Richard Smart - The Japan Times

Today's print edition

Subscribe for more access

Meta

Richard Smart

For Richard Smart's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:

COMMUNITY / Voices / VIEWS FROM THE STREET

Sep 29, 2009

What do you think of the new guideline linking visa renewal to health insurance enrollment?

LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL

Sep 16, 2009

How to write a speech for a wedding in Japan

If you are nonnative and have decided to marry a Japanese, congratulations are in order. But prepare for a world of worry if you plan to have the kekkonshiki (結婚式, wedding) in Japan.

COMMUNITY / Voices / VIEWS FROM THE STREET

Sep 1, 2009

Do you have a message for the next prime minister of Japan?

Japan Times

COMMUNITY / Voices / VIEWS FROM THE STREET

Aug 11, 2009

Who would you like to see triumph in the upcoming election?

Japan Times

CULTURE / Music

Jun 5, 2009

Big Beach Festival

We've come a long way since every record Fatboy Slim touched would turn to platinum. Despite experiencing less chart success, though, the star — also known as Norman Cook — can still fill the biggest venues anywhere in the world. On June 6, he will headline Big Beach Festival at Hakkeijima Sea Paradise in Kanagawa Prefecture.

Japan Times

Events / Events Outside Tokyo

May 1, 2009

Watch out, Beedle's about

One big difference between dance music and rock is the way enthusiasts select what to listen to: While rock fans tend to listen to full albums, dance-music types generally listen to a single song by an anonymous artist or compilations put together in a continuous mix by superstar DJs.

Events / Events Outside Tokyo

Apr 17, 2009

Defected celebrates a decade on the dance floor

In the decade since Defected Records released its first single, Soulsearcher's "Can't Get Enough," the label has become a byword for soulful house in Britain and has grown to be one of the biggest independent record labels on the international dance scene. On April 28, the label will bring some of its top artists to Tokyo to celebrate its 10th anniversary with a night of uplifting, classic and funky house at superclub Ageha.

Japan Times

Events / Events Outside Tokyo

Feb 27, 2009

House legend Farley can't shake the habit

When the house scene exploded in Britain in the late 1980s, Terry Farley could surely not have predicted that he would one day play a four-hour set in Tokyo at the age of 50.

Japan Times

Events / Events Outside Tokyo

Dec 19, 2008

Shock therapy from London Elektricity

Hospital Records head honcho Tony Colman, AKA London Elektricity, is the guest at the final Drum and Bass Sessions of 2008. Few people have influenced Drum and Bass as much as Colman in the last few years. He has signed to his label arguably the genre's best producer of the last decade, High Contrast, toured with an award-winning live band and developed the Hospitality DJ event into a national institution in Britain.

Events / Events Outside Tokyo

Oct 17, 2008

Gan-Ban electro at Makuhari

In the void left by the demise of one of Tokyo's big three dance venues — the club Yellow — promoters have scrambled to find a space big enough for top acts to play in. Makuhari Messe is likely a temporary solution. After last week's Diesel XXX event — featuring Soulwax, Gus Gus and Junkie XL — Gan-Ban night, featuring Basement Jaxx, Vitalic and Justice will be held Oct. 18.

Japan Times

CULTURE / Music

Aug 22, 2008

No large-scale dance event in the Kanto region has survived longer than Wire, Japanese legend Takkyu Ishino's celebration of hard underground techno. Wire08, like all Wire events over the last 10 years, brings together the top DJs from the global techno scene and thousands of punters for an all-night party at Yokohama Arena.

Japan Times

CULTURE / Music

Jul 18, 2008

India's pioneering DJ Pearl goes global

Since the worldwide dance-music explosion hit its peak in the late 1990s, the market for clubbing has been saturated. From Tokyo to New York to Ibiza, the "superclubs" are established, the fan base for the music is pretty much stagnant and everyone is looking for the next place that will experience a summer of love. And DJ Pearl has discovered a subcontinent.

Japan Times

CULTURE / Music

Jun 6, 2008

Simian Mobile Disco

An 18-year-old with a passion for dance music these days was not much more than a toddler when Underworld released "Rez" and started to establish themselves as part of a new generation of dance acts that could hold their own on the festival circuit. Very few acts in the years since then have managed to compete with the rockers in stadiums and cow fields throughout the summer months. Simian Mobile Disco, however, are going to have a go.

Japan Times

Events / Events Outside Tokyo

Jun 6, 2008

World-famous Yellow to close

On the morning of June 22, Tokyo will lose a modern cultural asset when Club Yellow, also known as Space Lab Yellow, closes its doors for the final time before its premises are sold to land developers. Since 1991, this event space has hosted world-class DJs, gained a reputation as one of the best clubs in the world, and been at the forefront of the Tokyo dance-music scene as it rode the wave from subculture into the mainstream.

CULTURE / Music

May 23, 2008

Gan-Ban "Hooligans on E"

Gan-Ban started life as a record shop in Shibuya, expanded into event promotion and now will release its first compilation CD on May 28.

Events / Events Outside Tokyo

May 16, 2008

Celebrity DJ Goldie returns to drum and bass

After a stint in the acting business that saw roles as a gangster in British soap opera Eastenders and a villain in a James Bond movie, Goldie has returned to DJing and will be in Japan on May 16 and 17.

Japan Times

Events / Events Outside Tokyo

Apr 18, 2008

Manchester's Elektrons to drop 'Una-bomb' on Japan club scene

Over the next two weeks, club events in Japan will see British underground legends The Unabombers and dubstep's newest prince, Benga, touring Japan.

Japan Times

Events / Events Outside Tokyo

Apr 11, 2008

DJ Tiësto to entrance ageHa

For those still in the mood for dancing after the Nagisa Music Festival closes its gates Saturday in Odaiba, the massive nightclub ageHa in Shinkiba, Koto Ward, will sport the biggest ticket in Tokyo clubland just a short train ride away.

Japan Times

Events / Events Outside Tokyo

Feb 29, 2008

Salmon Sound back at Shinjuku Wire

There will be fishy goings on at Salmon Sound, which returns to club Wire in Shinjuku on March 1. The concept for the event is simple: a night of Norwegian music spun by Norwegian DJs.

Japan Times

Events / Events Outside Tokyo

Feb 22, 2008

German Noize hits Japan

I f two sold-out shows at Makuhari Messe in Chiba featuring Daft Punk in December followed by a sellout live tour of Japan by Justice were not evidence enough that French electronica had risen to the ascendancy, Break on Through, a special event by tech-rock crossover promoter Gan-Ban Night, will be held in Tokyo and Osaka on Feb. 29 and March 1.

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

When trying to trace your lineage in Japan, the "koseki" is the most important form of document you'll encounter.

Climbing the branches of a Japanese family tree

By Alex K.T. Martin

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Live like a lord or lady for a night at Ozu Castle

Live like a lord or lady for a night at Ozu Castle

SPECIAL SUPPLEMENTS

SUPPLEMENTS BINDER

international-reports