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Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Jun 23, 2015

Young British directors take Tokyo by storm — but why?

This year it's quite noticeable how many non-Japanese are directing plays in Tokyo — not frequent and famed visitors such as David Leveaux, Robert Lepage and Simon McBurney, but relative unknowns here making their debuts at two leading large commercial theaters that almost always feature Japanese dramatists....
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Jun 13, 2015

Sou Fujimoto's 'Architecture Works 1995-2015' prioritizes visuals over insight

All of architect Sou Fujimoto's projects to date are methodically presented in "Architecture Works 1995-2015." This is essentially a reference book, prefaced only by Fujimoto's one page introduction.
COMMUNITY / Issues / LAW OF THE LAND
Jun 7, 2015

Hey bureaucrats, leave those kids — and teachers — alone

To look at Japan's educational policy in action, you can't help but wonder if insularity and mediocrity might actually be the goal.
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Jun 1, 2015

E-textbooks to open digital can of worms

As the world goes digital, many schools are trying to introduce digital materials into the classroom to encourage studying and meet the needs of students' increasingly diverse needs.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
May 2, 2015

Dramatist brings citizens of all ages together

Public theaters across the country are holding significantly more community productions and workshops aimed at local residents who are looking to get involved in performance art.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Apr 27, 2015

These tips for Japanese mastery go out to the muddlers

When it comes to learning Japanese, most of us muddle through. This article is for the muddlers.
Japan Times
WORLD
Feb 27, 2015

British street artist Banksy takes aim at Gaza's privations

The eminent but anonymous British street artist known as Banksy has posted a minidocumentary on his website, banksy.co.uk, showing squalid conditions in the Gaza Strip six months after the end of the war between the enclave's Islamist Hamas rulers and Israel.
WORLD
Feb 18, 2015

Turkey to help U.S. train and equip Syrian opposition fighters

The United States and Turkey have reached a tentative agreement to train and equip moderate Syrian opposition fighters and expect to sign the pact soon, U.S. and Turkish officials said on Tuesday, with Ankara predicting a signing in days.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Feb 4, 2015

Malware targets users seeking info on Islamic State group

Sophisticated computer malware has been infecting computers when users visit certain blogs that discuss the Islamic State militant group.
CULTURE / Books
Jan 17, 2015

The City that Silk Built

Kyoto has long been generous to its writers, stretching from Murasaki Shikibu, with "The Tale of Genji," right through to Yukio Mishima, with "The Temple of the Golden Pavilion." The poet Matsuo Basho also penned several memorable haiku while decamped here.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Jan 5, 2015

The myths and misery of translating Japanese video games

Given ever-expanding access to the culture of Japan, people worldwide have many different reasons for studying the Japanese language these days. But I don't know if job opportunities for non-Japanese have expanded as rapidly. Many folks probably fall back on the same set of options as always: eigo kyōshi...
CULTURE / Books
Dec 27, 2014

The Strange Library

Haruki Murakami's "The Strange Library" is a short story, not a novel. So why, one might wonder, has it been published as a single volume? Reading the story, two answers suggest themselves. The first is that, though it is short — 58 loosely printed pages of text — Murakami manages to endow those...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Dec 20, 2014

Blowing the dust off Edo Period erotica

You always remember your first time.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design / ON: ARCHITECTURE
Nov 28, 2014

Hadid remains at the center of controversy

Exhibitions can have consequences, often unintended.
EDITORIALS
Nov 11, 2014

A step in the right direction

A long-awaited meeting between Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Chinese President Xi Jinping takes place in Beijing, but it's just the first step in restoring bilateral relations that have reached their lowest ebb since the two nations normalized diplomatic ties in 1972.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / OUR PLANET EARTH
Oct 25, 2014

Understanding the complex web of life

"Biodiversity provides the foundation on which all life depends, including human societies," writes Nik Sekhran in the opening pages of "Biodiversity for Sustainable Development," a captivating book released earlier this month by the United Nations Development Programme.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Oct 8, 2014

Who cares what Faust looks like

German contemporary theater has only begun to be introduced in Japan this century, before when the term "Western theater" was generally associated with works by British or American directors that told a story and diligently portrayed the psychological state of the characters.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital
Sep 27, 2014

The tricky path abroad for Japanese games

On the website Change.org, there is a petition addressed to Bandai Namco Games signed by 711 people, as of Sept. 25, that reads simply, "Bring 'God Eater 2' to North America and EU."
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / JAPAN WEB WATCH
Sep 13, 2014

Internet fraud takes a turn for the strange

Two widely reported Web stories this year have been related to online-services fraud. One concerns online banking, the other account-hacking on a smartphone messenger service.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / TELLING LIVES
Sep 7, 2014

Yoko and author's other furry friends help kids cope with childhood challenges

Rosemary Wells' stories — including a series about a Japanese kitten's experience at an American school — have been delighting children and adults alike around the world for over 40 years.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Aug 25, 2014

Arming yourself with the legal system's greatest weapon

For American lawyers accustomed to struggling with massive walls of law books and expensive database services, one of the great things about Japanese law is that it is so compact and accessible.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Jul 23, 2014

'Cuckoo's Nest' still flies in the face of oppression

Among the astonishing outburst of new American cinema in the 1970s, Milos Forman's multi-Oscar-winning "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" offered most Japanese moviegoers their first encounter with the peculiarly piercing eyes of Jack Nicholson, who played its central character, Randle P. McMurphy.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jul 16, 2014

Keikyu using new app for foreign visitors

Keikyu Corp., a major private railway serving the Tokyo area, began trial operations Wednesday for a service in which staff members use tablet computers to translate information for customers in 27 languages.
Japan Times
WORLD
Jul 10, 2014

Britain unveils emergency laws to keep email, phone data for security

Britain said on Thursday it would rush through emergency legislation to force telecoms firms to retain customer data for a year, calling the move vital for national security following a decision by Europe's top court.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jun 24, 2014

The electronic remains of Ursula Bogner

Ursula Bogner (1946-94) was a German pharmacist, wife and mother with a passion for the unfamiliar, which included electronic music.
CULTURE / Books
Jun 21, 2014

How a master circled the system

Favorites of today's museum-going public, the lushly colorful, sensuous and grotesque paintings of beautiful women by Tsuchida Bakusen (1887-1936) have long been written into the canon of nihonga (Japanese-style painting). It is easy to forget, however, just how transgressive Bakusen's images were at...

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