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Judith Ann Herd
For Judith Ann Herd's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
CULTURE / Music
Oct 17, 2001
The sounds of Sweden
The ongoing Swedish Style event in Tokyo covers everything from architecture to aromatherapy. The music alone, however, merits our full attention.
CULTURE / Music
Jun 24, 2001
That's declassified innovation
There are several reasons to admire the Kronos Quartet, and, unquestionably, the primary reason is their extraordinary talent. But I'd like to add two more: their musical and professional integrity, and their belief in music as a spiritual quest.
CULTURE / Music / HIGH NOTES
Apr 18, 2001
Natalie Choquette
Believe it or not, opera can be fun and you don't need to deplete your bank account to pay for tickets. On June 24, Natalie Choquette is coming to Tokyo to prove it.
CULTURE / Music / HIGH NOTES
Apr 4, 2001
Jijijyujyu
What do you get when you mix classical ballet and modern dance with traditional Indonesian gamelan and dance, a vocalist with a 31/2-octave range and monochrome works of art designed for a small performance space that was once a storage room?
CULTURE / Music
Apr 1, 2001
Modern gagaku: Experiments with tradition
In the late 1960s, the National Theater of Japan made a decision to commission new music for gagaku (court music) orchestra and changed the destiny of traditional Japanese arts.
CULTURE / Music
Feb 24, 2001
Yasuji Kiyose's lifelong quest for a modern Japanese voice
Music can be a passive history lesson. Sometimes, it can take us on a fantastic, aural journey, as with Japanese composers active before World War II who reflect in their music nearly half a century of tumultuous, societal change.

Longform

Later this month, author Shogo Imamura will open Honmaru, a bookstore that allows other businesses to rent its shelves. It's part of a wave of ideas Japanese booksellers are trying to compete with online spaces.
The story isn't over for Japan's bookstores