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JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Aug 24, 2010

Girl idol group about mass exposure, fans

AKB48 has taken the pop singing idol phenom and multiplied it into a mass-production, mass-marketing, mass presence affair.
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Aug 20, 2010

Films about Sen no Rikyu and wagashi could be your cup of tea

There's nothing sweeter than being introduced to a foreign culture than through tea and confectionary.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Aug 13, 2010

Radical director of porn and politics delivers yet again

Koji Wakamatsu is living proof that a lifelong rebel can thrive in Japan's go-along-to-get-along film industry. Today he is celebrated as not just another '60s survivor — he helped pioneer the pinku (pink, or soft porn) genre in that era, mixing in radical politics and experimental aesthetics with...
COMMENTARY
Aug 8, 2010

Let's talk about an attack on Iran

LONDON — When Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff and the highest-ranking American officer, was asked recently on NBC's "Meet the Press" show whether the United States has a military plan for an attack on Iran, he replied simply: "We do."
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Aug 6, 2010

With only a few new works a year, Ishinha is all about quality theater

Among all of Japan's many theater companies, the innovative Osaka- based Ishinha (Reformers), founded in 1970 by its current director Yukichi Matsumoto, has stood out consistently. While most companies eye their bottom line, pack their schedules with different productions and move to Tokyo to maximize...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Aug 6, 2010

'No One Knows About Persian Cats'

Persian cats may be the next cool thing, but don't be misled: We're not talking about the feline kind.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jul 30, 2010

Charismatic Chan makes 'Karate Kid' role his own

HOLLYWOOD — He's featured in more than 100 movies spanning six decades, holds the Guinness World Record for most stunts by a living actor, and has enjoyed a career as one of China's truly global superstars. And despite all this, Jackie Chan continues to dazzle audiences and critics alike — well,...
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Jul 29, 2010

The Diet thinks about cutting some calories

Minna no To threatens to shake up the Diet with legislation that reduces government salaries. Pity the fool that contests it.
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Jul 25, 2010

Savoring the wisdom of some Japanese predictions about Japan

FIRST IN A THREE-PART SERIES — I was 8 years old when we got our first television set, a 10-inch Admiral. That was in 1952, still early days for the new and exciting medium. It wasn't long before I was glued every week to my favorite program, "Criswell Predicts."
CULTURE / Books
Jul 11, 2010

Everything you always wanted to know about Japanese schoolgirls (but were afraid to ask)

Don't be put off by the overly busy — and, yes, overly kawaii — cover of "Japanese Schoolgirl Confidential."
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Jul 9, 2010

Music workshops to teach amateurs about instruments

A fun workshop for 100 music lovers will take place at the National Museum of Ethnology, Osaka, in the Expo Park in Suita City, Osaka, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. on July 11.
JAPAN
Jun 29, 2010

No regrets about exit: Fukushima

Social Democratic Party leader Mizuho Fukushima said she has no regrets about leaving the ruling coalition and will only consider returning if the Democratic Party of Japan rules out the Henoko coast as the relocation site for U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma in Okinawa.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art / INSIDE ART
Jun 25, 2010

Japan learns about itself from the outside

Corporate Japan's high-profile purchases of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist masterpieces during the bubble-economy in the late 1980s and early 1990s are generally seen as examples of senseless posturing. But imagine how those paintings — the ones that remain in this country, that is — would...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jun 25, 2010

It is safe to bank on this hard-boiled man

Eiji Okuda doesn't fit into any of the usual boxes for actors in Japan — or anywhere else for that matter. He's had his share of leading roles over a three-decade career, often as a world-weary cop or gangster, but he's not what the local industry considers a star.
Reader Mail
Jun 20, 2010

Scant teachings about human 'soul'

When it comes to the Catholic Church, Rowan Hooper evidently writes with a proverbial chip on his shoulder, as in his June 13 Natural Selections column, "Synthetic life zaps 'the soul.' " He forgets that the Catholic Church consists of human beings and that there are as many opinions as there are human...
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Jun 20, 2010

Drama about women ex-cons; comedians' managers tell all; CM of the week: Alsok

TBS offers a rare look at the lives of female ex-cons in the eighth episode of occasional drama series, "Joshi Keimusho Higashi Sangoto" ("Women's Prison East Number 3 Block"; Mon., 9 p.m.).
LIFE / Lifestyle
Jun 17, 2010

Don't be afraid to ask questions about giving birth in Japan

With women in Japan making inroads into various career fields and having more options to choose from, it's only natural that more of them are starting families in their late 30s or even in their 40s.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jun 11, 2010

From pretty-boy star to grizzled veteran

HOLLYWOOD — "My next movie is a sequel to the one I did where I play a guy trapped inside a video game," says Jeff Bridges, veteran of over 60 films.
JAPAN
Jun 9, 2010

Henoko residents harbor hopes and fears about new U.S. air base

NAGO, Okinawa Pref. — People in the Henoko district of Nago, Okinawa Prefecture, have mixed feelings about the planned relocation of U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma to their shores.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 8, 2010

It'd be wise to think about Japan

HONG KONG — U.S. President Barack Obama has so many things on his plate — including a spreading oil spill that threatens America's fisheries and wildlife, Democratic Party prospects in the midterm elections, the jobless recovery, repercussions of the financial crisis, relentless war in Afghanistan,...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Jun 8, 2010

Futenma divides Okinawa's expats

Peter Simpson had just left his students at Okinawa International University and was on his way home when a helicopter slammed into the campus administration building. That no one was killed or seriously injured in the crash was remarkable given that the three-story concrete building had to be demolished...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jun 4, 2010

'Koko no Mesu'

Hollywood once used permanent sets for the dozens of Westerns it cranked out annually — the frontier town, ranch house and corral all in one convenient location, built to last. I sometimes imagine something similar for Japan's endless procession of hospital dramas. They all seem to use one generic...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jun 4, 2010

Meisa gets high fives all round

Halfway through the first-ever Girls Award fashion show at Tokyo's Yoyogi National Stadium last month, 22-year-old Meisa Kuroki strides down the catwalk, glistening in a sleeveless gold dress and black stockings while delivering her pulsing dance tune "Shock."
BUSINESS / ANALYSIS
Jun 3, 2010

Resignation deepens unease about country's direction

Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama's surprise announcement that he is stepping down before the July Upper House election is likely to deepen uncertainty about Japan's politics and raise more concerns about its still fragile economic recovery, economists and analysts said Wednesday.

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