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COMMENTARY / World
Jul 30, 2019

Boris Johnson and the triumph of gullibility?

New research suggests a startling explanation for the recent success of populist politicians.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jul 27, 2019

Makoto Shinkai isn't afraid of a bit of rain in the pursuit of his art

It has been raining for weeks, but director Makoto Shinkai doesn't seem to mind a bit.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 23, 2019

The last prime minister of the United Kingdom

Like U.S. President Donald Trump, Boris Johnson lacks a set of objectives that goes beyond merely winning and keeping power.
CULTURE
Jul 20, 2019

Kyoto Animation: A unique force in Japan's anime industry

It took Kyoto Animation Co. almost 40 years to establish itself as one of the leading animation production studios in the country.
Reader Mail
Jul 5, 2019

Learning from each other in peace and harmony

People from about 70 different countries live together in my city of Hadano, Kanagawa Prefecture.
Japan Times
CULTURE / CULTURE SMASH
Jun 30, 2019

Why Hollywood doesn't yet get anime

When it comes to Hollywood's versions of Japanese content, most fans return to the originals and wonder: Why can't they get it right? Jeff Gomez, CEO of Starlight Runner sheds some light on the West's cultural misreading of anime and manga.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jun 19, 2019

Pioneering singer-songwriter Sachiko Kanenobu finally gets her due

If she had to sum up the past couple of years, Sachiko Kanenobu would probably opt for a simple "OMG!"
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jun 13, 2019

CVN: The sound of the Japanese underground

A change in address altered the way Nobuyuki Sakuma approaches his songs. "I think of the music I used to make in Tokyo as a fantasy. It was completely inspired by my own image, what I thought up. It didn't have much to do with what was happening around me or in society," he says.
Japan Times
TENNIS
Jun 4, 2019

Kei Nishikori faces daunting challenge against 'King of Clay'

Robin Soderling. Novak Djokovic. Kei Nishikori?
Japan Times
JAPAN
May 31, 2019

Proactive actions crucial to attain workplace diversity

Diversity is at the core of many of the labor and economic policies designed by the current government, including work-style reforms and promotion of women's participation in society. How much has actually changed in Japanese workplaces? Are they becoming more diverse in all aspects?
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
May 18, 2019

TBS drama misses an opportunity to shine a light on genuine workplace issues

The most common gripe I hear from white-collar employees at Japanese companies is about the fluid meaning of "quitting time." The feeling is that even if a worker has finished their tasks for the day, it is considered bad form to leave the office before their colleagues or supervisors do. There are,...
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Apr 7, 2019

The Moomins find a second home in Japan

With almost 50 percent of the global 'Moomin market' in Japan, MoominValley Park has the ideal audience — nostalgic adults, kawaii fans and, of course, woodland-creature-loving kids.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 28, 2019

Tokyo restaurateur develops spore sheet to speed up aging of meat — and fish

Mikio Atobe carefully peels a layer of rayon netting from a chunk of farmed bluefin tuna, revealing a secondary sheet of cloth clinging to its exposed flesh, partially yellowed by the mold coating it.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language
Feb 25, 2019

Japanese that's so beautiful it belongs in a museum

What if there was a Museum of Exceptional Japanese? Daniel Morales discusses the kinds of words he would like to see in such an institution, but what words would you donate?
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Feb 19, 2019

Hikaru Uzawa blends old and new to add vitality to the world of noh

Hikaru Uzawa is a noh performer who marries her work within the traditional confines of the art form with performing in contemporary pieces internationally, bringing freshness to the traditional world of noh.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society / GENERATIONAL CHANGE
Feb 10, 2019

Japanese makeup guru on crusade to revamp men's grooming habits

As a university student, Hiroki Takahashi could barely step outside his home without a surgical mask on. Even when he did venture out, he was terrified of the fluorescent lighting ubiquitous in convenience stores and trains that ruthlessly illuminated what he was desperately trying to hide — a mass...
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Feb 4, 2019

Breaking the spell of aging

Extending the working lives of the elderly by offering better employment conditions is a top priority for Japan.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Jan 30, 2019

'The Shutendoji Picture Scroll': Japan's grisly tale of demonic drama

The Nezu Museum showcases Sumiyoshi Hironao's 'Shutendoji Monogatari' ('The Tale of the Drunken Demon' scrolls in their entirety for the first time in the museum's history.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Jan 22, 2019

'Toshiko Okanoue, Photo Collage: The Miracle of Silence'

Jan. 26-April 7
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jan 16, 2019

'Chiwawa': An enigma wrapped in a riddle

Edie Sedgwick was an Andy Warhol "superstar" and Bob Dylan muse who died at age 28 after bouts with mental illness and drug addiction — and has had a long afterlife as a legendary 1960s "it" girl.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 28, 2018

Raking it in: Kumade craftsmen carry on Edo Period tradition making ornamental talismans

On a chilly night in late November, Seizo Hashimoto, 65, was stood beside his stall at Otori Shrine in Asakusa, Tokyo, selling ornamental bamboo rakes that are believed to "catch and rake in" wealth and good luck in the coming year.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Nov 27, 2018

Ned Rothenberg: Crossing the Pacific with bamboo flute in hand

Composer and performer Ned Rothenberg has spent his career traversing different musical worlds.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Nov 9, 2018

Japan opening doors more widely to foreign professionals

The perception of 'closed companies' is fast becoming a thing of the past.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Internationalization of Japanese Universities
Oct 22, 2018

Timing ripe for pursuing higher education in Japan

There they go, gliding through conversations in flawless Japanese with ease, catching the locals' jokes, even making their own. It all seemed so effortless for them and there I was, struggling away trying to string together a semi-coherent sentence. Just as I had aligned all that tricky grammar into...
CULTURE / TV & Streaming
Oct 11, 2018

Anpanman: Is the children's superhero the best thing since sliced bread?

Illustrator Takashi Yanase's beaming cartoon character celebrates the 30th anniversary of 'Soreike! Anpanman' on Nippon TV.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics / ANALYSIS
Oct 5, 2018

With Kavanaugh probe firing up Republican base, Trump likely a winner whether judge confirmed or not

The ugly partisan brawl over U.S. Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation remains undecided, but President Donald Trump appears likely to come out on top regardless of the outcome.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Sep 26, 2018

Seiko Oomori: J-pop's reigning rule-breaker

Pop music often opts for positivity rather than confronting the uncomfortable, but Seiko Oomori has never really adhered to J-pop norms.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Sep 25, 2018

Keiichi Tanaami's visually trippy past

Sometimes innocent, sometimes pornographic, influences percolated, exploded and re-formed in multiple and mutant ways during Keiichi Tanaami's career, which took off in the 1960s and is still going strong.

Longform

Rock group The Yellow Monkey played K-Arena Yokohama in June as part of a nationwide tour. Concerts are increasingly popular in the age of social media as users value in-person experiences.
Inside Japan’s arena boom: Sports, sound and city-building