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Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jul 8, 2015

As Tokyo shrinks, Olympics may be last blast

Half a century ago, the Tokyo Olympics ushered in a golden age for Japan's capital, as industrial prowess made it the largest urban complex in history. Now the games are returning to mark the end of that growth.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Jul 7, 2015

'Fashion Illustrator: Morimoto Miyuki Exhibition'

July 3-Sept. 27
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 6, 2015

Failure of new U.S. weapons systems may be more than science fiction

There is a belief that the U.S. and China will never go to war because they are economically interdependent. But a closer look at history should worry everyone.
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
COMMUNITY / Issues / LEARNING CURVE
Jul 1, 2015

Public schooling is a two-way street

Earlier this year, a reader wrote to The Japan Times in response to an education feature on schooling options for the children of non-Japanese parents. The reader wanted to know more, but the earlier feature was unfortunately curtailed by space.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jun 19, 2015

Noah takes inspiration from Hokkaido on 'Sivutie'

The way Ayuko Kurasaki, who creates music as Noah, describes her childhood home of Chitose in Hokkaido is so lovely that I'm surprised it isn't being used in tourism ads.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Jun 15, 2015

Jeb Bush runs from Romney's ghost as he readies U.S. presidential bid Monday

When Republican Jeb Bush gathered donors in Miami for an April retreat, it was clear he planned a less-scripted, more-inclusive U.S. presidential campaign bearing little resemblance to that of the unsuccessful 2012 nominee Mitt Romney.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Jun 9, 2015

The ornate history of embroidery

"Transcendent Artful Embroidery II" at the Kobe Fashion Museum is a cross-cultural look at the perfections of needle craft across several centuries. It gets underway with a section on garments of Indian nobles and Chinese court dresses of the 19-20th centuries and then segues into Japanese aesthetic...
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 5, 2015

Erdogan the conqueror

For Turkey's weakened democratic institutions to survive, and for it to remain delicately balanced between East and West, the Kurds and their new friends need to do well in Sunday's elections.
Japan Times
SOCCER
Jun 5, 2015

Flashy FIFA's fast fall from great game to great shame borders on the farcical

In less than a week, the public face of FIFA has gone from something resembling an old-style Communist Party rally, with a defiant Sepp Blatter fronting ranks of flag-bearing youths, to what looks more like a scene from "Reservoir Dogs."
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Jun 4, 2015

'Pyonghattan': Unofficial economy brews up bling for North Korea's growing middle class

Nail salons, massage parlors, cafes and other signs of consumerism were unheard of in rigidly controlled North Korea just a few years ago, but they are slowly emerging in one of the world's last bastions of Cold War socialism.
BASEBALL / MLB / MAN ABOUT SPORTS
Jun 2, 2015

Revived Mets ignite renewed attention in ballclub

Sitting in the dugout of a New York Mets foe before a recent contest, MAS overheard an intriguing comment.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 1, 2015

Tayyipism strikes a chord with Turkish voters

President Recep Erdogan's new Turkey is more religious, more conservative, more rooted in the Middle East and less bound to the West.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
May 23, 2015

The 'Daughters of the Samurai' who changed the face of Meiji Era Japan

Tsuda College, occupying a leafy campus in the western suburbs of Tokyo, is a private college where female students are educated in languages and the liberal arts. In one corner of the site, overshadowed by the stately trees that surround it, lies the final resting place of Umeko Tsuda, an early pioneer...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
May 13, 2015

Terry Gilliam back on form with 'The Zero Theorem'

Terry Gilliam's "The Zero Theorem," like most of his films, focuses on the all-too-thin line between sanity and insanity, reality and delusion. Its steampunk-meets-cyberpunk visual style is a wonderful jumble that's reminiscent of his much loved "Brazil," with touches like a computer mainframe that looks...
CULTURE / Music
May 7, 2015

Korean pop band Bigbang back with new single after three years

South Korean boy band Bigbang is back on the music scene after a three-year hiatus, with a new single delving into the stresses of daily life.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / EXPO MILANO 2015
May 3, 2015

Kyary Pamyu Pamyu brings 'kawaii' in Italian debut

Japanese pop star Kyary Pamyu Pamyu's image of Italy is of a luxurious country, loaded with world-famous clothing brands and other items. Yet, she said when she travels to the country for the first time in July, she's most excited about the chance to eat lots of Italian food.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Apr 17, 2015

Miyavi explores his 'Others' side on new album

Playing a sadistic real-life villain in the Angelina Jolie film "Unbroken" clearly took its toll on Takamasa Ishihara, who admits he wept and threw up as he prepared for his final scene. Now back in a more familiar role as the enigmatic musician Miyavi, the man known as the "Samurai Guitarist" is flying...
Japan Times
MORE SPORTS / MAN ABOUT SPORTS
Apr 7, 2015

Laviolette aims to work magic again with Predators

If an NHL team wants to make it to the Stanley Cup Finals and maybe even do some trophy hoisting once they're there, they would be wise to hire Peter Laviolette as their coach.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 2, 2015

Cinderella's new moral: be rich or be a pumpkin

Kenneth Branagh's remake of 'Cinderella' carries a troubling economic message.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Mar 27, 2015

SMAP Bistro; Documentary 72 Hours; CM of the week: Kincho

On Monday, NHK starts a new morning drama, which means U.S. actress Charlotte Kate Fox, who played the female lead in the previous series, "Massan," will be leaving Japan soon. But before she does she has to do at least one variety show, so she'll be the guest for the regular "SMAP Bistro" segment on...
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / HOTELS & RESTAURANTS
Mar 19, 2015

Pretty as a picture at Tokyo Marriott; fine dining at Grand Hyatt Fukuoka; Royal Park cherry blossom cocktails

Pretty as a picture at Tokyo Marriott
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Mar 18, 2015

Young Ones: 'a portentous film set in a future dustbowl America'

It is just impossible in this day and age to make a sincere John Ford-style Western with plain-spoken folk holding guns while talking solemnly about "land" and "family" — unless, maybe, you're making a TV ad for Sarah Palin. It's even harder to do this straight-faced when your film involves robots,...
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 16, 2015

Corruption threatens to implode Bangladesh

With bomb explosions almost taking the life of the prime minister, the opposition leader charged with murder, and violent protests and arson sweeping the capital, Bangladesh again seems poised at the edge of an abyss.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Mar 13, 2015

Is virtual art as nourishing as a set meal?

You have to admit, it's all awfully clever. At "L'art de Rosanjin," which runs at Nihonbashi Mitsui Hall until March 24, visitors can sit in a virtual tempura restaurant, and gawp as images of the chef's hands at work are projected on the counter in front of them, accompanied by the sounds of sizzling...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Mar 10, 2015

Momus honors music's eccentrics on 'Turpsycore'

Twenty years ago the Shibuya-kei music scene was in full swing. The charts were filled with some of the most daring, artistic pop music this country had ever heard, courtesy of artists such as Cornelius, Pizzicato Five, Original Love and Kahimi Karie.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Mar 7, 2015

The problems and pleasure of publishing the horrors of the 3/11 tsunami

At a symposium on "Trauma and Utopia" held in Tokyo in October 2014, photographer Naoya Hatakeyama talked about his work in the aftermath of the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami, a disaster that killed his mother and destroyed his home in Rikuzentakata, Iwate Prefecture. During this, he acknowledged...

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