Richard Smart - The Japan Times

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Richard Smart

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

Japan Times

LIFE / Travel

Feb 16, 2007

Delivering men from evil

Two hours by train from Tokyo, history has twice blessed the small town of Nikko with good fortune.

Japan Times

CULTURE / Music

Feb 9, 2007

Rinocerose know how to entertain a crowd. Just ask Scottish songstress KT Tunstall, who performed in front of a less than impressive number of people on the main Green Stage at Fuji Rock last summer while the French dance duo entertained the throngs on an adjacent stage at the same time. Rinocerose's afternoon set of "house music with guitars" roused the crowd from its collective hangover and back into the festival spirit.

Japan Times

Events / Events Outside Tokyo

Dec 15, 2006

Two DJs, 15 years

Any club celebrating its 15th anniversary is obviously doing something right, and the lineup this weekend (Dec. 15-16, 10 p.m.-late) at Space Lab Yellow provides plenty of clues as to how the Nishi-Azabu nightspot has managed to keep its dance floor full for so long. While most anniversary parties tend to feature an endless list of DJs mixing countless genres throughout the night -- a policy that can leave a party feeling stagnant -- only two DJs, one tonight and one tomorrow, will be playing Yellow's birthday bash.

Japan Times

COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST

Sep 26, 2006

Foreigners make leap from classroom to club

While it appears that only the most basic of artistic demands are placed upon the "gaijin tarento" that pop up periodically on Japanese TV screens, it would be a mistake to assume that Japan fetishizes foreigners in the entertainment business.

Japan Times

Events / Events Outside Tokyo

Sep 22, 2006

Mix of local, international ensures club's longevity

With the global club scene experiencing mixed fortunes, as can be seen in Tokyo with smallish crowds at many clubs and dance festivals rumored to be struggling to attract big-name artists from overseas, one event space continues to draw people several years after first opening its doors. Air, in Daikanyama, celebrates its fifth anniversary on Sept. 23 with some of the most established local DJs and newer faces behind the decks.

Japan Times

Events / Events Outside Tokyo

Sep 8, 2006

Worldwide sounds

In Britain, dance culture went into overdrive in the late 1980s, largely because of one thing: Ecstasy. As well as helping shy people dance, Ecstasy also meant that people could stay up for the entire weekend, partying at raves to acid house music. These same clubbers also needed a place to head to after the effects of the drug began to wear off. Enter the likes of Gilles Peterson, whose reputation as an eclectic DJ was forged when he started his "Sunday Sessions" club events in Camden, north London. Peterson DJs at Club Yellow in Tokyo on Sept. 16 before playing Osaka's Club Noon on Sept. 23.

Japan Times

CULTURE / Music

Aug 18, 2006

Metamorphose 2006

When & where: Metamorphose 2006 will be held Aug. 26-27 at the Japan Cycle Sports Center in Shizuoka Prefecture. Doors open at 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, music begins at 6 p.m. and goes on until 9 a.m. Sunday.

CULTURE / Music

Jun 23, 2006

Motivation Tour 2006 Final

For those with a taste for an eclectic mix of pop, techno and house, June 25 at Liquid Room -- the final date of DJ Towa Tei's Motivation Tour -- should hit the spot. Tei is promoting the April release of "Motivation 3," the third CD in a series featuring his classic pop-house sound.

Japan Times

Events / Events Outside Tokyo

Apr 28, 2006

John Digweed still Kool

Ko Kimura's Kool party celebrates its 10th birthday at Club Yellow on April 28 with special guest DJ John Digweed. Kimura has been spinning house for over 20 years. The Kool parties, which regularly attract crowds of over 1,000, were started by Kimura and VJ E-male with the aim of providing a night of cutting edge dance music and visuals within a great party atmosphere.

Japan Times

Events / Events Outside Tokyo

Mar 17, 2006

With March 21 being a national holiday, the "United" party at Womb with guest DJ James Lavelle the night before is perfectly timed, giving most clubbers enough time to sleep off the post-party blues.

Japan Times

Events / Events Outside Tokyo

Mar 3, 2006

DJ gatecrashes VIP party

One of the biggest names in Japanese dance music, Mondo Grosso, returns to Club Yellow in Roppongi, Tokyo, on March 3 as a guest DJ for "Cyberjapan presents VIP Club."

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

Prize winner Maki Imoto catches light with glass

Prize winner Maki Imoto catches light with glass

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