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Japan Times
BUSINESS
Aug 18, 2017

Blasts from the past: Japan's gaming classics get a retro revival

Nothing sells like nostalgia.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jul 11, 2017

Bad news for Japan's retailers as Chinese tourists cut back on buying

They're still coming in droves — but no longer buying in spades.
CULTURE / Stage
Jun 29, 2017

Broadway, the West End and ... Yurakucho? Alternative Theatre aims to create a new type of tourist attraction in Tokyo

The neighborhood surrounding Yurakucho Station isn't exactly starved for things to do. The Ginza is an area of intense competition for Tokyoites' leisure time, hosting countless bars, eateries and shops, as well as theaters dedicated to traditional kabuki and the famed all-female Takarazuka Revue.
ASIA PACIFIC
Jun 8, 2017

China closes 60 celebrity gossip social media accounts

China's cyberspace authorities have ordered internet companies to close 60 popular celebrity gossip social media accounts in the latest in a series of crackdowns on independent media.
Japan Times
WORLD
May 27, 2017

Britain's real-life 'Iron Man' has high hopes for jet suit

The British inventor of an "Iron Man"-style jet suit has lofty hopes that his project, which started out as fun experiment, could become a practical tool for industries ranging from entertainment to the military.
Japan Times
JAPAN
May 25, 2017

Revival-seeking rural Japan feels left out as casino plans favor major cities

Tokyo, Osaka and Yokohama are emerging as likely candidates for casino resorts under the government's new bidding framework, triggering criticism from smaller cities that say it undermines Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's goal of reviving rural areas.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Apr 22, 2017

Uncharted waters: exploring the untapped potential of Tokyo's waterways

If the color of the taxi I have boarded is anything to go by, I could be in New York or Chicago, maybe even Kolkata. Instead, this particular yellow cab is ferrying me around Tokyo and rather than vying for lane space with trucks, buses and passenger vehicles, it's chugging along some of the little-traversed...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Apr 19, 2017

Eco-blockbuster 'Deepwater Horizon' bypasses a bigger issue

With "Deepwater Horizon," Hollywood attempts the difficult maneuver of having its cake and eating it too. It's certainly possible to make a rabble-rousing liberal issue movie, and it's even easier to make any sort of film that involves lots of CGI explosions, but it's rare that a filmmaker gets the chance...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Mar 12, 2017

Noise outfit Endon takes a hard look at itself in the mirror

The term "noise music" has come to define a variety of artists and sounds, from guitar feedback to drones to white noise. Japan is certainly no stranger to the concept, birthing formidable pioneers of the genre such as Merzbow, Hijokaidan and Incapacitants over the years. However, singer Taichi Nagura...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Mar 11, 2017

'Japandemonium Illustrated: The Yokai Encyclopedias of Toriyama Sekien': Excavating Edo's ancient memes with the power of 'yokai'

Beginning with 2008's "Yokai Attack!," translators Hiroko Yoda and Matt Alt have been on a quest to bring an aspect of Japanese culture that has lurked in the shadows to the world at large.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 31, 2017

Sony to take writedown of ¥112 billion as movie business founders

Sony Corp. said it will take a ¥112 billion ($1 billion) writedown in its movie business after reviewing the future profitability of its operations.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jan 28, 2017

Publishing pioneer Kikuko Ireton introduced the world to Japanese film

Kikuko Ireton, who co-founded "Movie/TV Marketing," a pioneering English-language trade journal about the domestic film industry, died in Tokyo on Thursday from complications of pneumonia.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Jan 27, 2017

India snake charmers struggle to survive as tradition slowly dies out

Buti Nath flips the lid of a basket and a cobra slowly emerges. The deadly reptile begins to sway as Buti plays his gourd flute.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jan 24, 2017

'La La Land' leads Oscars race with 14 Academy Award nominations

“La La Land,” Lions Gate Entertainment Corp.’s film about star-crossed lovers trying to make it in the entertainment industry, was nominated for 14 Academy Awards, including best picture, tying for the most ever.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jan 20, 2017

'Your Name.' to be released with English subtitles

Makoto Shinkai's animated film "Your Name." continues to win over audiences in Asia, and now has its sights set on dominating North America, too.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jan 16, 2017

China shoppers ended 2016 on spending spree but headwinds seen brewing

Chinese consumers flocked to malls, restaurants and cinemas ahead of the year's biggest holiday season, highlighting the consumption power transforming the economy.
BUSINESS
Dec 29, 2016

Japan looks to Singapore for ideas as Diet debate over new casino law looms

What are the odds that the public can be convinced of the case for legalized casino gambling?
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 1, 2016

'Superhuman' slugger tops year's list of buzzwords

A superhuman effort on the baseball field inspired the top buzzword of the year, it was announced Thursday, in a contest that highlights social, political and entertainment trends.
CULTURE / Music / STRANGE BOUTIQUE
Oct 30, 2016

Mama's Tattoo event pushes women to write new narratives

Deep in Tokyo's indie music hub of Shimokitazawa, the twin venues of Three and Basement Bar often play host to some of the most diverse and offbeat expressions of Japan's underground music culture.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
Sep 21, 2016

Body image and the foreign female in Japan: survey shows frustration with one-size-fits-all thinking

Survey of nearly 600 women reveals that many feel society places pressure on them to meet narrow Japanese definition of beauty.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Sep 18, 2016

The Novembers have an 11th-hour (or 11th-year) rock epiphany

Yusuke Kobayashi, singer and guitarist of rock band The Novembers, is wearing a black Pink Floyd T-shirt and sipping a tea as I sit down to chat with him in a cafe in Tokyo's Ebisu neighborhood.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Sep 8, 2016

Colombian's memoir reveals deceptions that pulled her into Japan's sex trade in 1990s

Mother Marcela Loaiza tells tale of how she was lured to Tokyo for dance work only to wind up in the hands of the yakuza.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Sep 8, 2016

New PlayStation 4 models change life cycle of gaming consoles

Sony Corp. has released two new versions of its PlayStation 4: the PlayStation 4 Pro and a slimmer, more efficient version of the PlayStation 4.
Japan Times
CULTURE / TV & Streaming
Sep 3, 2016

Net TV in Japan: Full stream ahead?

As consumers move away from regular terrestrial TV toward online video content, it appears that the domestic TV industry itself needs to undergo its own paradigm shift.

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