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 ...
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 ...
Visitors have the chance to see dozens of ice sculptures created by artists from across Japan at the ninth “Rokkosan Kori no Saiten” (“Mount Rokko Ice Festival”) being held at Rokko Garden Terrace. In addition to the outdoor art, some sculptors will demonstrate how ...
South Korean entertainment is excelling in a lot of disciplines, and stage performance is one of them. Now a groundbreaking action-drawing show, “Hero,” will take its turn trying to impress Japanese audiences. “Hero” embarks on a monthlong run at the Roppongi Blue Theater in ...
Monsters and runaways aren’t usually the kinds of problems teenagers face, but a Tokyo-based theater troupe thinks these are the kinds of conundrums that await teenage monks. This weekend, the troupe Tateyoko Kikaku will present two works that are part of a series of ...
A renowned Argentine tango orchestra and dancers will bring their passion for the art to audiences in more than 30 cities across Japan through March. The tour, titled Dramatic Tango — Shin Ogonsedai no Kyoshotachi (Maestros of New Golden Era), is led by Nicolas ...
The first duets on two “driftwood” violins are being performed in Japan by leading Mexican violinist Adrian Justus and his teacher, Yuriko Kuronuma, a Mexico-based Japanese violinist. When the two artists visited master luthier Muneyuki Nakazawa’s workshop in Tokyo in December 2011 to have ...
Looking at Eilika Krishar’s thin, delicate physique, you probably wouldn’t be able to imagine what an incredible voice the German opera singer has. After winning the 2010 Premium Audition singing contest in Switzerland, Krishar was met with a stream of compliments from music critics. ...
Audiences at the Asakusa Kokaido venue in Tokyo have been welcoming 2013 in with some high culture. Ichikawa Ebizo XI opened the public hall’s program for the new year with a 45-minute piece titled “Kotobuki Soga no Taimen” (“The Soga Brothers Meet their Enemy”). ...
‘No nightlife in Tokyo? Wrong!” So says the website of the Tokyo Convention and Visitors Bureau and, to prove its point, it is holding a new event, Tokyo Yokocho Week, which commences Jan. 15. The event, which despite its name actually runs for two ...
Symbolic of Tokyo’s Asahi Beer Hall is a gigantic golden sculpture that sits atop the building and is the shape of, well, a roaring flame — at least that’s officially what it’s supposed to be. (Though ask any child and they’ll give you a ...
