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November 04, 2025
 

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Chiho Iuchi

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Chiho Iuchi
Chiho Iuchi is a writer covering classical music scenes in Japan. She has also been serving as a staff editor at The Japan Times mainly in charge of national day special supplements, in collaboration with more than 100 embassies in Japan, which has (hopefully) broadened her perspectives on music.
Nodoka Okisawa conducts the Saito Kinen Orchestra to perform Benjamin Britten's opera "A Midsummer Night's Dream" at the Matsumoto Performing Arts Center in August for the 33rd edition of the Seiji Ozawa Matsumoto Festival.
CULTURE / Music
Sep 28, 2025
Nodoka Okisawa is carrying the baton for Seiji Ozawa in Matsumoto
Japanese conductor Nodoka Okisawa embraces both tradition and renewal at a festival that still embodies Ozawa’s spirit.
Experimentation seemed to be a driving force throughout conductor Seiji Ozawa’s life as he pushed the boundaries of what a Japanese artist could achieve with classical music to magnificent heights.
CULTURE / Music
Feb 13, 2024
Seiji Ozawa’s boundless experiment
The influential conductor was not only a man of extraordinary talent, his warm character had the power to unite people as one.
John Williams (right) and Seiji Ozawa (center) have been friends for decades. Their long-awaited reunion in Japan comes courtesy of a musical collaboration between Williams and the Saito Kinen Orchestra for the 31st edition of Ozawa’s annual music festival.
CULTURE / Music
Sep 24, 2023
Music legends John Williams and Seiji Ozawa reunite at Matsumoto festival
The American composer and conductor led a special program featuring his famous film scores at his long-time friend's annual event in Nagano Prefecture.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Apr 27, 2023
Japan-based Holocaust survivor honors historic Jewish revolt with piano performance
Pianist Janos Cegledy's three pieces at a commemorative event in Tokyo for the 1943 Warsaw Ghetto Uprising in Poland were a moving tribute to the Jewish people’s acts of bravery.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Oct 27, 2022
Nagano music festival stays true to Seiji Ozawa's musical legacy
The maestro's daughter, Seira Ozawa, sees his passion reflected at the month-long Seiji Ozawa Matsumoto Festival, which celebrates its 30th anniversary this year.
Japan Times
Special Supplements / Water Industry Special
Apr 24, 2021
Overseas water industry expansion helps Japan, world
In 2010, the United Nations General Assembly recognized access to safe and clean drinking water and sanitation as a human right, and called for international efforts to help countries provide safe, clean, accessible and affordable drinking water and sanitation.
Japan Times
Special Supplements / Water Industry Special
Apr 24, 2021
Partnerships help address global water challenges
It is not easy to grasp the big picture of water issues, which range from public health and environmental problems to socioeconomic challenges and technological solutions.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Mar 4, 2021
Taiko artist Eitetsu Hayashi to mark 50th anniversary with a universal beat
Eitetsu Hayashi, who is marking 50 years as a drummer this year, will perform two concerts to offer solace to those affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake and the COVID-19 pandemic.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Dec 4, 2020
Vienna Philharmonic's Japan tour offers hope for overseas ensembles
The Japanese government granted the orchestra a special entry permit and allowed them to forgo a 14-day quarantine, after considering the “importance of cultural exchange.”
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Nov 19, 2020
Composer Dai Fujikura's new opera tackles fear and uncertainty
“A Dream of Armageddon” is based on H.G. Wells' prescient short story about weapons of mass destruction and totalitarianism.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jul 22, 2020
Summer music festival adapts classical music program with stage and livestream performances
The annual Festa Summer Muza Kawasaki is going ahead with its 2020 edition by holding 17 concerts in front of limited audiences alongside livestream performances.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / Sound Off
Apr 10, 2020
Orchestrating a COVID-19 stopgap for classical concerts
Facing cancellations and postponements as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak, the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra has taken to livestreaming its concerts.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Dec 4, 2019
