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Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Jul 26, 2016

'Dragon Quest' show pulls its audiences into the action

For gamers and lovers of sheer theatrical spectacle alike, the summer's hottest ticket seems sure to be for "Dragon Quest Live Spectacle Tour," whose 40 shows nationwide are set to be attended by some 400,000 people — with everyone receiving a wristband enabling them to influence the onstage action....
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Jul 19, 2016

Spooky beasts keep haunting Japan's art

Seething masses of people crushed together in searing heat; empty-eyed wraiths, heads drooping in despair, shuffling to and fro — waiting for the time when they will be released their suffering. Tokyo can be hell in July and August. It isn't all bad though; there's an excellent exhibition on yōkai,...
Japan Times
WORLD / ANALYSIS
Jul 17, 2016

Turkey's bungled putsch: a strangely 20th century coup

It was a strangely 20th century coup, defeated by 21st century technology and people power.
LIFE / Digital
Jul 9, 2016

Hot spot: Is Tokyo finally going wireless?

Wi-Fi is exploding in the capital thanks to an influx of tourism and the 2020 Games.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle / CHILD'S PLAY
Jul 9, 2016

Test the white waters this summer

As much as I love Japan's major cities, I quite enjoy leaving them as well. Places like Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto have played crucial roles in my family's life, but it has been equally important for the four of us to get out of town and back in touch with the natural world. Now that summer is in full swing,...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 8, 2016

Career park's mock election lets kids get into voting spirit

What about us kids?
BASKETBALL / B. League / B. LEAGUE NOTEBOOK
Jul 7, 2016

Kawachi takes role with new league

For 11 seasons, Toshimitsu Kawachi was the face of the bj-league. As the only commissioner in league history, he was the front man for the league's growth from six teams in the 2005-06 season to 24 clubs this past season as well as its success stories and problems.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jul 7, 2016

Goldblum on cinema's next big villain

Jeff Goldblum, an actor whose quirky comedic delivery has earned him a sizeable cult following, seems to have a thing for science fiction flicks. His latest, "Independence Day: Resurgence," sees the 63-year-old reprise the role of alien-battling scientist David Levinson, who audiences first met in the...
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / NBA / NBA REPORT
Jul 5, 2016

Durant's decision based on best chance to win titles

Jerry West may have done it again.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Jul 2, 2016

The eels, windmills and holy cars of Narita

To most, the city of Narita is a blur seen out the window of a train traveling between Japan's largest international airport and downtown Tokyo.
BASEBALL / MLB
Jul 1, 2016

Walt Disney agrees to buy stake in MLB Advanced Media

Walt Disney Co. agreed to acquire a one-third stake in the video-streaming unit of MLB Advanced Media, in a deal valued at about $3.5 billion, according to a person familiar with the matter.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jun 30, 2016

Retreat from the heat to the cinema this summer

The summer blockbuster is dead — or at least, it has ceased to exist as a distinct entity. Four decades after "Jaws" set the template for mass-market Hollywood spectacle, the so-called event movie has expanded its turf so dramatically that July and August, once the most fiercely contested box-office...
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Jun 29, 2016

Expo offers glimpses of a future assisted by artificial intelligence

From robotics to deep learning and image recognition, a glimpse of science fiction-like technologies developed by the nation's artificial intelligence industry is on display at Tokyo Big Sight in Koto Ward.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Jun 25, 2016

Route 58: a drive through Okinawa's peculiar past

The telegraph poles that once lined Okinawa's Route 58 have long gone, but the great coastal avenue still reminds me a little of the Dire Straits song "Telegraph Road." Like the lyrics of Mark Knopfler's extended anthem, Route 58 is a journey through time, a digest of history.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / ON: GAMES
Jun 25, 2016

New releases fill in the gaps in gaming

A necessary evil
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jun 24, 2016

Tokyo chosen as most livable city by Monocle; Mercer ranks it among most expensive

For the second straight year Tokyo has topped the list of the most livable cities in the annual Quality of Life Survey conducted by the British lifestyle magazine Monocle.
Japan Times
MORE SPORTS
Jun 22, 2016

Lost Kawasaki circuit paved way for Japanese auto racing

On a mildly humid, but pleasant, sunny June Saturday, many people flocked to the large area near the Maruko bridge, which crosses the Tama River in Shin Maruko, in Kawasaki's Nakahara Ward, to enjoy an early-summer weekend.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jun 22, 2016

'Extraction': Mourning the career of Bruce Willis

Will Bruce Willis ever make it back to the fold of respected Hollywood action stars? Judging from his antics in his latest outing, "Extraction," the short answer to that is a huge "No." The long answer involves a private eulogy to an illustrious action career, and a tearful ode to all that was wonderful...
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jun 21, 2016

Scandal, other outrages fuel Upper House race

A widespread growing sense of anger and concern among Japanese voters will be a key factor determining the outcome of the upcoming Upper House election.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / TRAVEL INSIDER
Jun 21, 2016

SAS celebrates milestone; Cathay teams with Hyatt; bus bookings via Jetstar

SAS celebrates milestone
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 20, 2016

Will Beijing dominate the 'internet of vehicles'?

China is where the future of driverless car technology will likely be charted. In trying to compete there, foreign companies face a stark choice: Partner up or be left behind.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle / CHILD'S PLAY
Jun 11, 2016

Sweet times at Tokyo's monster cafe

Maybe it is Nasty's electric blue hair, cascading in braids around her doll-like face. Perhaps it is the gothic-style black lipstick of her friend Candy. Or the surreal fabric limbs sewn onto the dress of lilac-haired Baby.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 6, 2016

SoftBank gets serious about tackling debt with asset sales

After years of acquisitions saddled SoftBank Group Corp. with record debt and weighed down its stock, founder Masayoshi Son is getting serious about improving the company's balance sheet.
Japan Times
JAPAN / GENERATIONAL CHANGE
Jun 5, 2016

West-inspired anime chief propels Polygon Pictures to success

Polygon Pictures, one of the oldest digital animation studios worldwide, has been turning its lights off at 10 p.m. sharp since 2011. Employees can turn them back on again but they automatically go dark every hour.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Jun 4, 2016

Beer essentials: The craft beer boom in Japan shows no sign of running dry

Tomoko Sonoda was a college student during the "Dry Wars," the years immediately following the 1987 release of the game-changing light lager Asahi Super Dry. She and her classmates held tasting parties for the spate of new brews that were released by the three other major breweries in an attempt to compete....

Longform

A small shrine perched atop rocks braves the waves hitting the shoreline during a storm in Shimoda, Shizuoka Prefecture. The area is under threat of a possible 31-meter-high tsunami if an earthquake strikes the nearby Nankai Trough.
If the 'Big One' hits, this city could face a 31-meter-high tsunami