author

 
Menu
Search
 
July 05, 2025
 

Today's print edition

Home Delivery
Subscribe for more access

Meta

James Hadfield
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Aug 7, 2019
Chanmina's 'Never Grow Up' delivers pop hooks and hip-hop heartache
The J-pop world could use a few more artists like Chanmina. In the leap from high-school MC battles to the commercial mainstream, she has managed to hone her pop appeal without sacrificing her swagger. Anyone who calls their debut single "Fxxker" isn't trying to make fans the old-fashioned way.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jul 24, 2019
'Weathering With You': Breezy with scattered showers
Arriving in the middle of a seemingly endless rainy season in Tokyo, "Weathering With You" feels like it's benefitted from an ingenious stealth marketing campaign. Little has been left to chance with Makoto Shinkai's follow-up to "Your Name." The film raked in nearly $360 million globally, turning its...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jul 17, 2019
'Under Your Bed': Sleeping with the enemy
Rare is the child who hasn't lain awake at night, terrified by the monster they imagine is lurking beneath their bed. But in a country where many people grow up sleeping on futons, such fears are perhaps less deeply rooted. That would explain why, in "Under Your Bed," nobody ever thinks to look in the...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jul 3, 2019
'Strawberry Song': Reuniting is such sweet sorrow
Kota (Yutaro Furutachi) is a bit of an odd one: the type of grinning, hyperactive character you might label a lovable eccentric. He lives with just a few cats for company, and works at a frozen food factory where he's treated with affection by the mostly middle-aged staff.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jul 2, 2019
A musical pilgrimage to an adopted homeland with DYGL
Scroll through the comments under DYGL's videos on YouTube, and the same reaction comes up again and again: I could've sworn this lot were from England.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jun 26, 2019
'The Journalist': Uncovering the dark side of Japan
Before Donald Trump made "fake news" the buzzword of choice for dissemblers and autocrats, Japanese netizens were already starting to question the veracity of what they read in the papers, albeit for very different reasons.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jun 20, 2019
Japan's summer festivals plan for a final party before Olympic fever hits
As Yo La Tengo once sang, "summer's what you make it," and that's especially true in Japan this year. The 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics are likely to throw a major wrench (or should that be hammer?) in the works for next summer's festival calendar, so it's worth enjoying things while the going...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jun 19, 2019
Pioneering singer-songwriter Sachiko Kanenobu finally gets her due
If she had to sum up the past couple of years, Sachiko Kanenobu would probably opt for a simple "OMG!"
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jun 12, 2019
'We Are Little Zombies': Cynical tweens on an 8-bit escapade
The kids aren't quite alright. After watching his late parents go up in smoke at a crematorium, all Hikari (Keita Ninomiya) can think about is how their ashes look like the Parmesan cheese he sprinkles over his spaghetti.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
May 22, 2019
'Farewell Song': Guitars without rock 'n' roll excess
Of all the many breeds of musician out there, few are as stubbornly uncinematic as acoustic singer-songwriters. Forget flamboyance, creative excess, clashing egos and all the other qualities that tend to attract filmmakers to the music industry in the first place. The average singer-songwriter gig is...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
May 8, 2019
'Cheer Boys!!': Cheerleading, but not much to cheer for
Most athletes live in fear of the fateful injury that derails their career, but when university freshman Haruki (Ryusei Yokohama) damages his shoulder during judo training, he seems relieved. Despite growing up in a family of judoka, he's never taken to the sport with the passion of his older sister,...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
May 1, 2019
'Pacific Breeze' collates the slick sound of Japanese city pop
Long overlooked by international labels, Japan's rich musical history has been undergoing thorough excavation over the past few years. Some of the most satisfying archival releases to date have come from Light in the Attic, the U.S. label behind last year's Haruomi Hosono reissues and the recent "Kankyo...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Apr 17, 2019
'Just Only Love': Looking for romance in all the wrong places
If you believe everything you read in the news, Japanese romance movies should really belong in the science fiction category. Just last week, a new study estimated that a quarter of people aged 18 to 39 in Japan had never had heterosexual intercourse, feeding the popular stereotype of a listless generation,...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Apr 11, 2019
Connan Mockasin finds his Japan groove ahead of his debut gig in his adopted country
"Sorry?" splutters Connan Hosford, better known as Connan Mockasin, as his bandmates cackle in the background. "Excuse me ... What did you say before?"