Bach to basics with father and son maestros
Masaaki Suzuki and his son Masato are decidating their time to promoting the music of Johann Sebastian Bach through Bach Collegium Japan
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Nov 27, 2019
Tomoe Sawa: The singer bridging the Japan-South Korea divide
Tomoe Sawa, the first person to legally sing in Japanese in South Korea after the Second World War, hopes to improve ties between the two countries with her bilingual concerts and recordings
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Oct 17, 2019
Pianist Nobuyuki Tsujii sets the bar high with new concert series
Nobuyuki Tsujii, a piano who has been blind since birth, talks about his upcoming projects and his friendship with violinist Fumiaki Miura
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Sep 12, 2019
Bringing Japanese opera into the 21st century
Kazushi Ono, artistic director of opera at New National Theatre, Tokyo, is using his experience of working in Europe to help stage operas with a nod to the digital age in Japan
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage / CULTURE NOTES
Jul 25, 2019
Bringing opera to Tokyo 2020
Among the many absurdist opera stories in existence, nothing is more preposterous than the happy ending generally used for Giacomo Puccini's final opera "Turandot," in which Princess Turandot suddenly accepts Prince Calaf's wooing right after the suicide of Liu, a slave, as if her death was nothing....
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
May 31, 2019
Artist Miwa Komatsu wows Cleveland audience with live painting performance at Shinto exhibition
Wearing a pure white hakama (wide-legged pants worn over a kimono), a young Japanese woman appears on stage in the glass-covered atrium of the Cleveland Museum of Art (CMA) in Cleveland, Ohio.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
May 24, 2019
Artistic diversity thrives in the heart of Venice
Coinciding with the 58th Venice Biennale in Italy, the Karuizawa New Art Museum (KaNAM) Venice branch is holding an exhibition in a corner of the city’s Piazza San Marco through Nov. 24.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Apr 5, 2019
Avant-garde artist creates bridges between life and death
With a strong belief that her role is to connect the invisible with the visible world through art, contemporary artist Miwa Komatsu continues to depict otherworldly creatures. People can’t help but be intrigued by the powerful and colorful images of seemingly frightening, yet strangely charming, creatures...
The unstoppable rise of konbini tourism
Guests typically follow Ryo Ito’s lead as he weaves through the narrow, colorful aisles of convenience stores.
More Japanese universities pushing toward teaching in English
Waseda University in Tokyo
A narrow Pacific waterway at heart of U.S. plans to choke China’s vast navy
Philippine and Australian troops fire an M777 howitzer during live fire exercises as part of joint military drills in Laur, Nueva Ecija, the Philippines, in August.
Trump would make U.S. Supreme Court history by attending tariffs case
There is no record in the U.S. Supreme Court’s 235-year history of a sitting president ever attending arguments, according to Clare Cushman, director of publications and resident historian at the Supreme Court Historical Society.
Dodgers clinch back-to-back World Series titles as Blue Jays downed in thriller
Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto and teammates celebrate after winning the World Series against the Blue Jays. Yamamoto was named MVP for the series.
How airlines are refining their in-flight food in Japan's tourism boom
All Nippon Airways' gourmet program, The Connoisseurs, showcases the Japanese concept of "shun" (peak season for ingredients), giving passengers a preview of the refined cuisine that awaits them in Japan.
The unstoppable rise of konbini tourism
Guests typically follow Ryo Ito’s lead as he weaves through the narrow, colorful aisles of convenience stores.
Anime isn’t competing with Hollywood — it’s beating it
After its July release, “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba — Infinity Castle,” an animated feature adapted directly from a TV arc, became the highest-grossing Japanese film ever.
Oasis returns to Japan after 16 years — and fans can still sing every word
Liam Gallagher commanded the stage with effortless charisma during Oasis' Tokyo Dome set on Saturday.
At Japan Mobility Show, BYD gears up to conquer Japan's EV market
BYD Auto Japan President Atsuki Tofukuji unveils the Racco at the Japan Mobility Show in Tokyo on Wednesday.

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The second life of Japan's net cafes
By Alex K.T. Martin

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