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Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jul 17, 2018

Netflix shares tank after subscriber growth falls short and India foray faces rivals

Netflix Inc.'s subscriber growth fell short of Wall Street expectations on Monday, sending shares of the normally high-flying stock down 14 percent on fears that the company's expansion is slowing.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jul 16, 2018

Casinos in Japan: Tourist attractions or hotbeds of gambling addiction?

As the year's ordinary Diet session nears a climax this week, debate is heating up over a bill Prime Minister Shinzo Abe characterizes as key to his growth strategy: the so-called casino implementation legislation.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Jun 30, 2018

Explosions in the sky: Fireworks lie at the heart of summer in Japan

Is Japan "the best" at fireworks?
Japan Times
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Jun 24, 2018

In cartoon arms race against Japan, Chinese tech giants splash out

Growing up in the Chinese port city of Dalian in the 1990s, Zhang Hongchang spent hours immersed in Japanese cartoons like "Dragon Ball" and "Naruto."
Japan Times
CULTURE
Jun 14, 2018

Get ready for summer: Night pools, outdoor concerts and Pikachu armies

You know when you go on YouTube — or Spotify, or Netflix — and you’re faced with so many options for entertainment that you don’t know where to start? It can feel like that with Japanese summer festivals, too.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Jun 12, 2018

Late Edo Period villainy is captured in violent ukiyo-e prints

In the waning years of the Edo Period (1603-1868), a darkness seized hold of the public consciousness and bloody murders, acts of arson and sexual scandal were rampant. Well, at least in Japanese art.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 4, 2018

Sony backs maker of instrument that RZA and Grimes can't live without

Sony Corp.'s venture capital arm is backing Roli, the maker of digital musical instruments like the Seaboard that have attracted stars including Wu-Tang Clan rapper RZA and Canadian artist Grimes.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Jun 2, 2018

Fantasy island: Collaborative multimedia project in Nagasaki seeks to augment the natural world

A young girl's voice rings through the forest, drawing me further into the darkness. "Koko ni kite," the voice calls again in a whisper from the right, using a Japanese phrase that means "come this way."
JAPAN
Apr 27, 2018

Cabinet approval of casino bill welcomed in Osaka by politicians and international casino operators

The Cabinet's approval of a casino bill draws praise from Osaka politicians and casino moguls eager to open Japan's first legal gambling dens.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Apr 19, 2018

Iconic Shibuya 109 building launches ¥1.09 million design contest for new logo

The operator of a landmark shopping center in Tokyo's famed Shibuya district is holding a contest to design a new logo as it prepares for a fresh look.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
Apr 1, 2018

Tokyo Cowboys shoot for more diversity on Japanese screens

'We can't all be lost, drunk, rude gaijin (foreigners) on television and movies forever,' says Christopher McCombs of Tokyo Cowboys.
BUSINESS
Mar 9, 2018

Trump meets 'Doom' maker and other video game execs over violent content

U.S. President Donald Trump met on Thursday with the makers of popular video games "Grand Theft Auto" and "Doom" to discuss what the president believes is a link between video games and violent acts like last month's school shooting in Florida.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Mar 6, 2018

'Sarugaku Masks: Shaping the Culture of Noh'

March 10-June 3
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 6, 2018

Will China 'weaponize' social media?

Now that Russia has shown how cybertactics and informational subterfuge can upend established democracies, China will surely be taking some pages from the Kremlin's playbook.
Japan Times
CULTURE / TV & Streaming
Jan 31, 2018

1970s Japanese TV series 'Monkey' had a magic that has never been matched

The news that 'Monkey' has been remade by Australia's ABC in a co-production with TV New Zealand and Netflix is likely to cause those in the know to fan two fingers in front of their mouth, Monkey-style, to summon a flying cloud.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Jan 11, 2018

After 12-year wait, Sony relaunches robot dog Aibo to much fanfare

Sony Corp. relaunched the Aibo on Thursday, with fans expressing excitement at the second unleashing of the robot dog.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jan 10, 2018

'We Make Antiques!': A caper flick that's the genuine artifact

One of my guilty pleasures is watching "Kaiun! Nandemo Kanteidan," which translates loosely as "Get Lucky! The 'Anything Goes' Appraisal Team" in English. It has been airing on TV Tokyo since 1994 and has encouraged countless folks to unearth family treasures for inspection by expert appraisers. Quite...
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Dec 29, 2017

Here comes the sun: Recommended hatsuhinode spots

The first sunrise of the new year represents a chance for a new beginning and so it's hardly surprising that some once viewed the first rays of the sun on Jan. 1 with special reverence. It was believed to be the moment that Toshigami, god of the new year, descends from heaven and bestows happiness on...
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 20, 2017

Sexism sucks, but blame capitalism more

Most tragic cases of human underachievement are the direct result of economic discrimination.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Dec 19, 2017

Japan's theater world increasingly shed its insularities in 2017

Never mind those North Korean missiles that provide politicians with heaven-sent pretexts to posture. These days, everyone's talking about a boozy party held by Mongolian sumo wrestlers that turned violent reportedly because of a generational dispute over the arcane traditions of Japan's highly regimented...
Japan Times
CULTURE / CULTURE SMASH
Nov 26, 2017

Diana Garnet sings the praises of anime

It has become one of the most common questions I'm asked after talks at anime conventions in the United States: How can I get a job in the Japanese pop culture industry — not here, but in Japan?
Japan Times
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Nov 22, 2017

CBS News, PBS, Bloomberg sack Charlie Rose and drop shows after sex harassment allegations

CBS News and other networks said on Tuesday they had fired Charlie Rose, one of the most prominent American interviewers, the day after the Washington Post reported the television host had sexually harassed eight women.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / Sound Off
Nov 9, 2017

Former SMAP stars find freedom online

When a wrecking ball fell on and destroyed a car, I was hooked on a 72-hour live stream starring three former members of pop group SMAP.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Science & Health / A MATTER OF HEALTH
Sep 27, 2017

Role-playing video game helps fight against depression for counselor-shy Japanese

It's a role-playing video game that, like many of its kind, allows users to choose and customize their own avatars, including a hairstyle and clothing. Set in a medieval fantasy world, users build up power as their characters travel across "provinces," overcoming obstacles and challenges along the way....
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage / Backstage Pass
Sep 21, 2017

Theaters in Japan are increasingly looking at longer runs for their productions

As I turned the pages of a free magazine in London this summer, a picture of a beaming woman clutching a signed CD and program for the West End musical "Kinky Boots" caught my eye. She was a 27-year-old named Emily who'd seen the show 199 times in the past two years without ever being the least bit bored....
Japan Times
MORE SPORTS
Sep 17, 2017

Sports conference offers companies chance to help improve Japan's stadiums and arenas

We have witnessed Japanese athletes develop into global stars over the past 10, 20 years. But the country still has a long way to go in order to stand on an equal footing with the world's most advanced sports facilities.

Longform

Mamoru Iwai, stationmaster of Keisei Ueno Station, says that, other than earthquake-proofing, the former Hakubutsukan-Dobutsuen (Museum-Zoo) Station has remained untouched.
Inside Tokyo's 'phantom' stations — and the stories they tell