In his Olympic year, Oscar Pistorius steadily became an avid firearms collector, joining a gun-collecting club and purchasing a collection of firearms that included a .500 Magnum pistol and a civilian version of a military assault rifle.
When it comes to gender equality, Japan has never failed to disappoint.
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, ...
Manchester United's Shinji Kagawa is back with a bang, becoming the first Asian player to score a hat trick in the English Premier League.
Keeping a diary no longer needs to be a solitary activity. The popularity of social networking services, for example, has allowed people to post their thoughts for the world to see — which could be anything from gossip to fomenting revolution. Quick to zero in on the trend, artist Christopher ...
In order to escape the current harsh winter weather, some of us might be planning a getaway to somewhere nice ...
Coinciding with the second anniversary of the Great East Japan Earthquake, Tokyo Opera City will be filled with the powerful ...
Being a talented conversationalist is a vital part of the skill set of any accomplished hostess. The same goes for top-class geisha. Veteran geisha Ikuko, for example, recalls scouring newspapers avidly for potential conversation topics, dining with her apprentices every morning, and even frequenting ...
Organist Cameron Carpenter, known for his wild performances and appearance, plays the organ like no one else — hitting the keys with frantic energy and a rockstar-like attitude. Carpenter, born in Pennsylvania in 1981, was a child prodigy, performing Bach’s “Well-Tempered Clavier” when he ...
Juvenile delinquency. Intersexuality. Terminal-illness treatment. These are the kinds of social issues theater troupe Fukinkobo has fearlessly tackled over the years, giving it a reputation for having the courage of its convictions to spotlight the predicament of people with marginalized social status. This time ...
There is no better time than February and March to visit Kairakuen, the picturesque garden just south of Mito, Ibaraki Prefecture, that was built in the 1840s by the seventh daimyo of the Mito clan, Tokugawa Nariaki. For starters, the 3,000-plus plum trees that ...
While it seems politics is all that comes to mind when talking about China these days, the current New Year’s holiday shows what a remarkable breadth of culture the country has. It just so happens that Yokohama is home to one of the biggest ...
Skiers and snowboarders who pass through JR Nagano Station should make the effort to take a short side trip to nearby Zenkoji Temple during the week starting Saturday. Wooden buildings that line the street approaching the popular temple will be lit up in five ...
Over the next month, Osaka restaurants will start preparing some award-winning dishes to serve up to lucky diners. The event is called Delice Restaurant Week, but the use of the word “week” is a bit of a misnomer. The event runs from Feb. 22 ...
Recent diplomatic squabbles between Japan and China have dampened enthusiasm around many bilateral events, but it seems nothing can dull the glow of the Nagasaki Lantern Festival, which will be held as always during the Chinese New Year. Commencing Feb. 10 and continuing for ...
Fresh from a U.S. tour, “Zero Cost House,” the first international collaboration work between Yokohama’s Chelfitsch company and Philadelphia’s Pig Iron Theatre Company (PITC), opens at Kanagawa Arts Theatre next week with its original U.S. cast. One of the few high-profile Japanese dramatists on ...
Since first touring its native province of Quebec in 1984, the self-styled “multifaceted creative force” that is Canada’s Cirque du Soleil has become a major global phenomenon with several permanent venues. In 2002, though, seven Cirque du Soleil members turned their backs on that ...
The love of nishikigoi, an ornamental carp with characteristically red and black patterns, has recently spread worldwide, spawning a variety of koi (carp) clubs, associations and periodicals in various regions and languages. Anyone interested in taking a peek into this vibrant hobbyist culture of ...
One of Spain’s most prestigious dance troupes will perform in Japan for the first time in six years. Since its foundation in 1987, the National Ballet of Spain has seen many of its flamenco dancers rise to global prominence, including Joaquín Cortés and Antonio ...
