Nathan Williams earned almost as much attention for his erratic behavior as he did for his lo-fi, noisy pop and punk songs. In 2009, the guitarist for the California trio infamously had an onstage meltdown during a performance at ...
Last year’s Fuji Rock was the place to be for fans of 1990s punk act Hi-Standard. The event boasted separate sets from former guitarist Ken Yokoyama and bassist Akihiro Namba. If ex-drummer Akira Tsuneoka had been on the bill, Naeba very well could have ...
Since making their first live appearances in Japan in 1999, Mogwai have returned to tour the country a dozen times. With this in mind, it is unsurprising that the Scottish postrock quintet played only two gigs last year, and one of them was in ...
After being courted by record labels while still in high school in Tokyo, inking a deal with Sony subsidiary Ariola Japan was an easy decision for Okamoto’s. “We signed with Ariola because we thought their logo looked cool,” says vocalist Sho Okamoto. While an ...
Organized by concert promoter Contrarede, 4AD Evening will unite three of the more prominent acts from the renowned, long-running 4AD imprint’s current roster — Blonde Redhead, Deerhunter and Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti — for Osaka and Tokyo shows. Although it’s a mouth- watering bill ...
M o’some Tonebender released their 13th studio album, “Struggle,” in December. Although their career has not been without its challenges, the disc’s title is something the popular alt-rock trio have not had to do for some time. The group formed in Fukuoka in 1997. ...
The eighth annual Countdown Japan festival will close out 2010 with performances by nearly 160 of the nation’s top acts. While the event took place in both Chiba and Osaka from 2006-2008, like last year, the current edition of Countdown Japan will only be ...
Tokyo-based Envy issued their fifth full-length album, “Recitation,” in September. To celebrate its release, the quintet embarked on their first North American tour in four years. On this, their longest international trek, the postrock and hardcore hybrid act played 25 shows in the span ...
While K-pop continues to gain greater recognition worldwide, South Korea’s prolific, small underground-music scene is still struggling to find audiences outside of Seoul. Folk-rock group Chang Kiha and the Faces have, until now, brushed off the so-called Korea boom and focused primarily on their ...
