Economy | ANALYSIS
Households to take hit from tax hike
by Tomoko Otake
The consumption tax increase will hit every household in Japan hard, with many people’s financial future hanging on whether their wages rise enough to offset the hike's impact.
Music | JAZZ NOTES Sep 11, 2013
Tony Bennett, New Cool Collective, Ai Kuwabara Trio Project impress crowds at Tokyo Jazz Festival
by Sean Smith
On seeing the lineup ahead of this year’s Tokyo Jazz Festival, my initial feeling was the organizers had maybe cast their net a bit too wide with the acts booked, but those fears were completely unfounded. With the festival being held on three main ...
Music Sep 4, 2013
Pianist Ai Kuwabara to live out her dream on stage at Tokyo Jazz Festival
by Sean Smith
Pianist Ai Kuwabara is waxing nostalgic at the offices of her record label, East Works Entertainment, in Tokyo’s Minato Ward. “I first went to Tokyo Jazz Festival at the International Forum when I was in the fifth or sixth grade of elementary school, and ...
Music Jul 3, 2013
The best albums of 2013 (so far)
The year in music so far has been filled with comeback albums that “hype” their way to the top. After the Twitter hashtags subside, though, such artists also seem to leave the minds of the public. (Is anyone still talking about David Bowie? Justin ...
Concert Preview May 23, 2013
June: Taicoclub, Tokyo Camp kick off festival season
by Shaun Mckenna
Students are counting down the days till school lets out, while urban commuters are starting to sweat the impending heat. Summer is coming, and a sure sign of that is that music festivals are starting to kick up around the country. The month starts ...