Search - life

 
 
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Oct 4, 2018

The experiment continues on Kyoto's stages

The #MeToo movement has been gaining momentum in Japan over the past year, though its impact on public life hasn't been anywhere near as strong as in other countries. Still, the efforts of journalists such as Shiori Ito and BuzzFeed's Keiko Kojima have helped bring social justice issues to new ears in...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Oct 3, 2018

When Ami Yamasaki begins to sing, brooks, birds and barks emerge

I first heard Ami Yamasaki's voice in 2016 at a studio where I hosted a radio show in New York. She popped by to promote an upcoming performance at the Japan Society with composer Mamoru Fujieda, koto player Kayoko Nakagawa and shō (free reed mouth organ) player Ko Ishikawa.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 1, 2018

Where ruining people is still considered sport

There are three human desires that are difficult to control in life that can ruin your family and yourself: power, wealth and sex.
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Sep 29, 2018

Few question the death penalty for heinous crimes

Should murderers be put to death? Yes, says Japan. No, says (increasingly) much of the rest of the world. Japan swims against the current.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 23, 2018

Stop talking about innovation and act

Japanese waste too much time talking about innovation instead of risking failure and blazing new trails.
Japan Times
TENNIS
Sep 13, 2018

New star Naomi Osaka arrives in Tokyo to hero's welcome

It was March and Naomi Osaka had just won the biggest match of her life, fulfilling the promise that many pundits had long foreseen.
Japan Times
WORLD
Sep 13, 2018

Slamming the door: How Trump restricted U.S. refugee program

On Jan. 19, 2017, Aden Hassan's long wait to start a new life ended when he stepped off a plane in Columbus, Ohio, half a world away from the Kenyan refugee camp where he had lived for a decade.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Sep 12, 2018

Hokkaido quake throws lives of small town's residents into chaos

Evacuees from the town of Abira face ongoing uncertainty as they grapple with losses caused by the magnitude 6.7 earthquake that struck Hokkaido on Sept. 6.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Sep 11, 2018

The painterly prayers of Higashiyama

Kaii Higashiyama's best-known works are often called 'quintessentially Japanese landscapes,' but they were also examples of the artist's conservative dialogue with European and American abstraction.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHY DID YOU LEAVE JAPAN?
Sep 8, 2018

Koki Nakano: Notes on moving to France

Fukuoka-born pianist Nakano takes classical music to new heights in Paris
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Sep 5, 2018

Ryusuke Hamaguchi's Cannes submission tackles the difficulties of relationships

It has been more than two decades since Takeshi Kitano, Naomi Kawase, Kiyoshi Kurosawa and Hirokazu Kore-eda began collecting major festival invitations and prizes as the leaders of Japanese cinema's 1990s new wave. Since then younger directors have struggled to crack this "4K" establishment to gain...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Sep 5, 2018

Secret to Japanese couple's 80 years of marriage — wife's patience

Japan is known for its abundance of centenarians and can now lay claim to having the world's oldest living married couple, with a combined age of 208 — a feat the wife credits to her patience during 80 years of marriage.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Sep 4, 2018

'Swimming With Sharks': A horrible boss is truly universal

The lobby of the Setagaya Public Theatre in Tokyo teemed with women on Sept. 1, each eager to see Kei Tanaka in action. The 34-year-old actor — and judging by the buzz in the lobby, bona fide dreamboat — recently captured hearts in "Ossan's Love," a TV Asahi rom-com in which he played a cute gay...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
Sep 2, 2018

Japan according to Don Maloney: Still amusing and relevant, mostly, 40 years on

Irreverent accounts of an American businessman in the 1970s in Tokyo hold up surprisingly well today.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / TELLING LIVES
Aug 29, 2018

Wanting to make a difference, Bolivia-born Noemi Inoue turned Japanese and entered politics

Shocked by gender inequality and wanting to do something about it, Noemi Inoue decided to naturalize and stand for her local council.
LIFE / Language / NEWS IN NIHONGO
Aug 27, 2018

Diary entry shows late Emperor's anguish over war responsibility

The diaries of the late Chamberlain Shinobu Kobayashi from 1987, when Emperor Showa was 85 years old, reveal how the Emperor was troubled by his war responsibilities.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Aug 25, 2018

The efforts of Japan's first female doctor are worth remembering

Ginko Ogino deserves to be better known — especially now.
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
Aug 16, 2018

An Antipodean friendship fortified in Japanese floodwaters the color of 'Australian beer'

After his own rescue, one Kiwi resident of flooded Kurashiki, Okayama Prefecture, returned to the rising waters to look for his Aussie friend's stranded family.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / NBA
Aug 14, 2018

Thunder superstar Russell Westbrook delivers inspiration in Tokyo visit

Russell Westbrook brought smiles to enthusiastic fans' faces on a festive Tuesday morning in Tokyo.
LIFE / Lifestyle
Aug 11, 2018

Unsolved mysteries: Japanese fans of the occult are engaged in a never-ending search for the truth

Whether it's tales of hauntings, spirits or paranormal phenomena, Yuki Yoshida loves a good scare.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / THE HIGH GROUNDS
Aug 11, 2018

Tokyo cafes serve up coffee with a side of cyclo-tourism

Although Tokyo's nascent cycling tourism sector is ostensibly aimed at inbound tourists, 'cycle cafes' are designed to create sustainable communities by combining coffee and culture.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Aug 9, 2018

Towa Tei goes deep on death and puns

Towa Tei has mortality on his mind.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Aug 7, 2018

Mission: Accomplished — Simon Pegg's path to blockbuster stardom

Last week the "Mission: Impossible" franchise saw its biggest opening ever — $61.2 million — with the release of its sixth film, "Fallout." The action blockbuster's first installment hit screens in 1996, and for more than 20 years the series has served to showcase the gravity-defying acrobatic abilities...
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Aug 4, 2018

Wheels that keep on rolling: Honda's diminutive Super Cub celebrates its 60th anniversary

Soichiro Honda's diminutive motorbike is more than just a reliable machine — it's a veritable phenomenon. After selling more than 100 million units worldwide over the past six decades, the ageless Cub just keeps on rolling.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jul 30, 2018

Is Japan finally turning away from coal?

Some Japanese financial institutions have started the race to move beyond coal in Asia.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Jul 28, 2018

Old photos illuminate a Japan now 'lost'

In 'Lost Japan,' Rosella Menegazzo brings talented daguerreotype photographer Felice Beato and his previously overlooked photos of daily life in Meiji Era Japan into the foreground.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / The Big Questions
Jul 22, 2018

Tata Consultancy CEO's latest multinational foray

In the world of business, any metaphorical reference to games — gambling games, at that — might seem less than ideal.
Japan Times
CULTURE / CULTURE SMASH
Jul 22, 2018

Motherhood in modern anime

'I still feel the loneliness of being hikikomori. Maybe I'm successful, maybe not. I can't tell. But I still feel the loneliness. The only difference now is that I can express my loneliness, my pain, and all those feelings in my writing. They don't go to waste.' — Screenwriter, author and anime director Mari Okada
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Jul 21, 2018

Learning to live with a vulnerability to violent actions

Nature bursts its bounds. People seethe and erupt.

Longform

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