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December 03, 2023
 

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CULTURE

Film
Books
Art
Music
TV & Streaming
Stage
Entertainment news
The talent agency formerly known as Johnny & Associates announced it would change its name after acknowledging the long history of abuse company founder Johnny Kitagawa inflicted on young men. The news was followed by the removal of company signage bearing Kitagawa’s name.
CULTURE / Music / Sound Off
The entertainment story of the year is long overdue
By Patrick St. Michel
As entertainment heavyweights Johnny & Associates and Takarazuka Revue are hit by scandals, hope for reform emerges with changing attitudes toward abuse.
Hayao Miyazaki came out of retirement this year with “The Boy and the Heron,” which opened to critical acclaim and has so far earned ¥8.56 billion — a good showing but not enough to take the top spot at the box office for the year.
CULTURE / Film / 2023 in Review
The year that defined the post-Miyazaki era
By Matt Schley
The success of “Oshi no Ko,” “Detective Conan” and “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” proved that anime is the mainstream now.
A young boy (Tsukao Oga) struggles to survive in a war-ravaged city in “Shadow of Fire.”
CULTURE / Film
The human costs of war linger in ‘Shadow of Fire’
By Mark Schilling
While the film’s message about the lasting traumas of war is at times overt, newcomer Tsukao Oga centers the drama with an unsentimental performance.

Film

Hayao Miyazaki came out of retirement this year with “The Boy and the Heron,” which opened to critical acclaim and has so far earned ¥8.56 billion — a good showing but not enough to take the top spot at the box office for the year.
Film / 2023 in Review
The year that defined the post-Miyazaki era
By Matt Schley
The success of “Oshi no Ko,” “Detective Conan” and “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” proved that anime is the mainstream now.
Film
‘Lumberjack the Monster’ will talk you to death
By James Hadfield
Film
The human costs of war linger in ‘Shadow of Fire’
By Mark Schilling
Film
What’s it like to work with Hayao Miyazaki? Go behind the scenes.
By Carlos Aguilar
Film
Takeshi Kitano still has a head for provocation
By James Hadfield
Film
‘My Mother’s Eyes’: Psychodrama pushes to mad extremes
By Mark Schilling
Film / CULTURE SMASH
Sleeper hit anime 'Blue Giant' gets an encore
By Roland Kelts

Books

Trial participants listen to wartime leader Hideki Tojo give his defiant testimony in the old Army Ministry courtroom during the International Military Tribunal for the Far East in January 1948.
Books
'Judgment at Tokyo' investigates powers at play in postwar tribunal
By Martin Laflamme
Gary J. Bass' new book thoroughly delves into the prosecution of Japanese military atrocities and its divisive legacy.
Books
‘What You are Looking For is in the Library’: A tender tale with a touch of whimsy
By Louise George Kittaka
Books
Location is everything in 'The Heron Catchers'
By Iain Maloney
Books
‘Godzilla’ novellas expand on infamous monster’s origins
By Kris Kosaka
Books
Japanese thrillers and crime mysteries to curl up with this fall
By Kris Kosaka
Books
Banana Yoshimoto’s new book is a sickly sweet fantasy
By Thu-Huong Ha
Books
'The Outsider' brings out colorful personality of one of history’s great Japanophiles
By David McElhinney

Music

The talent agency formerly known as Johnny & Associates announced it would change its name after acknowledging the long history of abuse company founder Johnny Kitagawa inflicted on young men. The news was followed by the removal of company signage bearing Kitagawa’s name.
Music / Sound Off
The entertainment story of the year is long overdue
By Patrick St. Michel
As entertainment heavyweights Johnny & Associates and Takarazuka Revue are hit by scandals, hope for reform emerges with changing attitudes toward abuse.
Music
Milk Talk's deliciously funky mix of sweet and sour
By Patrick St. Michel
Music
The slow and steady rise of Lamp, a cult favorite
By Patrick St. Michel
Music
Saxophonist Jiro Inagaki’s golden age of jazz rock
By Patrick St. Michel
Music
An intimate bazaar of music and magic at Kyotophonie
By Lance Henderstein
Music
Art and politics clash at Labyrinth 2023
By Thu-Huong Ha
Music
Peter Barakan’s Live Magic! festival celebrates 10th edition
By Matt Schley

TV & Streaming

Matthew Perry at the premiere of "The Kennedys After Camelot" in Beverly Hills, California, in 2017
Entertainment news
'Friends' actor Matthew Perry dies at age 54
Law enforcement sources told the Los Angeles Times that Perry was found unresponsive in a hot tub at his Los Angeles home.
TV & Streaming / Longform
When the 'Queen of Boogie' reigned in Japan
By Michael Furmanovsky
TV & Streaming
‘One Piece’: Netflix tries to translate the anime magic (again)
By Mike Hale
TV & Streaming
Beloved U.S. game show legend Bob Barker dies age 99
TV & Streaming
A call from Denmark for diversity in the arts
By Rosi Byard-Jones
TV & Streaming
'Ooku: The Inner Chambers': Alternative history explores gender norms
By Maya Phillips
TV & Streaming
Simplicity key to British TV show success, says 'naked' Japanese comedian
By Peter Masheter

