Magic Beach is bubbling over with music
Awa Odori — Japan's largest dance festival held in Tokushima Prefecture as part of Obon festivities in August — attracts more than a million tourists, who go to enjoy traditional Japanese folk dances. However, now there's now a new kind of Awa festival gaining some ...
Art from the margins of society
A show of brilliant color combinations, unusual shapes and a creative use of materials, "Art as a Haven of Happiness" at the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum showcases the work of artists with Down syndrome and other disabilities. Free of any fixed ideas or concepts ...
Toro nagashi is a long-held Japanese tradition where candle-lit lanterns are released into rivers to guide the spirits of ancestors back to the other world during the Obon season. On Aug. 16, the Asakusa Toro Nagashi will see 2,500 lanterns set afloat on the Sumida ...
Writing a love letter seems like an old-school romantic idea, but it's still one of the few times that we express ourselves with abandon. The digital world may have replaced handwritten love letters with printed ones, but the custom endures and Love Letter Project ...
A midsummer night's dream of dance
Looking out with expressive eyes, their fingertips delicately fluttering and their heads and hips swaying in unique angular movements, Balinese dancers have long enchanted people around the world, with their elegant and at times powerful performances. The annual Asagaya Bali Dance Festival, which takes place ...
Patterns of fun at the National Museum of Modern Art
Whether lines, circles, squares, triangles or other shapes, in our daily lives, we are constantly surrounded by patterns and designs. "Patterns of Delight: Crafts Gallery for Kids + Adults" at The National Museum of Modern Art invites adults and children to explore such geometric beauty ...
'Eco Edo' art aquarium is a different kettle of fish
Japan loves goldfish, especially in the summer, during which festival goldfish-scooping games are always popular and yukata (light summer kimono) and hand-held fans often sport goldfish patterns. The delicate sound of the furin wind chimes and images of fish swimming in clear water evoke ...
Roppongi Hills cooks up ideas for kids
Cooking with others is a win-win situation. It not only can help foster family togetherness but it also teaches children that preparing food is not simply a chore, it's a useful activity that can be fun. This summer, the Roppongi Hills complex in Tokyo is ...
Are we humans looking at a future in which we won't need to use our legs? It looks like it when you consider Toyota's Winglet, Japan's version of the Segway. The Winglet Challenge at Mega Web in Odaiba, Tokyo, offers visitors the chance to rest ...
Stargaze from the heart of the metropolis
The Roppongi Tenmon Club makes use of the complex's high-rise Mori Tower to give its members the opportunity to stargaze from the heart of the metropolis. Its Star Party, starting this month, offers other visitors three days of events — on July 25, Aug. ...
Japan Restaurant Week serves top gourmet
A romantic dinner at a fancy restaurant usually costs so much that people only go on extra special occasions, such as marriage proposals. But even if you're not thinking of a life-changing celebration, now is a good time to take your partner out for ...
Traditional Okinawan dance visits Tokyo
Japanese theater has gained a great deal of international recognition, so most people are likely familiar with kabuki or noh. Fewer, however, may have heard of Ryūkyū buyō — the traditional dance of Okinawa. On July 29 at Kioi Hall in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward, audiences ...
