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April 28, 2024
 

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Merle Pangloss
For Merle Pangloss's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
CULTURE / Music
Jul 21, 2004
Turn up the AC!
If, like me, you're a hardcore rock fan but not into nature (all those bugs) or Chiba Prefecture, there's not much to love in the two big festivals. Besides, who has the time to sort through 800 guitar bands that all sound the same when all you really want to hear is the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Aerosmith (admit it).
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
May 2, 2004
Lighters up for rocker Jack Black, an American classic
I've been told that I look like Jack Black. I don't see the resemblance myself. What these people probably mean is that I "remind" them of Jables, and I can understand why. We both love good American rock music and good American food, we're both uninhibited and funny, and we both wear size 40 BVD white briefs.
CULTURE / Music
Apr 7, 2002
Slamming on heaven's doors
I prefer my punk in a club. It's an aural thing: Big metal power chords sound really bitchin' in a huge place, but that fast, choppy stuff just gets lost. So I wasn't really psyched about seeing Green Day at the Saitama Super Arena, but my man Toshi promised it would be "better than Motorhead at the Budokan." Coming from anyone else that would be sacrilege, but I decided I had nothing to lose but my prejudices.
CULTURE / Music
Jan 21, 2001
Smells like a significant odor
To tell you the truth, I'm not really a fan of this "new metal," or whatever you want to call it. I have nothing against rap — Will Smith sounds pretty bitchin' after six or seven Coronas — but metal is special. You don't mess with a perfect art form. Call me a purist, but that's just the way I am.
CULTURE / Music
Mar 5, 2000
Er, dyu know wot they mean?
My man Toshi and I discussed the new Oasis single on the way to the opening concert of the band's world tour at Yokohama Arena last Tuesday. What is Noel Gallagher telling people to "let out" in the chorus of "Go Let It Out?" I think he's talking about people's illusions of the real world, how you've got to let them go and then take in every experience just as it is. Toshi thinks he's talking about his cat.
Town to block view of Mount Fuji in response to overtourism
The town government of Fujikawaguchiko, Yamanashi Prefecture, decided to set up a 2.5-meter-high screen to prevent tourists from taking pictures of Mount Fuji looming behind a convenience store.
In Japan, regional revitalization fails to halt population decline
Sakiyama elementary school in Tamba, Hyogo Prefecture, in March .Over the past decade, the government has directed efforts toward policies designed to give young people incentives to base themselves in rural areas.
Number of homeless in Japan hits record low
Homeless people sleep on the street in Tokyo's Shinjuku Ward in August 2021.
Ukraine is far from doomed
When comparing Ukraine’s military situation in 2024 to Europe’s in 1941, Russia’s defeat seems entirely possible.
Japan wants you to spend more with ‘luxury tourism’
Performers play a traditional drum unique to Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, in the prefectural capital of Kanazawa on March 16 to mark the extension of the Hokuriku Shinkansen line to Tsuruga Station in Fukui Prefecture.
Tokyo's Koto Ward by-election a race unlike any other
Natsumi Sakai, the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan’s candidate and one of four female candidates running in the by-election, touts her experience as a cancer survivor and midwife as having prepared her to tackle issues that women currently face.
Theaster Gates’ ambitious ‘Afro-Mingei’ brings Black Chicago to Tokyo
Theaster Gates' “A Heavenly Chord” lines up church pews before seven speakers and a Hammond B3 organ, a type of electric organ prevalent in Black American churches.
Japan wants you to spend more with ‘luxury tourism’
Performers play a traditional drum unique to Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, in the prefectural capital of Kanazawa on March 16 to mark the extension of the Hokuriku Shinkansen line to Tsuruga Station in Fukui Prefecture.
Casa del Cibo: A thriving jewel born from Tohoku’s harsh past
When chef Ryohei Ikemi moved to Hachinohe, Aomori Prefecture, and opened Casa del Cibo in 2011, it was the first proper Italian restaurant in the city.
Town to block view of Mount Fuji in response to overtourism
The town government of Fujikawaguchiko, Yamanashi Prefecture, decided to set up a 2.5-meter-high screen to prevent tourists from taking pictures of Mount Fuji looming behind a convenience store.

Podcast

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

Longform

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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