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Japan Times
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / 'Terrace House Tokyo 2019-2020' Recaps
Jan 10, 2020

Ep. 28 'Starving for Affection'

This week's episode of "Terrace House" was all about love — showing it, fighting for it and accepting it — and it marked quite a change from previous kitchen table talks that revolved around mundane topics like Instagram or making carbonara.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
Jan 4, 2020

Predicting Japan's digital trends of the next decade

Last year was all about looking back. Between the end of the Heisei Era (1989-2019) and the decade coming to a close, people appeared to go to extra lengths to reflect on the recent and not-so-recent past (this column included). Now that we’ve entered 2020, though, it’s time to leave the highlights...
Japan Times
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / 'Terrace House Tokyo 2019-2020' Recaps
Dec 27, 2019

Ep. 27 'I Can't Be Here'

Last episode, we were bombarded with new roommates joining the house, and now it's time to see how Vivi, Tupas and Kai are settling in. It's clear that everyone loves Vivi, and who can blame them? Well, everyone but Hana, probably, because that ray of sunshine is after her man.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage / 2019 in Review
Dec 20, 2019

The year that musicals took on Japanese stages

While song and dance kept audiences flocking to theaters in Japan in 2019, the non-musical side was kept afloat by established dramatists rather than new faces
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film / 2019 in Review
Dec 19, 2019

2019 saw just a few glimmers of hope in an otherwise mediocre year for Japanese film

The year predictably saw new iterations of long-running anime favorites top the box office, but the year's truly interesting films lay much further down the financial rankings.
Japan Times
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / 'Terrace House Tokyo 2019-2020' Recaps
Dec 13, 2019

Ep. 25 'The Girls Can't Do It'

Part 3 of "Terrace House Tokyo 2019-2020" is not messing around. The most recent episode was filled to the brim with surprising moments and it's hard to know what to expect in the weeks ahead.
Japan Times
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / 'Terrace House Tokyo 2019-2020' Recaps
Nov 29, 2019

Ep. 24 'Pink Rose'

This week's episode of 'Terrace House' treated us to two roommate pairings, two dates and two very different outcomes.
Japan Times
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / 'Terrace House Tokyo 2019-2020' Recaps
Nov 22, 2019

Ep. 23 'Friendship Between Men and Women'

I propose a very low-stakes drinking game for watching the recent episodes of "Terrace House" — you'll probably be parched by the end credits, though. Whenever Ruka appears on screen, take a sip of your beverage of choice. His appearances have become so rare lately that he's basically making cameos...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / 2010S: DECADE IN REVIEW
Nov 15, 2019

Through scandal and stellar sales, AKB48 dominated the past decade in Japan

Do you know the songs? 'Heavy Rotation,' 'Gingham Check,' 'Ponytail to Shushu' .... Even if you don't, you're likely aware of the sales model that AKB48 has exported to the rest of the world.
JAPAN
Nov 8, 2019

Japan's rugby, disasters and social change generate buzzwords in 2019

The 2019 Rugby World Cup, natural disasters and cashless payment inspired a large portion of the nominations for the annual buzzword of the year awards.
Japan Times
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / 'Terrace House Tokyo 2019-2020' Recaps
Nov 8, 2019

Ep. 21 'Too Shy Girl'

Hold on, are we watching "Terrace House" or a spinoff of "The Bachelor"? Because it looks like everyone is receiving a rose this week, as Haruka, Emika and Hana — who all have flower kanji in their names (hence the previous episode's title "The Third Flower") — come clean about their respective crushes....
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Nov 8, 2019

'Dr. Hoffmann's Sanatorium': Delving deep into the weird world of Kafka

Playwright Kazumi Kobayashi, better known as Keralino Sandorovich, unveils his latest play, in which a fictional discovery of a lost Franz Kafka novel is made
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society / The Argument: Casinos
Oct 30, 2019

