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LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Nov 7, 2016

Strength and tradition draw women back to sumo world

Let's face it, where else are we going to watch a lot of large, near-naked men wrestle each other in a tiny dirt arena?
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Nov 5, 2016

Defining J-horror: Early encounters with the unhuman

The scene: It's night; someone is alone in a dimly lit room. There's an eerie stillness, a creeping anxiety. Then, behind them, you notice a strange shape: a hunched-over figure, lurking in a corner. It is standing deathly still. The head is obscured by what looks like tendrils of jet-black hair. A chill...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Nov 4, 2016

Tokyo's first Russian-style maid cafe

Twelve men sit in silence at a new cafe in Tokyo's Shinjuku district as three women dressed in Russian attire start serving a sour-looking plate of borscht.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 3, 2016

Brace for the ultimate Washington gridlock

News of another FBI review of Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton's emails may not change the outcome of the election. But it could poison a Clinton presidency.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 3, 2016

Japan quietly accepting foreign workers — just don't call it immigration

Send us your construction workers, your care givers, your store clerks — but for a limited time only.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Nov 1, 2016

Opposing today's rising intolerance

It has been a bumper year for chauvinism. Deplorables around the world who feel that their livelihoods, identities and values are under threat from "others" have let it be known that they're mad as hell and not going to take it anymore. If you don't think of yourself as being in the same basket as them,...
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / B. League
Nov 1, 2016

Kawasaki's Spangler adapting to B. League

Until this past spring, forward Ryan Spangler played in a crimson-colored jersey for the University of Oklahoma Sooners.
LIFE / Language / MORNING ENGLISH
Oct 31, 2016

Let's discuss Kaori Icho's People's Honor Award

Four-time Olympic gold medal-winning wrestler Kaori Icho was recently awarded the People's Honor Award.
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
LIFE / Style & Design
Oct 29, 2016

Amazon Fashion Week Tokyo: Womenswear collections shake up the system

The six days that constituted Amazon Fashion Week Tokyo from Oct. 17 to 22 featured a wide range of styles, from pop and punk inspirations to commercial and avant-garde creations. It was the first collection to be sponsored by Amazon and, while many wondered if the involvement of the online retailer...
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Oct 29, 2016

Could nuclear advocacy be Abe's undoing?

Voters have elected anti-nuclear governors in Kagoshima and Niigata prefectures in recent months. These elections can be considered referenda on nuclear power because that issue was the main focus of debate in both campaigns. The results have put Prime Minister Shinzo Abe — and his plans to rev up...
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design
Oct 29, 2016

Mina Perhonen: a natural-born style

Be it a dress, a teacup or a chair, there is something instantly recognizable about a Mina Perhonen creation. Perhaps it's the natural motifs, exquisite textiles and unexpected color combinations. Or maybe it's the nostalgia-tinged atmosphere paired with clean-lined contemporary silhouettes.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Oct 29, 2016

Are Japanese really 'docile'?: challenging an enduring myth

A common perception abroad is that Japanese society is docile. This is partly thanks to Western writers who tried to create a single profile of the Japanese in the early to mid-20th century, such as Ruth Benedict in her 1946 book "The Chrysanthemum and the Sword." Today, this dangerous myth of consensus...
JAPAN
Oct 27, 2016

Prince Mikasa, a China war veteran who spanned three reigns, dies at 100

The prince, the oldest member of the Imperial family, was the youngest brother of Emperor Hirohito, posthumously known as Emperor Showa.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Oct 26, 2016

Japan scores tragic own goal

The Abe government's position on 'comfort women' is damaging Japan's international reputation and playing into China's hands.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Oct 26, 2016

The digital age of relationships and filmmaking

Shunji Iwai has long stood on ambivalent terrain. To Western audiences he's known as a prolific and brilliant auteur, but without the overseas cachet of others such as Takeshi Kitano. To his fans in Japan, he's viewed as the spokesman for the socially conscious hipster — the one director who manages...
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 25, 2016

Bollywood jingoism rebounds against India

In its long-running battle with neighboring Pakistan, India's in danger once again of shooting itself in the foot.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Oct 24, 2016

Ex-SDF officer believed responsible for blast in Tochigi posted warnings on social media

Toshikatsu Kurihara had been posting online messages about family troubles and warned of a desperate move.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Oct 24, 2016

Tokyu to build two more skyscrapers in Shibuya over next two years

Tokyo's bustling Shibuya district is set to get new high-rise building complexes and a riverside promenade with open cafes and squares over the next couple of years, according to new images unveiled by Tokyu Corp. on Monday.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Oct 24, 2016

Whenever you meet katakana, expect the unexpected

A second dive into some of the many ways the katakana syllabary is put to use when writing Japanese.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital
Oct 23, 2016

YouTube channel Life Where I'm From explores Japan from a kid's perspective

Greg Lam's YouTube channel Life Where I'm From started one morning with a simple idea.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 23, 2016

Bob Dylan and the wind of literary idiocy

The 'Bard of Hibbing' is a poetico-musical revolution in one man and one body of work. It is this tour de force that the Nobel committee has recognized in its selection.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Oct 22, 2016

Taiji's dolphin hunters have a new voice

It's not often a documentary is made in response to another documentary, but this year two movies have addressed the 2009 Oscar-winning documentary "The Cove," which was about the capture and killing of wild dolphins in Taiji, Wakayama Prefecture. First-time filmmaker Keiko Yagi's "Behind the Cove" came...
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 22, 2016

Universities should stop coddling students

Universities have many missions, but becoming safe spaces for faculty and student juvenility is not among them.

Longform

In 2020, 38% of all households were single-person. That figure is projected to rise to 44.3% by 2050.
The rise of AI companionship in a lonely Japan