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Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Sep 3, 2010

Pia-no-jaC

Combining letters from the names of the instruments they play — piano and cajon (a South American box drum) — to create their handle, Pia-no-jaC's stripped-down keys and percussion setup has netted the Tokyo duo a fair amount of attention.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Sep 3, 2010

Korean artist Kim Siyeon opens house on personal struggle

For her first solo exhibition in Tokyo, Seoul-based artist Kim Siyeon brings her home to Gallery Foil in the form of photographs of installations that she created inside her house. Though she is known as an installation artist, the delicate nature of Kim's work and its location, which is an important...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Sep 3, 2010

Contemporary ceramics update the tea ceremony

The Way of Tea has for centuries been a cornerstone of Japanese culture and aesthetic beauty. An old Japanese proverb states: "If a man has no tea in him, he is incapable of understanding truth and beauty."
EDITORIALS
Sep 2, 2010

Habitat for military aircraft?

The Japanese and U.S. governments on Tuesday disclosed details of a technical report on a replacement facility for U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, now set in a crowded residential area of Ginowan in the central part of Okinawa Island. A 2006 Japan-U.S. accord called for building two, V-shaped...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Sep 1, 2010

Kyoto's Miyako at 120, inn for the long haul

KYOTO — In a city where some traditional inns are more than 400 years old, the Westin Miyako Kyoto, which celebrates its 120th anniversary this year, is a relative newcomer to the world of Kyoto lodgings.
JAPAN
Sep 1, 2010

Futenma plan rife with nondecisions

OSAKA — After three months of meetings, the recommendations for the Futenma replacement base in Henoko, Okinawa, released Tuesday are vague or nonexistent on specific technical points, with no decision on the runway options, approach and departure paths or completion timetable.
BUSINESS
Sep 1, 2010

Court gets JAL rehab specifics

Japan Airlines Corp. submitted its rehabilitation plan Tuesday to the Tokyo District Court, including a request for a ¥521.5 billion debt wavier, paring 16,000 jobs, retiring fuel-guzzling airplanes and shedding 49 unprofitable routes.
EDITORIALS
Aug 31, 2010

Vote of no confidence in Australia

There is little for Australian politicians to be proud of as they contemplate the results of last month's parliamentary elections. The vote was almost perfectly divided, resulting in the first hung Parliament since 1940. At this point, the two major parties are courting the four independents to see who...
BUSINESS
Aug 31, 2010

BOJ ups bank-loan program; yen unfazed

Under growing pressure to act, the Bank of Japan announced Monday it will ease its monetary stance further by expanding a ¥20 trillion lending program to ¥30 trillion, aiming to lower short-term interest rates and curb the yen's rise against the dollar.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Aug 29, 2010

Journey to the land of Pashmina, Aya Ueto's drama debut; CM of the week: iPhone 4

The final installment of the travel show "Gyakuryu! Shiraberu Toraberu" ("Against the Current! Investigating and Traveling"; TV Tokyo, Mon., 8 p.m.) spends the bulk of its two-hour running time in the Pashmina region of Nepal, which is famous for its cashmere wool. This wool is produced by a specific...
CULTURE / Books
Aug 29, 2010

New look at old Edo's window to the West

Japan's seclusion policy (sakoku) from the early 17th to the mid-19th century is commonly studied from the point of view of the bakufu, the Tokugawa government in Edo that exercised central control over the other domains of the realm.
JAPAN / Q&A
Aug 28, 2010

Shedding light on death penalty

Justice Minister Keiko Chiba, who will probably be replaced next month because she lost her Diet seat in the July 11 Upper House election, allowed journalists for the first time Friday to enter the Tokyo Detention House's execution chamber.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Aug 27, 2010

Neon Gravity ready to jack the party at Fukuoka's Sunset Live

Summer's end may be near, but music festival season is far from finished. Featuring 70 acts, the 18th edition of Fukuoka's Sunset Live will take place Sept. 3-5. Situated along the shore of Keya Beach, the event's picturesque surroundings boast plenty of greenery, sand and surf for the anticipated crowd...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Aug 27, 2010

'About Elly'

"About Elly" is the kind of ensemble film that recalls Robert Altman ("Pret a Porter," "Gosford Park") or an early Kenneth Branagh ("Peter's Friends"). A group of characters come together on screen, casual conversation is tossed about, relationships are forged or renewed or become strained — and with...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art / ART BRIEF
Aug 27, 2010

'Agnosian Fields'

Maison Hermes Le Forum
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Aug 27, 2010

Immersed in epic visions of nature

It is as epic as it is arresting. With a gentle whirr, thousands of white feathers are blown into the air in a vast clear space where they proceed to toss and tumble like snowflakes.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art / ART BRIEF
Aug 27, 2010

'Exhibition of the History of Japanese Confectionary'

Toraya Gallery
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Aug 27, 2010

Summer samba carnival brings the heat to Asakusa's streets

Powerful drum beats, cheerful songs and passionate dancing from Brazil will fill Tokyo's Asakusa district, the capital's traditional downtown, during the 30th Asakusa Samba Carnival.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Aug 27, 2010

Klaxons

Klaxons divide opinion like few others. Emerging in 2006 to a crescendo of hype, they were held up as leaders of the nu-rave movement even before their debut album "Myths of the Near Future" was busy thrilling and irritating in equal measure.
JAPAN
Aug 25, 2010

Prada countersues plaintiff claiming harassment

A countersuit by the Japan unit of Italian fashion house Prada got under way in the Tokyo District Court on Tuesday against a former senior retail manager, demanding she pay ¥33 million for harming the firm's image by falsely claiming to the media that the firm engaged in sexual harassment.
EDITORIALS
Aug 25, 2010

Don't shrink the Diet

At the instruction of Prime Minister Naoto Kan, the Democratic Party of Japan created a team to discuss reducing the number of Diet seats with the opposition forces. Mr. Kan says that because the government will have to ask people to shoulder a heavier financial burden in the reconstruction of state...
LIFE / Digital
Aug 25, 2010

Twitter delivers creative way for ad agencies to play

While Twitter itself is still struggling to find a profitable business plan, Japanese ad agencies have quickly embraced the micro-blogging service to create innovative campaigns.
LIFE / Language
Aug 25, 2010

'Ii' is a perfectly good way to say, 'No, thank you'

When I was in elementary school, a certain comma was the bane of my existence. No, not the serial comma. I learned (and later unlearned) that one relatively easily. It wasn't the comma before "too," either. Nor was it the one between multiple adjectives modifying a single noun. No, it was the comma in...
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Aug 24, 2010

Fujitsu hunts for firms with the tech it lacks

Fujitsu Ltd. is "very actively" looking for acquisitions to spur global growth, the company's president said.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 23, 2010

Globalization's benefits are moot unless everybody gets to play

One aspect of the globalized world today is that the world has plunged into fast-paced, turbulent times where everyone is connected — so much so that British sociologist Anthony Giddens has been compelled to write of today's age as one where "the local and the global are inextricably intertwined."...

Longform

Sumadori Bar on Shibuya Ward's main Center Gai street targets young customers who prefer low-alcohol drinks or abstain altogether.
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