Art

Heidrun Holzfeind documents urban and rural scenes, such as two policemen on bicycles nonchalantly rolling down a street, in her video piece "The 49th Year." The footage is presented alongside incarcerated New Left group leader Toshihiko Kamata’s writings about Japan’s highly supervised society in the exhibition "News from K."
Art
'News From K' captures the oppression of landscape
By John L. Tran
Letters from prison by New Left group leader Toshihiko Kamata reveal a sense of limbo in Heidrun Holzfeind’s new work.
Art
A first look inside teamLab’s new Borderless museum
By Thu-Huong Ha
Art
‘Panta Rhei’: Yukimasa Ida is still searching for his own voice
By Lance Henderstein
Art
American museums keep the spotlight on Korean art
By Ted Loos
Art
Major retrospective traces hero's journey of 'Japan's van Gogh'
By John L. Tran
Art
Tokyo Biennale 2023 seeks healing through art
By John L. Tran
Art
An introspective Go For Kogei turns its attention to Toyama
By Mio Yamada

Stage

Various aspects of Japan’s Sado Island — noh, taiko drumming, business investment and cultural regeneration projects — weave their way into “L’ile d’Or Kanemu-Jima,” with characters and cultures coming together in a melting pot of real-world political problems, theater styles and dark humor.
Stage
Cultures collide in Ariane Mnouchkine's Sado Island-inspired play
By Andrew Eglinton and Mika Eglinton
The Kyoto Prize-winning French theater director's latest production, "L’ile d’Or Kanemu-Jima," draws from her experiences in Japan, both old and new.
Stage
DamaDamTal turns abstract dreams into visual art
By Alex Ehrenreich
Stage
A 'Drag Race' tour brings inspiration and profits
By Kat Joplin
Stage
Kyoto Experiment explores fluidity of culture with performance works
By Andrew Eglinton and Mika Eglinton
Stage
Chelfitsch challenges Japanese theater's language barriers
By Andrew Eglinton and Mika Eglinton
Stage
Ichikawa Eno, founder of 'Super Kabuki,' dies at 83
Stage
Rome Opera's tragic heroes resonate in modern times
By Kris Kosaka

Entertainment news

Acts represented by the talent agency formerly known as Johnny & Associates have not been included in this year’s lineup for “Kohaku Uta Gassen,” public broadcaster NHK’s annual New Year’s Eve musical show.
Entertainment news
NHK ditches Johnny's acts for year-end musical bonanza
By Patrick St. Michel
For the first time in 44 years, performers represented by the beleaguered talent agency will not appear on "Kohaku Uta Gassen."
Entertainment news
Screenwriter Taichi Yamada dies at 89
Entertainment news
Latest Godzilla movie is a beast at the Japan box office
By Yukana Inoue
Entertainment news
Three Japanese musicians win top prizes in Geneva quartet event
Entertainment news
'Friends' actor Matthew Perry dies at age 54
Entertainment news
Japanese actor Tatsuya Fuji wins top lead actor prize at San Sebastian
Entertainment news
Striking Hollywood writers reach tentative deal with studios
View Older Articles
We already know what will happen at COP28
Activists dressed up like CEOs take part in a fake banquet near the Eiffel Tower in Paris on Monday where they feign the celebration of company profits over climate responsibility.
Abe's former faction in focus as LDP political fund scandal deepens
A fundraising party for the LDP's largest faction, which was lead by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe until his death
Japan’s 2023 buzzword of the year is all about winning
Tigers manager Akinobu Okada speaks during a news conference in Tokyo after the buzzword of the year was announced on Friday. The team's slogan, an indirect reference to victory, took the top spot.
We must stop Myanmar’s descent into a failed state
Ethnic Ta'ang National Liberation Army fighters stand guard at a check point in the town of Namhkam in Myanmar's northern Shan state on Nov. 10.
A problematic otaku dictionary and the Japanese approach to sitting
Pages from a new Otaku Dictionary catalog the lexicons of Japan’s various subcultures.
The entertainment story of the year is long overdue
The talent agency formerly known as Johnny & Associates announced it would change its name after acknowledging the long history of abuse company founder Johnny Kitagawa inflicted on young men. The news was followed by the removal of company signage bearing Kitagawa’s name.
Japan’s 2023 buzzword of the year is all about winning
Tigers manager Akinobu Okada speaks during a news conference in Tokyo after the buzzword of the year was announced on Friday. The team's slogan, an indirect reference to victory, took the top spot.
U.S. Osprey crash rekindles safety concerns in Japan
A CV-22 Osprey at the U.S. military's Yokota Air Base in Tokyo in September 2018
Shibuya Sakura Stage to cap once-in-a-century redevelopment around station
A view of a plaza within Shibuya Sakura Stage, what Tokyu Land Corporation is calling the final puzzle piece in its redevelopment of the area around Shibuya Station.
Xi’s Shanghai visit sells city’s ‘innovation’ image
Pedestrians along the Bund in Shanghai on Oct. 29. The Chinese government is pushing a narrative that the city will play an important role in reinvigorating the nation’s economy.

Podcast

Pages from a new Otaku Dictionary catalog the lexicons of Japan’s various subcultures.
A problematic otaku dictionary and the Japanese approach to sitting

Longform

Yoshiko Koide sits in a classroom at Nagoya College where she teaches a Japanese-language observation seminar.
How a dictionary came to spark outrage among the web’s otaku
By Thu-Huong Ha and Yukana Inoue

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

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The home front: A new way to save architecture

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