Asakusa was the capital’s main entertainment district during the Edo Period (1603-1867) and the charm of old Tokyo still remains there. This weekend, Asakusa and close-by Ueno will host the sixth annual Old Town Taito International Comedy Film Festival, which is abbreviated in Japanese ...

Tokyo’s Asakusa neighborhood is one of the capital’s top tourist destinations. Sensoji Temple and the shopping arcade nearby offer visitors a glimpse into traditional Japan. This coming weekend, though, the area will be full of Brazilian energy and the passionate rhythm and music of ...

Smooth grooves will take the spotlight at a Latin music festival in Tokyo this weekend, which brings three popular Latin American acts to Japan for the Animate! event. One such act is Havana D’Primera, a 14-member salsa-music band led by Alexander Abreu, one of ...

Take one contemporary-dance choreographer (Mikuni Yanaihara) and apply her cutting-edge work and rapid-fire script to William Shakespeare’s “Timon of Athens” — what do you get? Well, what you get is an award. Yanaihara took last year’s prestigious Kishida Kunio Drama Award for her work, ...

The African drumming theater is back, providing people with a fun and entertaining way of letting off some steam and experiencing a new culture. “Drumstruck,” a Johannesburg-born musical, is an interactive experience where each member of the audience will be provided with a 61-cm-tall ...

In my childhood, I used to dream about floating through the sky like Mary Poppins, but to do that would likely involve a big umbrella in a typhoon, which is not as appealing. It looks like Midtown Loves Summer (MLS), however, offers a good ...

Some say beauty can get you far in life. That’s true this weekend, at least for our friends with fins. Plain goldfish are often relegated to being the cheap prizes in the kingyo-sukui (goldfish scooping) challenge popular at summer festivals and fairs. Their well-bred ...

In the early 1960s, Japan’s television industry harbored an experimental spirit that was free from restrictive institutional ideology. It was a time of hope according to Inuhiko Yomota, professor of film history at Meiji Gakuin University. An academic screening in Tokyo will offer a ...

While some companies have started to offer trips to the Moon, there is still more to be discovered hidden on our own planet. The depths of the ocean still hold a trove of mysteries. At a distance between 200 meters and 10,000 meters from ...

The Japanese have a knack for putting hard-to-describe feelings into words. A good example is the word “mottainai,” used when expressing regret over wasting a resource or opportunity. It’s an expression that’s getting good use recently, as society makes a push to be more ...

Car-friendly Tokyo accommodation The Hyatt Regency Tokyo is offering a special accommodation plan called Summer Stay, through Sept. 30. The special plan allows hotel guests use of the parking lot, swimming pool and fitness gym without any additional charges. Ten percent discounts will also ...