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Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Apr 20, 2014

For Hindu nationalists, a chance to right wrongs

From a distance, the scene is as colorful as any in India. Men dressed as Hindu deities, with tinsel crowns and tridents, wait for their turn on the stage. Teenagers saunter by trucks carrying effigies of mythological heroes and listen to speeches.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Apr 20, 2014

A collection of contradictions, east Ukraine's pro-Russian militants dig in

It is part Soviet theme park, part wacky anti-Western wonderland. Stuck to the barricades outside the "Donetsk People's Republic" are several caricatures of U.S. President Barack Obama.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Apr 19, 2014

Cannabis: the fabric of Japan

As counterculture groups around the world celebrate annual April 20 marijuana festivals, we examine the country's historical and cultural links to the much-maligned weed.
Japan Times
JAPAN / CHUBU CONNECTION
Apr 18, 2014

Nagoya appliance recycling drive reaps success

The city of Nagoya started collecting small household appliances for recycling in February and announced April 11 that it had received more than 31,000 kg of machinery in just two months — five times more than anticipated.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / JAPAN TIMES BLOGROLL
Apr 17, 2014

Hyakumonogatari Kaidankai: Tales of the Weird and the Strange

While many overseas scholars are attracted to the retrained aesthetics of Japanese arts and letters, it was the country's wild and wooly folklore that captivated Zack Davisson, an American writer and translator. While pursuing his masters degree in Japanese studies Davisson immersed himself in the mysterious...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Apr 15, 2014

E-Girls "Colorful Pop"

E-Girls are a 28-member-strong idol pop collective constructed by Avex. The "E" stands for "Exile," as in this is the female version of greased-up R&B doofs Exile.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Apr 15, 2014

Record Store Day finds its groove in Japan

It won't be business as usual at Big Love Records this Saturday, April 19. The store, one of the best places to shop for records in Tokyo's trendy Harajuku neighborhood, will be selling limited-edition music from various artists, including film director David Lynch. Meanwhile, shadowy beatmaker Sapphire...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Apr 9, 2014

'Jacques Callot: Theater of Realism and Fantasy'

Jacques Callot (1592-1635) is perhaps not a name many are familiar with. Overshadowed by the work of Albrecht Durer and Rembrandt van Rijn, he is sometimes overlooked. Yet Callot is one of the most important printmakers and pioneers of etching in western art history, and his work was admired by many...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Apr 9, 2014

'As Pure As the Lotus: East Asian Ceramics and the Eyes of the Photographer Muda Tomohiro'

A stark contrast to the muddy waters it grows in, the lotus is a beautiful flower that has a particular significance in East Asia. It is often used as a motif in paintings and artisanal works to symbolize life fulfillment or the affection between men and women, and it is also the emblem of kunshi, the...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / ESSENTIAL READING FOR JAPANOPHILES
Apr 5, 2014

The Cape And Other Stories From The Japanese Ghetto

When reading Kenji Nakagami, it is best to forget the stylistic niceties and aesthetic fussiness of writers such as Yasunari Kawabata. Instead, this collection of structurally complex stories by Nakagami contains accounts that, eschewing inference for the explicit, are nonetheless highly sophisticated,...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Apr 5, 2014

The Art of The Wind Rises

Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Apr 2, 2014

'French Ceramics at the Time of Impressionism 1866-1886: Maturity of Japonisme'

Most people associate Impressionism with the famous colorful impasto paintings of Renoir, Monet or Manet. Few, however, are familiar with its influence on 19th-century ceramics.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design / ON: DESIGN
Mar 31, 2014

Whether Starbucks mugs or traditional Shigaraki ceramics, interior design is about the detail

A special Trip for the ardent cyclists
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Mar 27, 2014

Me First and the Gimme Gimmes to show a feminine side at Punkspring

Punk rock's best-known cover band, Me First and the Gimme Gimmes, will be previewing material from their upcoming "Are We Not Men? We Are Diva!" album at this weekend's Punkspring festival.
LIFE / Digital
Mar 27, 2014

Military-industrial warnings ring as true as ever

On Jan. 17, 1961, the outgoing U.S. President, Dwight D. Eisenhower, went on TV to deliver his valedictory address to the American people. Ike had been a relatively uncontroversial president. He had overseen a period of astonishing prosperity and economic growth. He had impeccable military credentials,...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Mar 26, 2014

Shimooka Renjo, back in focus

It's not surprising that the Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography has organized a retrospective on Shimooka Renjo, one of the first commercial photographers in Japan. What is surprising is that it didn't happen sooner.
WORLD / Politics
Mar 25, 2014

Gold, luxury watches show ex-minister's taste for treasure

Eduard Stavytsky had a thing for bling, Ukrainians learned Monday, as the riches accumulated by their fugitive former energy minister were laid out on a table for the world to see.
LIFE / Lifestyle
Mar 22, 2014

Hay fever: nothing to sneeze at

Pharmaceutical companies are deploying a whole new generation of high-tech products in the fight against the seasonal irritant
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Mar 22, 2014

Go potter in Mashiko

If a visitor to Mashiko had any doubts about the town's dedication to pottery, the giant, iconic stoneware jar that stands near the station ticket barrier, would dispel them.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / ESSENTIAL READING FOR JAPANOPHILES
Mar 22, 2014

The Ise Stories

Before there was "The Tale of Genji," the "The Ise Stories" ("Ise Monogatari") presented ancient Japanese audiences with a titillating series of loosely connected episodes of love that are believed to be based on the romantic encounters of the poet and aristocrat Ariwara no Narihira (825-880).
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Mar 19, 2014

Deep feelings at high altitudes

The photographs, taken by artist Naoya Hatakeyama, hint at both the beauty and dangers of a mountain, as reflected in the shades of light and darkness alongside textures of soft-edged snow and sharply lined rocks.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Mar 19, 2014

'Future Beauty: The Tradition of Reinvention in Japanese Fashion'

Ever since Reiji Kawakubo's Comme des Garçons collection was dubbed "Hiroshima chic" when it debuted on a Paris runway in 1982, Japanese avant-garde fashion has been recognized for its international influence.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Mar 18, 2014

Babymetal "Babymetal"

It's not surprising that Babymetal has gone viral. The trio, bringing the seemingly disparate worlds of idol pop and heavy metal together, is a visually striking project perfect for the "weird Japan" fans on the Internet.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / TELLING LIVES
Mar 14, 2014

Dahl still drawing on the joys and absurdities of expat life

For over 20 years, Roger Dahl has been making Japan Times readers laugh — and think — with his Opinion Page political cartoons and “Zero Gravity” comic strip, which pokes gentle fun at the foreign experience in this country.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Mar 12, 2014

'Edo Kaleidoscope: Sarasa, Bidoro, Oranda'

"Edo Kaleidoscope" presents a collection of imported luxury goods from the Edo Period (1603-1867), ranging from Indian chintz to Dutch porcelain. Such goods were exotic to the Japanese and largely imported via Nagasaki by the Dutch East Indian Company. To the aristocracy who could afford them, the goods...

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