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Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Jun 9, 2015

'Beauty of the Spirits': What lurks behind masks of mankind

"Masks: Beauty of the Spirits" comes from the Musee du Quai Branly, an institution that former President Jacque Chirac spearheaded toward the end of his long reign. Opened in 2006 to both fanfare and controversy, the Paris museum's stated mission is to celebrate the masterpieces of non-European countries...
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...
Japan Times
JAPAN / CHUBU CONNECTION
Jun 8, 2015

Toyota museum breaking records as tourists flock to Nagoya

A museum dedicated to the history of Toyota Motor Corp. is attracting so many foreign visitors that attendance has set a new all-time high.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Jun 6, 2015

War and peace on Okinawa's Iejima Island

Beside their coastlines, there are other insistent geographical features that identify islands. In Okinawa, there is the great escarpment of Tindahanata on Yonaguni-jima Island, while Ishigaki Island has the strangely occult form of Mount Maapee, shaped like a sorcerer's hat.
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Jun 6, 2015

History is harsh unless you erase it

On his visit to the United States in April, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe addressed Congress and told them: "History is harsh. What was done cannot be undone."
COMMUNITY / How-tos / HOME TRUTHS
Jun 6, 2015

Watch out for hidden hazards of buying land

When we were looking for property we consulted topographical maps prior to checking a particular piece of land in person. Understanding the elevation of a plot is important if you're buying land near the coast or along a river. In the event of flooding or a tsunami, it's obviously better to be located...
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Jun 5, 2015

Analysis of a Japanese princess; the eternal struggle of the left-handed; CM of the Week: Uniqlo

Knowing about Japan's Imperial Family is considered very important, which is why the Broadcasting Ethics and Program Improvement Organization is recommending young people watch the two-hour special, "Nippon no Princess Monogatari" ("The Story of Japanese Princesses"; Fuji TV, Tues., 7 p.m.).
JAPAN
Jun 5, 2015

Celebrities promote prisoners' handicrafts

A two-day exhibition that started Friday at Tokyo's Science Museum provides a glimpse at efforts being made at prisons nationwide to help inmates return to society through handicraft skills.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL
Jun 5, 2015

Tokashiki earns spot with the Seattle Storm

Japan ace Ramu Tokashiki has made the Seattle Storm's opening-day roster, the WNBA club announced Thursday.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / HOTELS & RESTAURANTS
Jun 4, 2015

Kyu Karuizawa Hotel re-opening; lunch at the Century Southern Tower; ANA offers taste of South America

Kyu Karuizawa Hotel re-opening
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 4, 2015

Success of Doraemon film in China reflects thaw in ties with Japan: expert

The success of a Japanese animation film recently released in China reflects a thaw in relations between the two nations as Beijing opens up to cultural exchanges, according to a Japan-based expert on the communist country.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 2, 2015

Job growth missing from China's economic rise

China's focus on industrialization explains why its economic miracle has created relatively few new jobs.
Japan Times
JAPAN / CHUBU CONNECTION
Jun 1, 2015

Home for aging guide dogs, owners in works

The Chubu Guide Dog for the Blind Association based in Nagoya is working to build the nation's first intensive care nursing home where elderly people and retired guide dogs can live together.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / BACKSTREET STORIES
May 30, 2015

Flora, fauna and fellows on the river

With summer's heat punching in early this year, I'm already angling for riverside relief. I trundle down to Ota Ward's Rokugodote, the southernmost train station in Tokyo's 23 wards, and a stone's throw from the Tamagawa (Tama River). The 138-km-long Tamagawa, which in this location divides Tokyo from...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
May 29, 2015

Def Tech celebrates 10 years and taps into a Hawaiian vibe on 'Howzit!?'

Def Tech's Yuki "Micro" Nishimiya and Shenan "Shen" Brown greet me with an "Aloha" as I walk into their small office in Harajuku to discuss their 10th anniversary and new album, "Howzit!?"
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
May 29, 2015

Pirokalpin gets a taste of the majors and opts for indie

Getting signed to a major label is a goal many bands aspire to, but what happens when your contract ends halfway through the making of your sophomore LP? You start your own label and put it out yourself.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EMBASSY AVENUE
May 28, 2015

Central American Film Festival in Tokyo

Scenes and stories of contemporary Central America will be shared through films in Tokyo next week.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
May 28, 2015

Taicoclub gets bigger with new stages

Taicoclub, the electronic-music event that unofficially marks the beginning of Japan's music festival season, is expanding this year to include a stage sponsored by Red Bull Music Academy.
LIFE / Travel / HOTELS & RESTAURANTS
May 28, 2015

Rainbow spas at Hotel Nikko Tokyo; Feast Hawaiian-style at the Imperial; Fireworks buffet at ANA Crowne Plaza

Rainbow spas at Hotel Nikko Tokyo
Japan Times
JAPAN / CHUBU SPECIAL 2015
May 27, 2015

New shinkansen line to cement Nagoya’s status as business hub

The Chubu region refers to the central part of Japan, and at its heart is the city of Nagoya. With a population total of over 2.26 million, Nagoya has played a vital role over the years as the core of central Japan's economy. Its importance will further increase when operations begin on the Linear Chuo...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
May 26, 2015

'Newcomer,' 56, wins Kishida

Named after a prominent early 20th-century playwright, author and translator, and presented annually by the Hakusuisha publishing house since 1955, the Kishida Kunio Drama Award is indisputably Japan's top honor for writers of plays premiered the year before.
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
May 25, 2015

UNESCO faces Japan's legacy of forced labor in heritage bid

News earlier this month that a UNESCO advisory panel had recommended putting Japanese sites from the Meiji industrial revolution on the World Heritage list excited the public, especially residents near the sites who campaigned for the honor.
Japan Times
JAPAN / CHUBU CONNECTION
May 25, 2015

Gifu lanterns get remake to showcase artisanal brands

Several cities in Gifu Prefecture are collaborating to create "Made in Gifu" andon lanterns that showcase special crafts dear to each one, from Mino's Honminoshi paper products to the Tono region's Minoyaki pottery, used to make the base.
BASKETBALL
May 24, 2015

Murry named MVP after fourth-quarter heroics

Hamamatsu Higashimikawa Phoenix guard Nile Murry carried his team in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s bj-league championship game.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
May 23, 2015

Don't build castles in the air, go see Ehime Prefecture's real ones

I'm more than happy to start my day off on a literal high point, but as we tackle the steep incline up to Matsuyama's hilltop castle, I am beginning to doubt our chosen method of arrival.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
May 23, 2015

The changing face of Tokyo's 'red-light' district

"How would I describe Kabukicho? Frankly, I'm not sure," popular author Hirokatsu Azuma was quoted as saying in the now-defunct monthly Gendai magazine back in January 1999. "If you say it's a scary place, you could be right; and if you say it's a place where you can have fun, well, that's right too."...

Longform

After pandemic-era border regulations eased, Indian migrants began returning to Japan. Their population now stands at more than 50,000 across the country.
How remote work is rewriting the migrant experience in Japan