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April 26, 2025
 

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Alyssa I. Smith
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Apr 25, 2018
'Kurios: Cabinet of Curiosities': Cirque du Soleil's whimsical steampunk is thrilling
When Cirque du Soleil was founded in Canada in 1984, it redefined the idea of the circus. Its latest show, "Kurios: Cabinet of Curiosities," lives up to the troupe's unique reputation of being about more than just jugglers and acrobats — though those characters are still accounted for.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Apr 24, 2018
Ready Player Win: Morisaki represents Japan in his first Hollywood gig
As far as Hollywood debuts go, it doesn't get much bigger than stepping into a Steven Spielberg blockbuster. For Win Morisaki, it's a giant leap toward his goal of becoming an international actor.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Feb 10, 2018
Artisan Junichi Mitsubori presents his new art of wagashi
A rapt audience watches in silence as a delicate confection in the shape of a flower blooms in the experienced hands of a wagashi master. Junichi Mitsubori, a third-generation wagashi (Japanese dessert) artisan hailing from Yokosuka City, Kanagawa, does not embellish his movements as he crafts the sugary...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
Feb 3, 2018
Finnish broadcaster targets youth vote with anime-inspired video
On Jan. 27, the day before Finland’s presidential election, a Finnish social media news and current affairs service called Kioski released an election video that caused a stir online, receiving over 700,000 views since its release. While President Sauli Niinisto’s landslide victory with 62.7 percent...
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
Jan 13, 2018
Debate continues over mothers taking their babies to work
 The hashtag #KozurekaigiOK, which translates roughly as “It’s OK to bring a child to a meeting,” began trending in late November. The trigger was a female politician’s decision to bring her child to a Kumamoto assembly session, which sparked a nationwide debate on child care options for parents...
CULTURE / Books
Dec 30, 2017
'Wagohan: The ABCs of Japanese Cuisine': Reiko Yamada's ode to Japanese comfort food
Food is "the most basic form of diplomacy" for cooking adviser Reiko Yamada. With this philosophy in mind, "Wagohan: The ABCs of Japanese Cuisine" aims to bridge cultures and present the "versatility and beauty of Japanese cuisine."
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
Dec 23, 2017
A picture of food is worth 1,000 words for businesses on Instagram
With end-of-year parties now in full swing, social media users are curating their profiles with "Insuta-bae" photographs that capture them enjoying enviable times.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
Dec 9, 2017
Women unimpressed with advice on how to spend time alone
Women's magazine Ginger Web created a stir in late November by publishing an article that offered single women advice on how to spend time alone.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
Nov 25, 2017
'Crappiest apartments of 2017' hashtag bemuses Twitter users
Anyone who's been living in Japan for any length of time has probably seen their fair share of perplexing apartment layouts. Microscopic storage spaces, unfathomably low kitchen sinks and shared bathroom amenities immediately spring to mind.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Nov 25, 2017
'The Sacred Era': Yoshio Aramaki introduces a post-apocalyptic world governed by religion
Lauded as the most important work of the Japanese science-fiction writer, Yoshio Aramaki, "The Sacred Era" is a bold undertaking.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Nov 18, 2017
'Red Roofs and Other Stories': Tales of restlessness by Junichiro Tanizaki
Junichiro Tanizaki is best known for his novels, "Naomi" and "The Makioka Sisters," and is widely considered one of Japan's greatest writers of modern literature. This collection of his early stories "Red Roofs & Other Stories," published between 1917 and 1926, begins with a novella-like story that alludes...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Nov 16, 2017
Twice and Daichi Miura among 10 debuts at this year's 'Kohaku'
Pop outfits Little Glee Monster, Hey! Say! Jump and Twice will grace the stage for the first time at this year's "Kohaku Uta Gassen," with NHK appearing to court new viewers for its annual end-of-year musical extravaganza.
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
Nov 11, 2017
Lawsuit over student's dyed hair confronts outdated thinking in Japan
