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 ...
Besides being an actor, Arata Iura has proved to be artistically talented in other fields. He runs his own fashion label, which offers a mix of traditional craftsmanship with modern design, and is now revealing himself to be a gifted photographer. Impressed by his ...
The term “Cool Japan” was recently used by the Japanese government to help boost global interest in some of the nation’s most admirable achievements, such as its altruism and pursuit of cutting-edge technology. Following the Great East Japan Earthquake last year and a spate ...
Renowned Edo Period (1603-1867) Zen Buddhist Hakuin Ekaku is best known for the role he played in reviving the Rinzai religious school after a period of decline. Hakuin spent most of his life teaching his belief, often using a unique style of calligraphic painting ...
The National Museum of Western Art opened in 1959 as the only museum in Japan dedicated to Western artworks. Since its establishment, it has actively continued to collect, preserve and display Western works, becoming the major driving force behind today’s widespread presence of European ...
It’s that time of year again. Expect the city of Osaka to be teeming with excited children and families over the weekend as the German Christmas Market in Kita Ward continues to attract merrymakers. As the title suggests, the event allows visitors to experience ...
In ancient Japan, the term Yase Doji referred to the people who lived in the Yase district of Kyoto and worked for the area’s Enryaku temple. Despite their plebeian status, Yase Doji were prosperous and maintained strong connections with those in power, including emperors, ...
Japan’s economy has been in decline since the early 1990s, but Michiko Kasahara, a curator at the Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography, refuses to accept that the last two decades have been “lost.” A recent government poll shows that 70 percent of young Japanese ...
Inspired by the British ceramist Bernard Leach, Kenkichi Tomimoto decided to pursue a career as a ceramicist at the beginning of Taisho Era. He was also influenced by Soetsu Yanagi, who spearheaded the Mingei (folk arts) movement, and succeeded in creating a new style ...
For thousands of years, artisans have used Japanese lacquer, which is both resilient and attractive in appearance, to protect and decorate their work. Different techniques still used today include embedding gold and silver powder, adding different pigments, and inlaying shell or other materials. The ...
Military commander Sengoku Hidehisa (1552−1614) will forever be remembered as a Japanese warrior who messed up the worst but redeemed himself the most. Sengoku was quick to be promoted to the role of daimyo (feudal lord), but due to his lack of chivalry and ...
