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Japan Times
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Aug 3, 2015

Tokyo bar transformed into Sailor Moon cafe until the end of September

A cafe themed around the globally popular "Sailor Moon" manga and anime series opened Monday in Shinjuku Ward, Tokyo, featuring special food items, songs and goods.
ASIA PACIFIC
Aug 3, 2015

India orders clampdown on Internet porn, sparks censorship debate

India has blocked hundreds of adult websites to prevent pornography becoming a social nuisance, a government official said Monday, sparking a debate about censorship and freedom in the world's largest democracy.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Aug 1, 2015

Arita fires up a love of pottery, both historical and contemporary

The streets of Arita's Uchiyama porcelain district are mostly deserted this overcast Sunday, a boon for me as I am looking anywhere but at the sidewalk in front of me. My eyes are drawn instead to the parade of restored buildings that front the street, a veritable "name that era" of architectural styles....
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film / Wide Angle
Jul 29, 2015

Tokyo International Film Festival promises a more diverse selection this year

Second-guessing the programming of the annual Tokyo International Film Festival is a favorite sport of movie types in Japan — I've been doing it myself for years.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Jul 28, 2015

'Bakemono'

Aug. 1-Sept. 13
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jul 26, 2015

Ten years after its Japan special, who would Interview want to talk to?

In 1969, pop artist Andy Warhol founded Interview magazine. The New York-based publication was initially distributed among the city's "in crowd," later finding a wider audience in those seeking more than the usual mainstream fare.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / STRANGE BOUTIQUE
Jul 26, 2015

Rock in Japan focuses on the experience of an eternal afternoon

If the lackluster response to Fuji Rock Festival's lineup announcements and the closure of at least one of its stages suggests looming trouble for Japan's festival scene, there is one rival that has gone from strength to strength: the domestically focused Rock in Japan.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jul 22, 2015

'Wild Tales' and black comedy from the dark heart of Argentina

Forget about all the brassy, effects-laden blockbusters crowding the multiplexes this summer: For sheer entertainment value, none are likely to top this Argentine-Spanish anthology of comic shorts. Rich in black humor and satirical invective, "Wild Tales" became the most successful Argentinian movie...
EDITORIALS
Jul 21, 2015

The man who revolutionized gaming

The late Nintendo President Satoru Iwata changed his industry and he changed reality, both virtual and real.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Jul 18, 2015

History, hexes feature in criminal potpourri

In addition to their regular mixture of celebrity gossip and scandals mixed with practical advice for readers — such as how to quit smoking or winning pachinko techniques — the weeklies also treat their readers to snippets of Japanese history.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / ON: TECH
Jul 18, 2015

Dust off those game cartridges for the Retro Freak; Break the ice in just six minutes; Parents can ditch the paper trail

Dust off those game cartridges for the Retro Freak
WORLD
Jul 18, 2015

Islamic State suicide car bomb kills over 100 in Iraq

More than 100 people were killed in a suicide car bombing at a busy market in an Iraqi town on Friday, one of the deadliest attacks carried out by Islamic State militants since they overran large parts of the country.
SPORTS / NOTES ON A SCORECARD
Jul 17, 2015

Return to Japan leaves Matsuzaka a forgotten man

Former superstar Daisuke Matsuzaka, who returned to Japan after mixed results in eight seasons in the majors to sign with the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks, has not appeared in a single game for the big club this season.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 13, 2015

The line between the state and the public broadcaster

The editorial independence of public broadcasters is vital to the health of democracies.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 13, 2015

Reducing the health risks of electronic devices

The best way to avoid some of the negative effects of portable electronic devices such as cellphones is to use them in moderation and to store them far away from the body.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 9, 2015

New Honda chief discusses air bags, Asimo

Although the root cause of Takata Corp.'s deadly air bag malfunctions remains unclear, Honda's new president on Thursday tried to reassure drivers and passengers that recalled vehicles are rendered safe with replacement inflators.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 5, 2015

RIP Land Rover Defender, the greatest car ever

Regulation and marketing-driven blandness, the enemies of everything original, have killed one of the world's last real cars.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jul 5, 2015

City pop revival is literally a trend in name only

City pop is the latest trend to hit Japan's indie-music scene. Well, not the musical style, just the words.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Jul 3, 2015

Kyorakutei: Hand-cut soba for serious noodle connoisseurs

The narrow backstreets of Kagurazaka boast an embarrassment of dining choices. This bustling traditional entertainment district offers great Japanese, a profusion of French and some excellent Italian restaurants, too. When it comes to noodles, though, only one name matters: Kyorakutei.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / CLOSE-UP
Jul 2, 2015

Actor Yusuke Iseya's most important role is helping the environment through his Rebirth Project

Prepared to step out of his comfort zone and say what he really thinks, Yusuke Iseya is something of a rarity in the Japanese entertainment industry. An actor with a conscience, he's most well-known for movies such as "13 Assassins," "Tomorrow's Joe" and the Hollywood film "Blindness," yet rather than...
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jun 30, 2015

Vote by U.S. Congress stokes hope for TPP progress in July

With the U.S. Congress formally granting President Barack Obama trade promotion authority, proponents of the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement in Japan are hoping at least the broad outlines of a bilateral deal for agriculture and auto parts may be worked out when negotiations resume in July.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 30, 2015

Sony to raise about ¥440 billion in sales of shares and convertible bonds

Sony Corp. plans to raise about ¥440 billion ($3.6 billion) in a sale of shares and convertible bonds to help finance an increase in production of image sensors used in smartphones.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jun 29, 2015

Slowboat to China: No quick fix for luxury yacht firm Ferretti

When Chinese industrial conglomerate Weichai Group snapped up cash-strapped Italian luxury yacht builder Ferretti in 2012, the deal looked like a match made in heaven.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Jun 27, 2015

Home electronics market loses its spark

On May 25, Yamada Denki Co., the largest home electronics retailer in Japan, announced that it would be closing 46 outlets. Given that the stores had been losing money for at least a year and Yamada operates more than 1,000, the announcement wasn't surprising, though the swiftness of its actions was....
Japan Times
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Jun 26, 2015

Univision pulls plug on Miss USA pageant after candidate Trump's Mexico slur

Univision, the largest Spanish-language television network in the United States, said on Thursday it would not air the Miss USA pageant, which is co-owned by Donald Trump, because of what it called insulting remarks made by Trump about Mexican immigrants.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jun 19, 2015

Crystal Kay returns with a confident ballad to soundtrack 'Wild Heroes'

Shortly after Ariana Miyamoto was crowned Miss Universe Japan, the country's first ever mixed-race beauty queen, Crystal Kay took to social media to voice her approval: "You go girl, I'm proud of Japan."

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