Tomohiro Osaki - The Japan Times

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Tomohiro Osaki

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Tomohiro Osaki

Tomohiro Osaki is a staff writer in the Domestic News Division. A graduate of Sophia University in Tokyo, he likes to explore under-reported realities of Japanese youth, with a tendency toward the taboo.

For Tomohiro Osaki's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:

Japan Times

CULTURE / Art

Jul 26, 2012

"Pearls: Jewels from the Sea — Commemorating 40 Years of Friendship between Qatar and Japan"

As a symbol of its strong relationship with Japan, Qatar donated $100 million in response to the Great East Japan Earthquake last year. With diplomatic relations between the two countries marking its 40th anniversary this year, this exhibition is part of a series of events to commemorate the longevity...

Japan Times

CULTURE / Art

Jul 26, 2012

"The Wonderful Life of Wasps and Bees"

Out of more than 130,000 species of insects, bees and wasps are believed to be the most advanced and prosperous due to their diverse lifestyles. They exhibit remarkable sociability, which can be observed in their highly sophisticated communication skills, and display other intricate behaviors, including...

Japan Times

CULTURE / Art

Jul 19, 2012

"Portrait Of Celebrity: The Vision Of Kevin Westenberg"

Kevin Westenberg has been photographing celebrities for more than 25 years, taking the portraits of many major stars including The Rolling Stones, Rod Stewart and Madonna. His photography brings an aura of grandeur to his subjects while often revealing an unexpected side to them.

Japan Times

CULTURE / Art

Jul 19, 2012

"Utakata Tayutau: The Blinking of an Eye"

Pip & Pop are western Australia-based artists Tanya Schultz and Nicole Andrijevic, who are best known for large, colorful installation works made from sugar, cake decorations and found objects. For this Spiral Garden gallery show, the duo are collaborating with Japanese artist Ai Yamaguchi, whose...

Japan Times

CULTURE / Art

Jul 19, 2012

"The Vision and Calligraphy of Aoyama San'u: The 100th Anniversary of His Birth"

This year marks the centenary of the birth of award-winning calligrapher San'u Aoyama (1912-1993). Aoyama apprenticed under the noted calligrapher Yasushi Nishikawa and worked tirelessly to perfect his skills, while also learning about the Japanese classics.

Japan Times

CULTURE / Art

Jul 12, 2012

"Hair Accessories and Makeup Sets Fabulous Fashion"

Kushi (combs), kanzashi and kōgai (types of hairpins) are three key accessories that Japanese women traditionally wore to decorate their hair. After the Edo Period (1603-1867), these three items became even more popular as young women began to loop and tie their hair into the then-fashionable mage...

Japan Times

CULTURE / Art

Jul 12, 2012

"Journey through the Afterlife: Ancient Egyptian Book of the Dead"

Believers of eternal life after death, the ancient Egyptians considered their existence on Earth as a preparation period for the next world. The "Book of the Dead" is the name given to the funerary manuscript — a collection of texts that contained spells believed to help safely guide the dead into...

Japan Times

CULTURE / Art

Jul 5, 2012

"Invitation to the Monster World: Tales from Mythic Past"

When it comes to mythical monsters, our wild imaginations often envision human-animal hybrids involving intimidating creatures such as lions, snakes and eagles. Such creatures served as inspiration for folk tales and artwork worldwide. Some of these beasts were seen as gods to be worshiped in order to...

Japan Times

CULTURE / Art

Jul 5, 2012

"The Mitsui Exhibition-ary of Japanese Art and Design"

Every museum-goer must have, at least once, experienced difficulty in understanding some of the complicated expository texts accompanying old art works.

Japan Times

CULTURE / Art

Jul 5, 2012

"GUTAI: The Spirit of an Era"

Founded by Jiro Yoshihara and Shozo Shimamoto in 1954, the Gutai was an avant-garde group of Kansai-based artists. "Gutai" literally means "embodiment" and it reflected the young artists' goal to allow the nature of their materials to help embody a spirit of artistic freedom. The group's manifesto prohibited...

Japan Times

CULTURE / Art

Jun 28, 2012

"Bologna Illustrators Exhibition"

The Italian city of Bologna has a special place in the hearts of children's book illustrators. This is where, since 1967, the annual International Children's Book Fair is hosted, and where the prestigious international illustration competition takes place.

Japan Times

CULTURE / Art

Jun 28, 2012

Toward the end of the 19th century, a series of avant-garde art movements in Europe experimented with new ways to express the female nude. In Japan, however, the naked woman remained taboo.

Japan Times

CULTURE / Art

Jun 28, 2012

"Japanese Ghosts and Eerie Creatures"

This exhibition invites visitors into a world of "comical horror" and highlights spooky works from the collection of well-known painter Kanpo Yoshikawa (1894-1978).

Japan Times

CULTURE / Art

Jun 21, 2012

"Shu Kubo: Paper Cutout Exhibition"

Paper-cutting artist Shu Kubo uses handmade washi (traditional Japanese paper) and combines it with various materials, including ordinary paper, fabric and even sand. His works are dynamic and realistic and his multi-media approach offers a wide range of colors and textures.

Japan Times

CULTURE / Art

Jun 21, 2012

"Bernard Leach: Commemorating the 100th Anniversary of Leach's Career as a Painter"

While in his 20s, British potter Bernard Leach (1887-1979), who was brought up in East Asia, started to fraternize with some of Japan's most forward-thinking artists. His friendship with Soetsu Yanagi, the founder of mingei — a movement that advocated the "utilitarian beauty" of Japanese traditional...

Japan Times

CULTURE / Art

Jun 14, 2012

"Marc Chagall 2012: The Love Story"

Marc Chagall lived through the hardships of both world wars. Because of this life and his Belarusian-Russian-French roots, he moved many times — from Vitebsk in Belarus, where he grew up, to traveling between St. Petersburg, Berlin and Paris — until he was forced to flee German-occupied France...

Japan Times

CULTURE / Art

Jun 14, 2012

"Kiyomori Taira: The 50th Anniversary of the Birth of NHK Taiga Drama"

The hugely popular Japanese "Taiga Drama" on NHK TV, has turned 50 this year, and for the past half a century it has focused on a different historical character each year. This year, it follows Taira no Kiyomori (1118-1181), a military leader who survived political upheavals at the end of the Heian Period...

Japan Times

CULTURE / Art

Jun 14, 2012

"From Renaissance to Rococo: Four Centuries of European Drawing, Painting and Sculpture"

The 1989 fall of the Berlin Wall and the reunification of Germany also brought about a merging of art collections in the East and West. At the heart of the capital city's art culture are the Berlin State Museums — 17 museums overseen by the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation.

Japan Times

CULTURE / Art

Jun 7, 2012

"Curator's Eye: Curators × Collection"

The Museum of Ceramic Art, Hyogo, which opened in 2005, has collected roughly 1,500 ceramic works that run the gamut from domestic to foreign and ancient to modern.

Japan Times

CULTURE / Art

Jun 7, 2012

"MATSUMOTO Shunsuke: A Centennial Retrospective"

After a childhood illness left him deaf, Shunsuke Matsumoto (1912-1948) began to have aspirations to become a painter. He moved to Tokyo while still a high-school student and became friends with other artists, including Saburo Aso and Aimitsu. One of his works was accepted for the Nika Exhibition in...

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

Things may look perfect to the outside world, but today's mom is fine with some imperfection at home.

How 'Reiwa moms' are reshaping motherhood in Japan

By Mai Yoshikawa

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Vol. 35: Travel in time — and stay there

Vol. 35: Travel in time — and stay there

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