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CULTURE / Art
May 30, 2001

Double-formed print visions

The first solo exhibition in Japan by print artist Sean Caulfield is currently on show at Session House Garden in Tokyo's Shinjuku Ward.
BUSINESS
May 24, 2001

Tobishima reports return to profit

Construction firm Tobishima Corp. said Wednesday its group net balance returned to the black in fiscal 2000, mainly due to sales of securities holdings.
CULTURE / Art
May 16, 2001

A vision of humanity that transcends culture

"Waterside Garden I" (2001) by Noriko Yanagisawa The current show at Tokyo's Hillside Forum features works by print artist Noriko Yanagisawa.
CULTURE / Art
May 16, 2001

Coloring the fabric of the universe

"The World of the Galaxy," an exhibition of dyed work by Shihoko Fukumoto, will be on view at Tokyo's Bunkamura Gallery from May 22.
CULTURE / Art
May 16, 2001

There goes the neighborhood. . . into the future

Until last week, I thought there were basically three types of factories: oily old clunkers where maybe the beaten-down workers go on strike and a gritty hero emerges who is played by Jeff Bridges in the made-for-television movie; gleaming, robot-dominated technological wonders; and grim Third World...
JAPAN
May 10, 2001

Iwate sculptors seek to shape cultural ties

IWATE, Iwate Pref. -- Iwate Prefecture is probably not the first place people would expect to stumble on artists of international renown.
CULTURE / Art
May 9, 2001

An exhibition of temple treasures to rival any in the country

NARA -- Kofukuji holds a special place in Japanese history, rivaled by few other temples. Throughout its nearly 1,300 years, it has enjoyed the largess of imperial and noble patrons, been home to armies of warrior monks and been rebuilt time and again from the ashes of devastating fires.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
May 6, 2001

Drumming up some PR for the old neighborhood

Most of the current travel-information programs you see on TV are stylistic offshoots of TBS's long-running "Soko ga Shiritai," which has been off the air for several years now. One of the few variety shows that has done something different with the format is TV Tokyo's "Shutsubotsu! Ad-Machikku Tengoku"...
BUSINESS / CABINET INTERVIEW
May 3, 2001

Finance chief Shiokawa supports fiscal tightening

In line with Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's fiscal reform policies, Finance Minister Masajuro Shiokawa has acknowledged the need to make substantial cuts to general expenditures for fiscal 2002.
CULTURE / Art
May 2, 2001

Modern European ceramics

Untitled works by Lubomir Silar (above) and Leen Quist (below) The current exhibition at Gallery Yufuku in Tokyo's Aoyama district, "Exhibition of European Ceramic Art 2001," honors the memory of ceramic expert Marie-Therese Coulley.
CULTURE / Art
May 2, 2001

Hitchcock and human nature

Alfred Hitchcock is an icon of the film world, like the Beatles are to rock and pop. Often referred to as the greatest director of all time, the English filmmaker produced art for the masses, using avant-garde techniques and character psychology with universal relevance.
JAPAN / CABINET INTERVIEW
May 1, 2001

Kawaguchi optimistic on climate change talks

Climate change negotiations are steadily progressing behind the scenes and some subtle changes could portend breakthroughs, reappointed Environment Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi said.
CULTURE / Film
Apr 29, 2001

Cinema Italiano paradiso

Award-winning movie director Takeshi Kitano said Friday that the very mention of the word Italy brings to mind the kind of culture that puts present-day Japan to shame.
CULTURE / Music / J-POPSICLE
Apr 25, 2001

A stunningly beautiful work of Great 3 genius

One sure sign of the maturation of a pop-music culture is when artists start releasing albums that are organic, cohesive works of art, instead of collections of their latest hit singles with some B-grade tracks as filler. "May and December," the latest from Japanese pop/rock band the Great 3, is such...
CULTURE / Film
Apr 18, 2001

That's, like, what living is like, in'it?