Casinos are misunderstood and a needed part of destination resorts

As a longtime member of a nonpartisan group of lawmakers promoting integrated resorts, my basic stance is to promote the introduction of IRs as a whole, rather than casinos alone.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 29, 2019

Sony records strongest Q2 profit as image sensor demand offsets slide in gaming earnings

Sony Corp. on Wednesday said operating profit jumped 16 percent in its strongest-ever result for a second quarter, as robust sales of image sensors offset a tumble in earnings from its gaming division.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Oct 21, 2019

Aussie newspapers protest state media restrictions in rare show of unity

Australia's biggest newspapers ran front pages on Monday made to appear heavily redacted as a protest against legislation that restricts press freedoms, a rare show of unity by the usually partisan media industry.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHY DID YOU LEAVE JAPAN?
Oct 5, 2019

Popra Nakayama: Diversity works in the U.S.

Not satisfied with just one genre of performance, Popra Nakayama finds the U.S. a great place to branch out into singing, dancing and even martial-arts action film acting.
Japan Times
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / 'Terrace House Tokyo 2019-2020' Recaps
Oct 4, 2019

Ep. 17 'This is Not a Place to Slack'

The latest episode of "Terrace House" was like a cup of hot cocoa: sweet, heartwarming and the perfect thing to lull me into a peaceful frame of mind.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / DARK SIDE OF THE RISING SUN
Oct 4, 2019

Rip-off bars are taking advantage of Japan's tourism boom

With the number of foreign tourists to Japan increasing by the year, authorities are warning visitors to steer clear of so-called rip-off bars.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / BLACK EYE
Sep 30, 2019

Say bad thing, read boilerplate apology: Japan, we can do better

A joke about her skin hasn't bothered Naomi Osaka, but there are broader ramifications from such kind of comedy.
Japan Times
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / 'Terrace House Tokyo 2019-2020' Recaps
Sep 27, 2019

Let's talk about the best dates on 'Terrace House Tokyo 2019-2020' so far

While we not-so-patiently wait for the next episode of "Terrace House Tokyo 2019-2020" to become available, we decided to pass the time by listing some of the best date locations the housemates have ventured to so far. From gardens to fireworks shows to golf, here are our top spots from the first 16...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media
Sep 22, 2019

How virtual streamers like Kizuna Ai became Japan's biggest YouTube attraction

Kizuna Ai, the most popular streamer in Japan, is an anatomically exaggerated, perpetually adolescent girl in frilly thigh-high socks and a pink hair ribbon. She's also an entirely virtual character, given life by the actions and voice of an invisible actress.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Sep 14, 2019

U.S. sanctions North Korean hackers for Swift hack, WannaCry and other cyberattacks that fund its weapons programs

The U.S. sanctioned three North Korean state-sponsored groups that it says were responsible for hacking the Swift interbank messaging system and a ransomware attack called WannaCry 2.0 that crippled Britain's National Health Service and Renault SA factories across Europe.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Sep 3, 2019

The Royal Opera's Vittorio Grigolo is on a mission to bring opera to the masses

Forget its reputation as art for the culturally elite. If Italian superstar tenor Vittorio Grigolo has his way, modern opera will soon take its place as pure entertainment for the masses.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Crime & Legal
Aug 29, 2019

Top K-pop producer Yang Hyun-suk questioned by police over gambling and prostitution

The music producer behind some of South Korea's biggest K-pop stars was questioned by police on Thursday in connection with an investigation into illegal gambling and prostitution that has rocked the music industry.
PODCAST / deep dive
Aug 28, 2019

Episode 21: The death of Johnny Kitagawa, J-pop's puppet master

On this week's episode we discuss the life and recent death of Johnny Kitagawa, the secretive mega mogul behind some of Japan's biggest music acts.

Longform

The byzantine process for converting a foreign driver’s license into a Japanese one entails mountains of paperwork and significant stamina — unless you're a lucky license holder from a country or region where these requirements are waived.
Driving in Japan isn’t hard. Getting the license is.