A Japanese public high school has come under fire for its strict policy regarding the color of its students' hair.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Nov 11, 2017
Airport hits sweet spot as honey proves to be runway success
Can sticky stuff stop the young leaving a small city in Shimane and bring in visitors too?
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Nov 11, 2017
'Beasts Head for Home': Abe Kobos' novel of alienation in postwar Manchuria
Columbia University PressKobo Abe's "Beasts Head for Home," translated by Richard F. Calichman, is a harrowing fictionalized account of a young Japanese man who journeys through the harsh wasteland of Manchuria to reach an ancestral homeland he has never seen.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse,Japan Pulse
Oct 21, 2017
Commercials reflect a subtle shift in traditional parenting roles
A series of TV commercials aimed at parents in recent months has sparked intense online debate over traditional family values and the reality of modern life.
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
Oct 21, 2017
Viral dance crazes highlight a generational shift
Japan is certainly no stranger to viral dance videos and one doesn't have to think too far back to recall the popularity of the koi (falling in love) dance routine that took the internet by storm last year.
JAPAN / Media / Pulsations
Oct 21, 2017
#MeToo assault campaign hits Japan
The hashtag #MeToo went viral on social media platforms last week, with people using it to speak out against sexual harassment and assault in the wake of the allegations made against disgraced U.S. film mogul Harvey Weinstein. In a tweet posted on Oct. 15, actor Alyssa Milano asked women who have been...
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
Sep 30, 2017
'Ainori' reboot reflects attempt to attract a new generation
When Namie Amuro announced that she would be retiring in 2018, even those who weren't hard-core fans were shocked to hear that the pop star who had been an influential part of their seishun jidai (coming-of-age) would be leaving the music industry.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Sep 16, 2017
'Bullseye! Twenty Short Stories': More of Tsutsui's metafiction mayhem
Touted as 'Japan's preeminent writer of metafiction,' Tsutsui is an expert at deftly employing this narrative device to underscore his dark social commentary.
Naked man’s rampage in Saitama linked to one fatality and 10 injured
Police believe Daisuke Nishimura may have been involved in roughly 20 incidents in the 90 minutes leading up to his arrest, including a fatal hit-and-run and multiple assaults.
Japan set to fine cyclists on the spot for rule violations from 2026
Under new rules, those who use smartphones while riding a bicycle would be subject to the maximum fine of ¥12,000.
Japan brings forward deadline for electronic travel authorization system
Japan is planning to implement by March 2029 a new online screening system in which foreign visitors who don’t need a visa apply for a certification before entering the country.
Built in a flash, Osaka Expo pavilions wrestle with sustainability
Kengo Kuma & Associates oversaw the construction of the Malaysia pavilion, which is encased in interwoven rows of bamboo that appear to ripple.
Social media helps fuel growing 'sex tourism' in Japan
People walk down a street in the red-light entertainment area of Kabukicho in the Shinjuku district of Tokyo on March 31.
Amid uncertain tariffs, is now the time to buy a new iPhone?
An Apple store in Tokyo's Shibuya Ward in September. Prices for the newest iPhone models start at around ¥100,000 ($700) in Japan.
Built in a flash, Osaka Expo pavilions wrestle with sustainability
Kengo Kuma & Associates oversaw the construction of the Malaysia pavilion, which is encased in interwoven rows of bamboo that appear to ripple.
Japan weighs using U.S. rice imports as tariff negotiation tool with Trump
A restaurant owner pours California-grown Calrose rice into a rice cooker at his restaurant in Tokyo
Is Japan’s parliament ready to welcome more youth to its ranks?
Lower House lawmaker Kai Odake in his Tokyo office on Wednesday
Crow meat, goat tartare: Mauvaise Herbe raises its game
Crow meat, shaped into a ball and attached to a foot of the bird, is one of the peculiar offerings of game at Mauvaise Herbe.

Podcast

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

Longform

Visitors walk past Sou Fujimoto's Grand Ring, which has been recognized as the largest wooden structure in the world.
Can a World Expo still matter? Japan is about to find out.
By Tomoko Otake

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Tsukuba massif granite, one of the world’s few heritage stones
Tsukuba massif granite, one of the world’s few heritage stones

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