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Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Oct 16, 2008

Japan shines at Asia's top film festival

Acknowledged as the most important annual film event in Asia, Korea's Pusan International Film Festival (PIFF) opened its 13th edition on Oct. 2 under several clouds. The glittery opening ceremony, stuffed to the rafters with Korean celebrities, was more subdued this year owing to the same-day suicide...
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Oct 12, 2008

Ryu Murakami mistakes consumption for labor

A friend used to call TV Tokyo the "ramen and golf channel." He was referring to the station's penchant for programming centered on food shows and sponsored sports events, which don't cost as much to produce as drama series or celebrity- laden variety shows. However, the station's tightwad image was...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Oct 10, 2008

Juvenile court opens up for a day

Minors are usually tried in family courts behind closed doors, but in an effort to give the public a better understanding of how these cases are handled, the Tokyo Family Court this week showcased a mock juvenile trial.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Oct 5, 2008

Diet 'juniors' and Japan's politics of descent

One of the busiest people on TV right now is Daigo Naito, a 30-year-old who dresses and gesticulates like a rock star while speaking in the tones of a narcotized 16-year-old. Daigo isn't a comedian, though his droning delivery elicits laughs, and he's not really a rock star, though he did start his show...
BUSINESS
Oct 3, 2008

Nintendo's new DSi comes with a camera

Nintendo Co. unveiled a new version of the DS portable game machine Thursday that comes with a digital camera and an audio player.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Oct 2, 2008

Explosive new anime packed with surprises

'I was looking to do something different, but at the same time if it was too unique, it could fail," says Masayuki Miyaji, director of PlayStation Network's new anime series "Xam'd: Lost Memories." "But then if it fails, that might even be more fun."
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Oct 2, 2008

The gritty truths behind the image

A rising full moon against a twilight sky and a shimmer of pink on the surface of the sea. So far, so postcard. But this is no regular Japanese beauty spot. Just visible in the distance is a clutch of white chimneys jutting into the sky, offering a sinister clue to the location of the seemingly serene...
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Sep 24, 2008

USJ turnaround artist has all the moves

If asked to name the foreign business executive who has most dramatically turned around a financially troubled Japanese corporation, Glenn Gumpel might top the list.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / TAKING A CHANCE
Sep 23, 2008

Robot development takes a homeward turn

While Japanese robotics companies have made robots that look and move like human beings, the goal of making a society where human beings and robots interact in everyday life has remained out of reach.
CULTURE / Film
Sep 19, 2008

'Iron Man'

Hollywood likes big, loud comic-book movies and the critics mostly don't, and that's just the way life is, like cats and dogs, or cows and McDonalds. But lately the studio execs who package these "branded media products" are getting downright devious. They've always wanted these movies to be all things...
Japan Times
JAPAN / LETTERS FROM KOBE
Sep 11, 2008

Theater, stores cheered up locals

Fifth in a series
Japan Times
JAPAN
Sep 9, 2008

Foreign health officials tour facility

Thirteen foreign health care officials taking part in a training program in Japan took a tour Monday of Kaikaya, a day-care center operated by game maker Namco Ltd.in Yokohama, to experience entertainment-oriented care.
JAPAN
Sep 8, 2008

'Manga' viewed as vibrant info conduit

KYOTO — In Japan and other parts of Asia, "manga" comic books are not only escapist entertainment but also a powerful and effective medium to educate a broad range of people on important topics like environmental conservation and food safety.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Sep 7, 2008

Juliana's revival draws thousands

A legendary disco from the early '90s staged a one-day revival Saturday as hundreds of women dressed in sexy skin-tight outfits danced the night away in Tokyo's Ariake district to commemorate the glory days of Juliana's Tokyo.
COMMENTARY
Aug 29, 2008

Pioneers who pushed cinema into politics

MADRAS, India — When Indian Telugu film star K. Chiranjeevi entered politics recently in the south Indian state of Andhra, it merely affirmed a widely held belief that cinema and public affairs are firmly linked to each other. Chiranjeevi, who has acted in 138 movies, said it was the former state chief...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Aug 22, 2008

Seasoned J-pop duo ELT keep it positive

"When I'm walking beside her, people tell me I'm a lucky guy," sang John Lennon on the 1964 Beatles track "Every Little Thing." Sitting comfortably next to iconic lead singer Kaori Mochida of the band of the same name, guitarist Ichiro Ito has had 12 years to get used to such a feeling. However, he admits...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Aug 15, 2008

Another scorching Summer Sonic

Held simultaneously in Tokyo (well, Chiba's Makuhari Messe and Marine Stadium) and Osaka, Summer Sonic pulled a combined 190,000 music fans for a weekend of polite debauchery under a scorching sun on Aug. 9-10.
JAPAN
Aug 3, 2008

'Cosplay' contest draws hundreds

NAGOYA — Hundreds of people from across the world converged on Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture, on Saturday to march as characters from animated movies in the Osu Cosplay Parade.
COMMUNITY
Jul 26, 2008

Psychic travels world to save lives

Professor Jucelino Nobrega da Luz was 9 years old when he had a dream that scared him half to death.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Jul 22, 2008

Nation opens its eyes to audiobooks

Seen as a good way for busy people to catch up on their "reading" during commutes or on-the-job breaks, audiobooks are quickly becoming a fixture among time-pressed Japanese.
Japan Times
LIFE / WEEK 3
Jul 20, 2008

Fly fanboys in the living room

Parents the world over would surely prefer their children not to throw things about. It's just plain bad manners, among other things. But Atsushi Kikuchi, a serious-looking father of two boys, positively encourages it. And, he evenmaintains, his sons' ballistic behavior has produced considerable benefits...
JAPAN
Jul 19, 2008

Where to see fireworks displays this summer

It's that time of year again when fireworks color the sky on sultry summer nights.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jul 18, 2008

'Starship Troopers 3: Marauder'

The "Starship Troopers" franchise keeps scrabbling on, less due to public acclaim than the immutable logic that any science-fiction movie worth doing once is worth doing three times. There's something about trilogies — from Asimov or Tolkien perhaps — that just makes nerds feel complete. Fortunately...

Longform

Tetsuzo Shiraishi, speaking at The Center of the Tokyo Raids and War Damage, uses a thermos to explain how he experienced the U.S. firebombing of March 1945, when he was just 7 years old.
From ashes to high-rises: A survivor’s account of Tokyo’s postwar past