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 Sep 11, 2013
Seiji Ozawa makes a triumphant return to Saito Kinen Festival Matsumoto
by Chiho Iuchi
There’s nothing like a comeback story. This summer, Japan saw a return to the stage by Seiji Ozawa, one of the country’s most celebrated musicians. On Aug. 23, the 78-year-old maestro took up his baton at the Saito Kinen Festival Matsumoto, the event he ...
Music Mar 14, 2013
Miyabi Matsuoka takes an enlightened approach to teaching the harp
by Tomoko Otake
To Miyabi Matsuoka, the harp is a mirror that reveals who you really are. She says she can tell the personality of a harp player by the way he or she manipulates the instrument, which affects the sound they create. That’s why she asks ...
Music Feb 14, 2013
Pianist Yazawa looks to the past to find security in the future
by Chiho Iuchi
Pianist Tomoko Yazawa always thinks about her music with the future in mind. However, for her latest album, “Playing in the Dark,” she made a rare diversion into the past — specifically, France at the end of the 19th century. Although Yazawa was classically ...