For Irma Nunez's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
As a boy in the 1980s, Yuri Suzuki fell under the spell of video games and his father's record collection. The family home was in bustling Shibuya Ward, near the border with Shinjuku, and the influence of global cultures within its walls was strong. ...
LOS ANGELES -- Presented a copy of the latest English-language collection of his work, Yoshihiro Tatsumi turns it over in his hands and says, "This looks too beautiful to be a comic book." Designed by acclaimed American cartoonist Adrian Tomine, "Abandon the Old in Tokyo" ...
CHICAGO -- There is something unnerving about saying "May I speak to Mr. Veloso, please" when you know that the voice at the other end of the line belongs to Caetano Veloso himself. Days have been spent in ecstasy and fear in anticipation of this ...
LOS ANGELES -- Ask the band directly, what are The Shins about, and the four friends' free-for-all flow of deadpan wit, wild metaphor and the occasional outburst of song (evidence of not just a clever group of people but a happy one) stops cold. "Oh, ...
When a band has entered its fifth decade and its name is virtually synonymous with rock 'n' roll, it needs no introduction. The Rolling Stones are the Stones. And "Forty Licks," released this year to mark the band's 40th anniversary, is simply a collection ...
KANCHANABURI, Thailand -- The night before, we were each issued a backpack. Inside was a bottle of water, a packet of electrolyte drink mix, some first-aid stuff, a rain poncho, a pair of leech socks and a field notebook. But instead of studying up ...
