Daniel Robson - The Japan Times

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Daniel Robson

Daniel Robson, a British journalist based in Tokyo since 2006, is a features editor and writer at The Japan Times. He also writes freelance about music, videogames and Japanese pop culture for other publications around the world.

For Daniel Robson's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:

LIFE / Digital

Sep 22, 2010

Fans line up for previews

With record figures of 81,469 attendees last Saturday and 77,185 on Sunday, the public days at Tokyo Game Show were swamped with more people than the game companies could handle.

Japan Times

COMMUNITY / Voices / VIEWS FROM THE STREET

Sep 21, 2010

Makuhari: What do you think of the new rash of motion-controlled video games?

AkatsugiOffice worker, 30(Japanese)Those (PlayStation) Move and (Xbox) Kinect games look interesting. I haven't tried any yet but I'd like to. Today I tried the new "Monster Hunter" game on PlayStation Portable, which was excellent — gotta love killing those monsters!

Japan Times

CULTURE / Music

Sep 17, 2010

Noodles stir up instant indie rock on latest album

"In the beginning, I had no interest in touring abroad," says Yoko, guitarist and vocalist with indie-rock outfit Noodles, who have toured the United States nine times over the last seven years. "Then in 2003, we opened for The Breeders in Osaka, and they told us, 'You really should come to play in the States'. That was the first time we started to think about it seriously, and we've been every year since then."

Japan Times

COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST

Sep 14, 2010

Web series taps comedy, drama of eikaiwa

Teaching English is hilarious! At least, it is now: A new Web TV show starting Thursday will attempt to show the lighter side of eikaiwa, as Japan newbie Tom Kellerman (Jonathan Sherr) finds his feet in the world of "English Teachers."

Japan Times

CULTURE / Music

Sep 3, 2010

J-pop diva Superfly has the classics covered

"It's really fulfilling to tackle a truly classic song with a beautiful melody; just to merely touch a song like that feels wonderful," says Shiho Ochi, better known to her legion of fans as J-pop soul diva Superfly, as we chat in her record company's Tokyo office.

Japan Times

COMMUNITY / Voices / VIEWS FROM THE STREET

Aug 24, 2010

Sapporo: What was your summer highlight?

Michiko AnzawaHousewife, 57I live near Odori Park, so I went for walks around here quite often. It's a big park and it's much less crowded than the rest of the city. I like the roses in the 12-chome area of the park, and the cherry blossoms in spring are amazing.

Japan Times

CULTURE / Music

Aug 20, 2010

Hokkaido festival Rising Sun keeps its cool all night

Could this be the most chilled music festival on Earth? At Rising Sun Rock Festival in Otaru, Hokkaido, no one seems to mind about the mud, the result of typhoon rains that drenched the festival site just hours before kickoff. The staff look like they're having a ball, beaming warmly as they stand for hours on end at the mid-site wristband check, pleading jokingly with the revelers to show their passes; at a nearby "tension check," their colleagues ask the crowd to display their level of excitement with a holler or whoop. A cool breeze sweeps the vast, flat fields, lending a refreshing edge to the 29-degree heat. Anxiety is nowhere to be felt.

Japan Times

CULTURE / Music

Aug 20, 2010

Rising Sun Rock from the fans' point of view

Hiromi and Naoto, from Saitama, Friday afternoon: Who did you come to see?

Japan Times

CULTURE / Music

Aug 20, 2010

Boss The MC gives local take on Rising Sun

Formed in 1997, Sapporo-based trio Tha Blue Herb are one of Japan's premier hip-hop acts, with a hard sound and political edge that provide a refreshing alternative to the commercial sheen of many of their peers. Speaking the night after their storming two-man set at Rising Sun on Saturday, frontman Boss The MC gave The Japan Times a local's view of Hokkaido's biggest music festival.

Japan Times

CULTURE / Music

Aug 13, 2010

Members of Hurts, The Drums on Summer Sonic and Japan

Adam Anderson, Theo Hutchcraft, Hurts Hailing from Manchester, Hurts came prepared on Saturday with some college-level Japanese phrases to pepper their set of dense, luscious electronic pop.

Japan Times

CULTURE / Music

Aug 6, 2010

Masudore to take postrock melodies to Rock In Japan

Formed in Kobe in 2002, Mass Of The Fermenting Dregs are a postrock band with a difference: melody. Oh sure, the trio's brutal live shows leave packed audiences around Japan with jaws agape — but they're also one of those precious few hard-edged live acts that also sound great on CD, charting highly as a result.