Ratcatcher Purely Belter Rating: * * * * 1/2 Japanese title: Boku to Sora to Mugibatake Director: Lynne Ramsay Running time: 93 min. Language: English Now showing Rating: * * * * Director: Mark Herman Running time: 99 min. Language: English Opens April 28 So often, children in British cinema are...
CULTURE / Art
Apr 18, 2001

A seductive city reveals its essence

One of the places where a little Vivaldi would make perfect background music is the exhibition "Venetian Paintings of the 18th Century," now at the Ueno Royal Museum.
JAPAN
Apr 17, 2001

Debate surges over need for dams

Staff writer NAGANO -- Does this country really need more dams?
CULTURE / Film / SHORT TAKES
Apr 11, 2001

Nostalgic views of youth and rebellion

Almost Famous Rating: * * * * Japanese title: 'Ano Kono Penny Lane To' Director:Cameron Crowe Running time: 122 minutes Language: English This spring's pure pop treat is a largely autobiographical tale by Cameron Crowe, a superior piece of '70s nostalgia that deals with his own memories of working...
CULTURE / Art
Apr 11, 2001

Buddhist treasures undimmed by time

Daigoji Temple has maintained its status as one of Japan's leading Buddhist temples upholding the Shingon sect since its foundation in Kyoto over 1,100 years ago. Named a World Cultural Heritage Site in 1994, the temple is a veritable treasury of Japanese Buddhist sculpture, scripture, esoteric paintings...
CULTURE / Art
Apr 11, 2001

Retrospective traces life of nihonga master

Nearly 40 years ago, Junsaku Koizumi went into a self-imposed exile from nihonga painting circles as part of his endeavor to create a new world of nihonga. He decided to "learn from objects (of art) rather than from people."
CULTURE / Art
Apr 11, 2001

How Italy taught the world to see

In many ways, Renaissance artists taught us how to see.
COMMENTARY
Apr 10, 2001

Reasons to thank Mr. Mori

Since he took office a year ago, Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori has seen his popularity nosedive as a result of a series of gaffes he committed. Now that he is set to resign in late April, let me review the role the Mori administration has played.
CULTURE / Art
Apr 4, 2001

Rare Tokyo excursion for Daigoji's treasures

The statue of Yakushi Nyorai, the principal image of Kyoto's Daigoji Temple and a national treasure, is on public show in Tokyo for the first time in 36 years, along with other art works from the temple.
CULTURE / Art
Apr 4, 2001

Face to face with Ishimoto

The face is a special part of the body that represents one's whole existence, but how is it approached by a photographer? Some photographers respect the face as an icon and carefully capture its dignity, while others challenge its privileged status. Yasuhiro Ishimoto does both.
CULTURE / Film
Mar 30, 2001

Howls of poets and poodles

Old beatniks may die, but it doesn't look like they'll fade away anytime soon. Nearly half a century since the Beat Generation's heyday, the artistic and philosophical legacy of the Beats remains a massive mother lode of countercultural inspiration. Chuck Workman's documentary "The Source" traces the...
CULTURE / Art
Mar 24, 2001

Art without frontiers that speaks to the soul

It is so easy to fail in abstract art, and so difficult to succeed in calligraphy.Yet Toko Shinoda has the rare ability to fuse both forms of expression, in paintings that strike to the heart. Her work may be severe, intense and personal, but it is not inscrutable. Rather, it is poetic, and speaks of...
COMMUNITY
Mar 18, 2001

For top U.K. ceramics, no need to see Cornwall

Koichiro Isaka was traveling with his wife in the south of England when he first became aware of a ceramic tradition. Like many Japanese, he knew the name Bernard Leach, who studied with Shoji Hamada in the early 1900s as part of Japan's folkloric revivalist movement and helped establish Mashiko as a...

Longform

Japan's growing ranks of centenarians are redefining what it means to live in a super-aging society.
What comes after 100?