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April 30, 2024
 

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Jae Lee
For Jae Lee's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Jun 24, 2011
"French Poetry and Prints"
Nineteenth-century French poete maudits (accursed poets — poets who lived outside or rebelled against society), such as Charles Baudelaire, Paul Verlaine, Arthur Rimbaud and Comte de Lautreamont, have inspired numerous artists of various eras.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Jun 23, 2011
Changing the climate of architecture
Hokkaido-born architect Jun Igarashi seems to be a bit out of his comfort zone in the stultifying humidity of Tokyo. As he chats in the Toto Gallery, where he is holding his first solo exhibition, he explains that he's accustomed to the cooler and more temperate climate of his northern prefecture, which many of his designs are testament to. His buildings protect against the heavy snowfall and bitter winds of the Hokkaido winter and yet are still comfortably cool in summer.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Jun 17, 2011
"SYNTHESIS"
"Synthesis" is conceptual artist Kohei Nawa's first large-scale solo exhibition. Recently, Nawa's work has been gaining attention both in Japan and overseas. His Sandwich studio in Kyoto, an old sandwich factory that has been renovated into an art studio, has also become well-known for producing numerous collaborative works of Nawa and other artists in various genres.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Jun 10, 2011
"BEYOND"
A group exhibition by Natsuyuki Nakanishi, Kohei Nawa, Jeppen Hein, Kounosuke Kawakami, Brian Alfred and Atsushi Saga, this show has brought together an eclectic group of artists with a diverse range of styles.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Jun 9, 2011
Portrait of an artist or photographer?
For Takashi Homma, being a contemporary photographer is very different from being a photographer.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
May 27, 2011
"The Face Is The Universe"
Taro Okamoto's avant-garde works have recently received a lot of attention. There have been a number of exhibitions celebrating the centenary of the artist's birth, and just after the Great Eastern Japan Earthquake, his famous mural "Myth of Tomorrow," displayed at Shibuya Station, received an addition of the damaged Fukushima nuclear plant, courtesy of artists Chim↑Pom.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
May 26, 2011
Nobuyoshi Araki moves on to the past
Since Nobuyoshi Araki lost his beloved cat Chiro a year ago, he made a point of taking photographs on a daily basis. He took shots of naked women in kimono, of the sky, of Tokyo on the day of the Great Eastern Japan Earthquake (March 11) and even some on his way to hospital appointments. In thousands of images, Araki illustrated a year of his life without Chiro, his favorite companion since his wife died 11 years ago.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
May 12, 2011
A tale of two cities: Art Fair Kyoto challenges Tokyo
After the Great Eastern Japan Earthquake and tsunami, the art scene in Tokyo was struck by cancellations, postponements and confusion as it attempted to make sense of the disaster and worked on ways to contribute to the reconstruction of the Tohoku region of Japan.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
May 1, 2011
Explore Seoul's hidden heart
Just two weeks after the March 11 triple-catastrophe in Tohoku, and a mere 90 minutes after leaving Haneda Airport in Tokyo, it was almost unreal to be standing in Kimpo International Airport just outside Seoul and listening to excited Japanese tourists chatting about what and when they will eat and where they will go for a drink after shopping.
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Apr 15, 2011
Silent bids for Tohoku
The Kiyosumi art gallery complex of prominent commercial galleries, including Taka Ishii Gallery, ShugoArts, Kido Press, Hiromi Yoshii Gallery, Ai Kodawa Gallery, Miyake Fine Art, SPROUT Curation and Tomio Koyama Gallery, is holding a charity silent auction to raise money for the Great Eastern Japan earthquake and tsunami-affected areas. Titled "Silent Auction in Kiyosumi for East Northern Japan," the event is organized by Tomio Koyama, who explains that it was his gallery's artists who first had the idea of raising funds.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Mar 18, 2011
Images from students of resistance
Prospective students to the photography school Resist need to be searching for a way to find themselves, says its founder, Masayuki Yoshinaga, agreeing with his friend and mentor Daido Moriyama, both established photographers.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Feb 25, 2011
'Le Corbusier'
NYK Maritime Museum
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Feb 18, 2011
Art under a Roppongi roof
Tokyo is headed into "art season" with the Tokyo Frontline and G-tokyo art fairs preparing to start. Along with those events, a new gallery complex will open its doors to art lovers on Feb. 18.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Feb 18, 2011
Visit Tokyo's 'Frontline' for Japan's contemporary art
Shigeo Goto, director of Tokyo Frontline, a new art fair to start in Tokyo this year, calls himself an "outsider," meaning he considers himself not quite inside Tokyo's commercial "art scene."
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Feb 11, 2011
Fukuoka fair crafts a showcase to cater to all your hobby needs
Even the busiest executives need a hobby in order to relieve stress. Some find solace at the gym, others in sports, and in others, deep inside, there is an inner Martha Stewart just waiting to come out.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Feb 4, 2011
'Documentary Photographs of Showa by a Metropolitan Police Department Cameraman'
Closes Aug. 28 (and Aug. 15-23)
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Feb 3, 2011
Running fever kicks in as Tokyo prepares for its annual marathon
The first Tokyo Marathon took place in February 2007 and attracted 30,870 participants, despite the dismal weather. Though it has only a short history, the event has been snowballing in popularity every year to become one of the most oversubscribed marathons in the world.
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Jan 28, 2011
Art collective gets the help of Internet character for latest piece
In an attempt to promote young Japanese artists, Tokyo Wonder Site will hold an event titled "Team 16: Arakawa Tomonori presented by Chaos*Lounge" in Tokyo's youth mecca of Shibuya.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Jan 21, 2011
A shot of Ardbeg in temple grounds
There's a faint scent of incense as you crawl through a knee-high door into a pebble-filled corridor that leads into a white igloo-like space, just big enough to fit three people. "This is my meditation room," says Akiyoshi Taniguchi, the curator who is introducing Kurenboh, a tiny modern gallery located in Kuramae in Tokyo's Taito Ward.
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Jan 14, 2011
Tokyo photography museum takes a look into the future
The Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography has entered a new dimension. The museum's special exhibition this year concentrates on 3-D photography.
When will Japan intervene to support the yen?
Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki has reiterated the government's readiness to take an appropriate action as the yen continues to slide against the U.S. dollar.
'So hot you can't breathe': Extreme heat hits the Philippines
A pedestrian cools himself with a folding hand fan as he waits for a ride along a road in Manila on Wednesday, as extreme heat hit the Philippines.
Raising kids in Japan as a single parent? It takes a village.
Making things work as a foreign, single mother in Japan isn't easy, but these tips and tricks can help you through the hardest parts.
Yen rebounds strongly after first slide past ¥160 since 1990
The yen dropped to ¥160.245 per dollar on Monday before heading into the other direction to ¥155.01 amid speculation of an intervention by Japanese currency authorities.
JAL cancels international flight after captain gets drunk at Dallas hotel
A Japan Airlines' flight from Dallas to Tokyo was canceled last week after its captain got drunk at a local hotel.
Climate change, chalky grains and the risks for Japan’s rice farmers
A farmer plants seedlings in Satsumasendai, Kagoshima Prefecture. Japan’s self sufficiency rate for rice is nearly 100%, compared with 38% for food overall, on a calorie basis.
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.
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.
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

When trying to trace your lineage in Japan, the "koseki" is the most important form of document you'll encounter.
Climbing the branches of a Japanese family tree
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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