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Apr 10, 2019
'A Gambler's Odyssey 2020': A lot of controversy about nothing
Given the timid, committee-driven nature of modern Japanese film production, it's rare for anything to make it into the cinemas with even the slightest whiff of controversy still clinging to it. "A Gambler's Odyssey 2020" is a pungent exception.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Mar 27, 2019
Suchmos' 'The Anymal' aims high but misses the mark
Of all the acts to emerge during the recent city pop revival, when the funk-inflected AOR of early-1980s Japan seemed to be coming back in vogue, Suchmos has been by far the most successful. Last year saw the sextet graduate to playing arenas and providing NHK's theme song for the FIFA World Cup —...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Mar 21, 2019
A new lease of life for Macoto Tezka's cult classic 'The Legend of the Stardust Brothers'
Like so many authors of cult movies, Macoto Tezka didn't set out to make a commercial bomb. His debut feature, "The Legend of the Stardust Brothers" ("Hoshikuzu Kyodai no Densetsu"), was widely lambasted upon its release in 1985, but over the years it has steadily acquired a reputation as a delightful...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Mar 13, 2019
Haruomi Hosono reworks a modern classic with 'Hochono House'
As he enters his 50th year in the music business, Haruomi Hosono hasn't lost his talent for making you wonder what the devil he's up to. After using modern studio technology to recreate the sounds of mid-20th century pop on "Vu Ja De" in 2017, his latest effort looks to his early career for inspiration....
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Mar 6, 2019
'Siblings of the Cape': Uncomfortable, yet compelling
There are films that take you places you rather wish they wouldn't. Within the first 10 minutes of "Siblings of the Cape," I was ready to stop watching, but something about Shinzo Katayama's scruffy, transgressive debut kept me hooked.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Feb 27, 2019
'Samurai Marathon': A sprint through Japanese history
The arrival of U.S. Commodore Matthew Perry's infamous "black ships" in 1850s Japan prompted some unusual reactions from a country that had spent the past few centuries shut off from the outside world. Few were as offbeat as that of the feudal lord Itakura Katsuakira, who decided that the best way to...
Magnitude 5.5 earthquake jars Tokara Islands amid flurry of seismic activity
A strong quake struck off the Tokara Islands on Thursday afternoon, with the island chain having recorded around 1,000 earthquakes since a burst of seismic activity first began on June 21.
Onosato's yokozuna promotion causes rare quirk in new sumo rankings
Newly promoted yokozuna Onosato holds a copy of the latest banzuke ranking in Anjo, Aichi Prefecture, on Monday.
A prophesied disaster (likely) won’t strike Japan this weekend
A viral manga prediction of a July 5 disaster has gripped Japan with anxiety and triggered an economic impact, but experts warn that while such dates are unreliable, the threat of a massive earthquake remains real. 
Over 900 earthquakes strike Tokara islands in space of two weeks
A screenshot shows many quakes occurring in the Tokara islands over the past 30 days, in this image taken from the U.S. Geological Survey website.
Ghibli’s Isao Takahata exhibit shows how beloved anime is made
“The man who planted Japanese animation” exhibition includes a variety of sketches, drawings and animation cels from Isao Takahata films such as color design for characters by Michiyo Yasuda from "Grave of the Fireflies."
Ghibli’s Isao Takahata exhibit shows how beloved anime is made
“The man who planted Japanese animation” exhibition includes a variety of sketches, drawings and animation cels from Isao Takahata films such as color design for characters by Michiyo Yasuda from "Grave of the Fireflies."
Flag football facing challenges and opportunities ahead
Japan’s women’s flag football team at the 2025 International Bowl in Los Angeles in June. The sport is enjoying continued growth in the country.
From Hokusai’s Great Wave, shinkansen to One Piece: a cultural treasure box for Lego Japan
Michael Ebbesen, general manager of Lego Japan, says Lego bricks based on Japanese culture have a rich global appeal and are sellable around the world.
With farmed fish, RelationFish swims against the tide in fine dining
Chef Hideaki Matsuo (middle) and the staff of Oseto Suisan Fisheries prepare to check on their sustainably farmed fish.
As Southeast Asia heats up, a Japanese cooling giant sees a major opportunity
An employee of Daikin Cambodia explains the use of different tools during an air conditioner installation training session in Phnom Penh. Daikin is one of Japan’s oldest air conditioning companies, but as Japan’s population falls, the firm is keying in on overseas growth.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

Mount Fuji is considered one of Japan's most iconic symbols and is a major draw for tourists. It's still a mountain, though, and potential hikers need to properly prepare for any climb.
What it takes to save lives on Mount Fuji
By Alex K.T. Martin

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Smile! It’s ‘Sanrio Time,’ now and ever after
Smile! It’s ‘Sanrio Time,’ now and ever after

SPECIAL SUPPLEMENTS note

Read more

SUPPLEMENTS BINDER