Japan Times

CULTURE / Music

Aug 6, 2010

Corgan hails Summer Sonic's '90s vibe

"The positive reaction to what we're doing right now musically and the emotion coming off the stage has just lit a fire back up," says Billy Corgan — guitarist, vocalist and sole remaining original member of alternative titans The Smashing Pumpkins. "I haven't seen a reaction to the band like this probably since the mid-'90s."

Japan Times

CULTURE / Music

Jul 2, 2010

The Brilliant Green are back in bloom

"The wonderful thing about being solo is that you can do whatever you like, without asking anyone's opinion — that's fun. But as a band there's camaraderie and you share a common goal. I never get fed up because I can do both."

Japan Times

CULTURE / Music / A SCORCHING SUMMER SCHEDULE

Jul 2, 2010

PLASTICS: Rising Sun Rock Festival

With their rudimentary synths, wiry guitar hooks, dazzling fashion and the insane barked vocals of Chica Sato and Hajime Tachibana, Plastics were Japan's quintessential late 1970s new-wave band, finding fans in contemporaries Devo and The B-52's. Their re-formation comes as neo wave and nu rave spill into the mainstream, throwing up such pop icons as Lady Gaga and a return from Devo. Though Sato sadly won't be present, expect a performance-heavy show.

Japan Times

CULTURE / Music

Jun 11, 2010

Midori grow up, but kids still love 'em

Parents beware: Hardcore jazz-punk three-piece Midori are back, and this time they're after your children.

Japan Times

CULTURE / Music

May 14, 2010

Soutaiseiriron: "Synchroniciteen"

In a world of information overload,in which we know what the members of our favorite bands had for breakfast thanks to an endless and unwelcome barrage of mundane information on Twitter, Facebook and a million fetid blogs, thank golly for Soutaiseiriron. The Tokyo four-piece's refusal to speak to the media or appear in their album artwork or videos means their music is the main focus, with a thrilling air of mystery.

Japan Times

CULTURE / Music

May 14, 2010

Vamps bite into British rock roots

"L'Arc-en-Ciel is all about the musicianship. But Vamps are obsessed with rock music, and that's basically our watchword: 'rock.' "

LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL

Apr 28, 2010

Learning how to arrange a date in Japanese

Whether it's a romantic engagement or dinner with friends or colleagues, making an appointment (約束, yakusoku) is a vital part of everyday language in Japan as much as anywhere else. The grammar involved isn't too taxing, though the vocabulary extends as far as your interests. Meeting for coffee (コーヒー, kōhī) might be easy enough, but swot up on suitable expressions if your companion's hobbies include something more outlandish.

Japan Times

CULTURE / Music

Apr 23, 2010

9mm Parabellum Bullet: "Revolutionary"

Mixing emo and hardcore punk styles with a distinctly Japanese rock sound, 9mm Parabellum Bullet have carved themselves quite a niche. The Yokohama four-piece are pretty much fixtures on the major festival circuit, thanks to both their mainstream appeal (their last album charted at No. 2) and their electrifying live performances, which see singer-guitarist Takuro Sugawara screaming his way through the set as guitarist Yoshimitsu Taki and bassist Kazuhiko Nakamura throw themselves around the stage.

Japan Times

CULTURE / Music

Apr 9, 2010

I Am Robot And Proud

Shaw-Han Liem may be proud, but he is not in fact a robot. Or if he is, he's a robot in disguise; more Bishop from Aliens than R2-D2. A native of Toronto, Ontario, Liem is a one-man outfit who since 2001 has crafted chilled electronica with soul, taking an artistic bent that has seen him collaborating with numerous musicians and even videogame designers. Unlike many laptop warriors, he boasts some impressive keyboard skills, and embraces new instruments such as Yamaha's Tenori-on, performing at the gadget's global launch events in 2008.

From easily navigable train stations to the helpfulness of its municipal staff, Tokyo has earned high praise for its commitment to accessibility for disabled travelers.

[Rebroadcast] Japan is doing better on accessibility than you may think

Later this month, author Shogo Imamura will open Honmaru, a bookstore that allows other businesses to rent its shelves. It's part of a wave of ideas Japanese booksellers are trying to compete with online spaces.

The story isn't over for Japan's bookstores

By Alex K.T. Martin

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Vol. 34: Tokyo, a vanguard city for sustainability

Vol. 34: Tokyo, a vanguard city for sustainability

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