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Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Apr 19, 2012

Japanese art still struggles in China

Japanese photographer inri was just 27 when she saw RongRong's photographs for the first time. As she wandered between the stalls of a 1999 Tokyo art fair, a series on traditional Chinese wedding dresses caught her eye. One image, with a man and a woman completely hidden in the folds of yellow silk robes,...
CULTURE / Art
Apr 19, 2012

Japanese art still struggles in China

Japanese photographer inri was just 27 when she saw RongRong's photographs for the first time. As she wandered between the stalls of a 1999 Tokyo art fair, a series on traditional Chinese wedding dresses caught her eye. One image, with a man and a woman completely hidden in the folds of yellow silk robes,...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Apr 19, 2012

Rustie to bring hyperactive set to SonarSound Tokyo

When Rustie (Russell Whyte, 29) makes his Japan debut at SonarSound Tokyo this weekend, it will mark the culmination of a remarkable few years that has seen the Scottish producer swap house parties in his hometown of Glasgow for headline spots at some of the biggest clubs in the world.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Apr 13, 2012

'John Carter'

Just in time for the 100th anniversary of its first publication, "Tarzan" author Edgar Rice Burroughs' "A Princess of Mars" gets the 3-D blockbuster treatment from Disney under the revised title "John Carter." This new franchise should have been a sure thing, with a novel that has endured in readers'...
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design
Apr 8, 2012

21st-century schizoid menswear

Never before has the creative schism at the heart of Japanese menswear been more evident than during the recent Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Tokyo.
JAPAN / Science & Health / NATURAL SELECTIONS
Apr 8, 2012

Procreation begets problems for pandas

Just how cute are giant pandas? The public can't get enough of them. The star attractions at Ueno Zoo in Tokyo are Ri Ri and Shin Shin, a male and female pair who helped attract some 4.4 million visitors last fiscal year — the highest number for 19 years.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Apr 2, 2012

Noda's plan to increase sales tax

There's no such thing as a popular tax increase. Woe betide the leader who sees no other way out of a fiscal impasse.
COMMENTARY
Mar 28, 2012

The inexorable march of creative destruction

In retreat, Sears set to unload stores
COMMENTARY
Mar 27, 2012

Bizarre logic of America's 'freedom' campaign

The Afghans are a proud people with a long and formidable history of resistance to foreign occupation. The fact that they have always prevailed should not distract from the horror they still routinely experience.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Mar 23, 2012

'Bokutachi Kyuko: A Ressha de Iko (Take the "A" Train)'

Yoshimitsu Morita, who died last December at 61, would seem to be a classic example of a brilliant young independent filmmaker who ends up as a mainstream journeyman, a career path all too common in Japanese films.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Mar 22, 2012

Cutting-edge art in a tight spot

If you're in the mood for an abstruse, slightly puzzling moment, head to Naka-Meguro, one of Tokyo's acknowledged artistic odd spots, and get yourself to The Container: literally a metal cargo container — but one set in the midst of a hair salon. As soon as you arrive, you may be assailed by feelings...
CULTURE / Art
Mar 22, 2012

Cutting-edge art in a tight spot

If you're in the mood for an abstruse, slightly puzzling moment, head to Naka-Meguro, one of Tokyo's acknowledged artistic odd spots, and get yourself to The Container: literally a metal cargo container — but one set in the midst of a hair salon. As soon as you arrive, you may be assailed by feelings...
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 19, 2012

Syrian crisis shadowed by outcome in Libya

As the conflict in Syria churns out a ghastly human carnage, diplomatic efforts to halt the violence are shadowed by last year's intervention in the Libyan conflict, which resulted in a six-month-long military operation to topple a tyrant.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / MIXED MATCHES
Mar 13, 2012

Sansei's pursuit of love overcomes distance

Dale Araki is a third-generation Japanese-American who spent most of his childhood in Arkansas, Alabama, Georgia and North Carolina before settling in San Francisco.
Japan Times
JAPAN / QUEST FOR RECOVERY
Mar 9, 2012

Noda's definition of 'safe' questioned

Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda assured the nation in December that the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant crisis had been reined in, but as the true extent of the damage inside the crippled reactors remains unknown a year on and with the complex still appearing vulnerable to another major quake, the government...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Mar 2, 2012

'Henge'

Movie trailers and TV commercials both exist to sell, but unlike ads for toothpaste or instant ramen, trailers offer a direct experience, however manipulated, with the actual product. So websites that post links to trailers are not just shilling for distributors, but also offering their visitors, always...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Mar 1, 2012

Your Gold, My Pink 'Teenage Riot'

Your Gold, My Pink's decision to name its debut full-length album "Teenage Riot" shows some serious guts from the young quartet. It's a title that has certain connotations, that either the band embraces the adolescent rebellion of punk — or just really likes Sonic Youth. This "Teenage Riot," though,...
CULTURE / Art
Mar 1, 2012

The varied colors of artistic process

There is a misconception about the avant-garde artist. It is routinely assumed by the general public that they are fountains of creativity, bristling with ideas and inspiration. A couple of major retrospectives at Tokyo's Museum of Contemporary Art, however, challenge this view.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Mar 1, 2012

The varied colors of artistic process

There is a misconception about the avant-garde artist. It is routinely assumed by the general public that they are fountains of creativity, bristling with ideas and inspiration. A couple of major retrospectives at Tokyo's Museum of Contemporary Art, however, challenge this view.
BASKETBALL / NBA / NBA REPORT
Feb 29, 2012

Howard plot thickens near deadline

Regardless of speculation and fabrication about additional destinations under consideration, Dwight Howard's trade request remains unwavering. He is amenable to commit long-term with the Nets, Lakers, and Mavericks. That's it, just those three teams.
LIFE / Longform
Feb 26, 2012

Danger zones: What are Japan's coastal communities doing to avert a disaster like March 11?

Teruo Saito has lived most of his 79 years within a couple of hundred meters of the Pacific, in an area that has been overwhelmed by massive tsunamis twice in the last 600 years.
BASKETBALL / NBA / NBA REPORT
Feb 22, 2012

Smith's track record cause for concern

On a one-week assignment with the Nuggets last season in full anticipation of Carmelo Anthony exclusively spilling his guts to me about every aspect of his life and forthcoming destination, I accompanied the team on its charter to Phoenix.
CULTURE / Books
Feb 19, 2012

Codebreaker who saved the U.S. Pacific fleet

JOE ROCHEFORT'S WAR: The Odyssey Of The Codebreaker Who Outwitted Yamamoto At Midway, By Elliot Carlson. Naval Institute, 2011, 616 Pp., $36.95 (hardcover) Spying on other nations has long been part of the global power game, but it has not always been considered proper diplomatic practice.
JAPAN
Feb 17, 2012

Hashimoto forges ahead with fiery reform agenda

Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto's campaign to fundamentally reform the central government is moving forward even as Diet lawmakers and members of his own group criticize his goals as unrealistic.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Science & Health / NATURAL SELECTIONS
Feb 12, 2012

A future free from nuclear energy? Yakushima may be ready

I once took a ferry from Kagoshima on the southernmost tip of Kyushu to Amami Oshima, halfway to Okinawa. Just 60 km out from the massive Sakurajima volcano that dominates Kagoshima City, our ship passed a huge granite hunk of rock some 50,000 hectares, covered in forest.

Longform

Mount Fuji is considered one of Japan's most iconic symbols and is a major draw for tourists. It's still a mountain, though, and potential hikers need to properly prepare for any climb.
What it takes to save lives on Mount Fuji