Search - culture

 
 
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Oct 9, 2000

Japan shattered stereotypes in the '60s

ANGURA: Posters of the Japanese Avant-Garde, by David G. Goodman, with a foreword by Ellen Lupton. New York: Princeton Architectural Press, 1999, 92 pp., 90 color plates, 17 b/w, $19.95. The 1960s was a time of extraordinary creativity in the arts in Tokyo. As Alexandra Munroe has said, it was "undoubtedly...
Japan Times
Special Supplements / Hiroshima G7 Summit Special
May 19, 2023

Keeping dignity and diversity relevant in a turbulent world

Located in Yagoto in eastern Nagoya,  Nanzan University opened its doors immediately following the end of World War II with the goal of providing language education to assist the Japanese in building a presence on the international stage. What missionary Rev. Aloysius Pache started as the College of...
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design
May 13, 2023

In the world of tatami, one Kyushu variety is a cut above

Shichitōi rushes can be difficult to harvest and weave, but many consider them the superior ingredient for unparalleled tatami.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 28, 2023

Tackling taboos: Japanese university club teaches Ainu traditions

Students at Sapporo University are able to learn the Ainu language, dance, and crafts, as well as about traditional food and hunting culture.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Dec 5, 2022

Forget 'Cool Japan,' just make it your Japan

'Cool Japan' ambassador and critic Benjamin Boas reimagines efforts to promote the nation's brand abroad in his new book, “From u2018Cool Japan' to u2018Your Japan.'”
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Nov 27, 2022

Stephanie Crohin: 'Public baths are a force for good when it comes to body positivity'

When you enter a public bath, you leave your phone in a locker and the outside world behind. It's like stepping into a new world, and Stephanie Crohin is your ambassador.
Japan Times
JAPAN / History / THE LIVING PAST
Jun 19, 2022

How the Jewish community found a home in Japan

A bestseller from 1970 compares and contrasts two peoples more different than alike, and yet both sharing a sense of uniqueness.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Apr 7, 2022

Helping Hollywood avoid claims of bias is now a growing business

Studios are signing up consultants to help make sure their movies or shows don't raise any cultural red flags.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World / Geoeconomic Briefing
Apr 5, 2022

The real reason behind China’s repression of ethnic minorities

Beijing officially recognizes 56 ethnic groups, but their treatment has been far from equal over the past decades.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Dec 30, 2021

How will China change under Xi Jinping’s 'common prosperity?' Citizens respond.

Comments from up-and-coming voices in some key areas of the economy were broadly optimistic, but many Chinese people feel much less upbeat about the future.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Nov 12, 2021

The limitations of audio-visual translation in shows like ‘Squid Game’

Entertainment translation is a constant juggling act, and viewer criticisms are sometimes made with a lack of understanding of how translation for subtitles and dubbed overlay work.
Japan Times
CULTURE / TV & Streaming
Oct 11, 2021

Netflix hit show 'Squid Game' spurs interest in learning Korean

Duolingo reported a 76% rise in new users signing up to learn Korean in Britain and 40% in the United States over the two weeks following the show's premiere.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Oct 2, 2021

Netflix drama prompts a new look at SDF bullying

A South Korean drama alerts Japan to problems in the country's military, but some say Japan doesn't have to look abroad for such kinds of behavior.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Sep 23, 2021

Library named after alum Haruki Murakami at Tokyo's Waseda University

The university will open the Waseda International House of Literature, also known as the Murakami Haruki Library, on Oct. 1 at its campus in Tokyo.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Sep 20, 2021

Xi’s celebrity crackdown no match for Universal Studios in China

A commentary published widely in state-run media last month warned against 'fan culture” and 'worshiping Western culture.”
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Sep 3, 2021

China cracks down on showbiz for 'polluting' society and youth

Beijing's latest moves come in the wake of celebrity scandals, but also targets entertainment portraying 'effeminate' behavior and other content deemed 'warped.'
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society / Regional Voices: Hokkaido
Jun 28, 2021

Discrimination and inertia slow use of Ainu grants, two years after launch

The first law recognizing the Ainu ethnic minority as an Indigenous people took effect in May 2019, with that legislation designed to protect and promote their culture through subsidies.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Oct 28, 2020

He was a rising jazz pianist from Tokyo. Then his NYC dreams were shattered.

He came to New York from Tokyo to make it as a jazz musician, and he did, landing gigs in several touring bands and leading a trio of his own. He was elegant but never flashy on the piano, always well prepared and on time.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Sep 12, 2020

'The Japanese Sake Bible': Sake production is 'a business that's all about families'

“The Japanese Sake Bible” delves deep into the history and culture of Japan's national drink, as well as the stories of the people who make it.
Japan Times
WORLD
Sep 4, 2020

Race against rain to save historical homes of Beirut

Built in 1920, the house that Riad Asad’s family has called home for decades outlasted 15 years of civil war but took what could be a fatal blow in last month's mammoth, port-side explosion.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Jul 23, 2020

Staying real for the sake of art: Museums and festivals proceed with caution

Japan's artistic institutions stress the importance of in-person exhibitions and events after months of closures and COVID-19-related fears.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHY DID YOU LEAVE JAPAN?
May 11, 2020

Yuriko Kotani embraces Britain’s penchant for irony and dark comedy

Standup comedian's comparisons of Japan and the United Kingdom have not only have delighted English-speaking audiences across the world, they have also helped her embrace her identity.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / How-tos
May 11, 2020

How the coronavirus widens a cultural divide

If you'd like your Japanese colleagues to come around to your way of thinking, you'll need to convince them in a way that's common in the culture.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Feb 29, 2020

Staying in style: Tokyo's best and brightest hostels

Hostels are no longer on the lower rung of the accommodation ladder. Tokyo's burgeoning hostel scene is brimming with new additions, from the cutting-edge to the repurposed and timeless.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / The Big Questions
Jan 19, 2020

New opportunities sown from the need to evolve

Having lived in Japan since 2002, Nicolas Floquet feels integrated and comfortable in this country he considers home.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Jan 11, 2020

Yuko Kikuchi: Celebrating Japan's hybridity

As a professor of art and design, Yuko Kikuchi has some surprising things to say about mingei (Japanese folk art).
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Oct 13, 2019

Japan's love of the hanky is nothing to be sneezed at

Whether plain, screen printed, embroidered or even lacey, the humble hanky is virtually forgotten in the West. So why is it in Japan, very few will leave home without one?

Longform

Ichiro Suzuki, one of the most iconic players in NPB and MLB history, was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame with 99.7% of the vote.
With Hall of Fame induction, Ichiro makes himself heard loud and clear