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Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Nov 15, 2012

"Japan: Objects"

So called "found objects" first began being presented as "art" at the beginning of the 20th century. Often comprising of everyday objects such as iron, glass, and concrete, the art of found objects clearly differed from that of traditional sculptures. In Japanese, the genre translates as obu-je, a term...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Nov 15, 2012

"Skillful Artifice in Japan's Old Smoking Paraphernalia"

In the Edo Period (1603-1867), people in Japan used pipes called kiseru to smoke tobacco. Their search for a more comfortable and flexible smoking experience later led to the invention of portable smoking paraphernalia. These items often sported fine designs, each different according to their owners'...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Nov 15, 2012

"Through Sketches"

Sketches are in themselves important clues to an artist's inner struggles and show the possible changes to their original intent in a final work. It is for such reason that Tanabe City Museum of Art takes good care of preparatory sketches, seeing them a way to deepen visitors' understanding of the truth...
JAPAN
Nov 14, 2012

Tokyo wary of looming Beijing helm change

China is on the verge of installing a new leader, presumably Vice President Xi Jingping, to lead the nation for the coming decade at a time when its economy and society are showing strains and its growing military expansion and tensions with its neighbors, particularly Japan, are promising turbulence...
Japan Times
BUSINESS / NOTEBOOK
Nov 14, 2012

English speech contest for teachers; charity run and walk for children's rights

Contests
CULTURE / Books
Nov 11, 2012

Giving voice to the survivors of the unprecedented 3/11 disaster

STRONG IN THE RAIN: Surviving Japan's Earthquake, Tsunami and Fukushima Nuclear Disaster, by Lucy Birmingham and David McNeill. Palgrave Macmillan, 2012, 256 pp., $27 (hardcover) This is a riveting story about Japan's March 11 cataclysm told uncommonly well by two veteran Japan-based journalists who...
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Nov 11, 2012

To Kagoshima in search of a great samurai unbowed

Flying into Kagoshima from Tokyo across the volcanic landscape of Kirishima and Ebino Kogen, I feel as if I'm arriving in another country. The air is moist and warm, the light sharper, the sky bluer and the foliage intensely green, sprawling exuberantly over the rugged hills.
Japan Times
LIFE
Nov 11, 2012

The war legacy that binds Okinawa and Vietnam

As the motorbike taxi I'm aboard zigzags through the traffic in Da Nang, Vietnam's fourth-largest city, a bus pulls out of nowhere, causing my driver to brake, swerve and slam us into a sidewalk stack of bamboo cages packed with soft plump ducklings.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Nov 10, 2012

Okinawa — a different world with its own time zone

After waiting 10 days on Amami Oshima for Typhoon No. 21, it finally blew in. All week long, locals had dropped by our boat to inform us that it was not safe tied up where it was — at the guest berth at the sea station. But when we inquired where we could move it to, no one knew. We couldn't leave...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Nov 9, 2012

Jazzing up the industrial city

On one side you have Montreux, a Swiss resort town on the banks of Lake Geneva that has seen many famous residents over the years, and which has been immortalized in the lyrics of the Deep Purple song "Smoke On The Water." On the other you have a Japanese city in the heart of the world's most heavily...
Reader Mail
Nov 8, 2012

Resist purchase of the Osprey

As for the Oct. 31 Kyodo article "Some officials argue for equipping (Self-Defense Forces) with Ospreys": As if to thumb its nose at Okinawa's vociferous opposition to deployment of the Osprey tilt-rotor transport aircraft at U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, the central government is examining...
JAPAN / ANALYSIS
Nov 8, 2012

Pending issues: Japan's isle rows, Futenma, TPP

Dealing with tensions between Japan and its East Asian neighbors, resolving the long-stalled relocation of the U.S. Futenma base, negotiating the Trans-Pacific Partnership free-trade deal, and promoting nuclear power while Japan looks to phase it out are just some of the bilateral issues U.S. President...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Nov 8, 2012

"The Symbolists: Apostles of Visionary Beauty"

In the late 19th century, with the better part of the West in the grip of materialism, a group of artists united under the label Symbolism in an effort to counter the trend. Instead of staying within the realm of realism and possibility, Symbolists pursued an ideal beauty and tackled the raison d'etre...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Nov 8, 2012

"47 Good Design"

Led by the Japan Institute of Design Promotion, Good Design Award is an initiative that first kicked off in 1957, with the primary objective being to boost overall public interest in design. Since its inception, the award has been given to around 38,000 designs, chosen because of their potential to improve...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Nov 8, 2012

"Yamaguchi Kayo"

Kayo Yamaguchi (1899-1984) developed his interest in portraying animals while still a child. He later apprenticed himself to Goun Nishimura, and learned the traditional technique of Japanese realistic-painting. As he furthered his career, Yamaguchi began to experiment with a more "modern" Western painting...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Nov 8, 2012

"The Spirit of Kuniyoshi: From Ukiyoe to Japanese Modern Paintings"

Kuniyoshi Utagawa (1798-1861) was one Japan's greatest ukiyo-e (woodblock print) artists during the late Edo Period (1603-1867). He is perhaps best known for his visually striking depictions of traditional Japanese warriors. But Utagawa also portrayed the beauty of Japanese women in a genre called bijinga...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Nov 4, 2012

It's a bad time for Sapio to downsize

Japan's first two shūkanshi (weekly magazines) appeared so closely, their arrival could be described as analogous to a "photo start" as opposed to a photo finish. The Asahi Shimbun launched Junkan Asahi on Feb. 25, 1922. Rather than appearing weekly, however, it was issued on the 5th, 15th and 25th...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Nov 1, 2012

"Traces of Hands: Sculpture and Drawings by Rodin and Bourdelle from the National Museum of Western Art, Tokyo"

Auguste Rodin (1840-1917) carved out his career as a sculptor by embracing such predominant artistic trends as romanticism while pursuing originality in his style. Antoine Bourdelle (1861-1929), meanwhile, apprenticed himself to Rodin, becoming one of his deepest admirers. The National Museum of Western...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Nov 1, 2012

"Yoshihiro Suda Exhibition"

Yoshihiro Suda is known for his highly accomplished wood-carving technique, which he uses to fashion extremely realistic recreations of foliage and flowers. He often presents his work by placing them in the corner of a room, where one might least expect to find them. His delicately carved wooden flowers...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Nov 1, 2012

"Ekin, the Great"

Although born into a family of merchants in southwestern Japan, Edo-Period illustrator Kinzo (1812-76) was endowed with such outstanding skills that as an adolescent he moved to Tokyo to study at the prestigious Kano painting school. After returning to his hometown, he continued his career by serving...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Nov 1, 2012

"Denchu Hirakushi: A Retrospective"

Born in Okayama Prefecture, Denchu Hirakushi (1872-1979) developed his interest in figurative art when he was 17. He then moved to Osaka and Nara to practice his skills before finally setting his foot in Tokyo at the age of 25. Shortly after, he acquainted himself with a Zen Buddhist named Kasan Nishiyama...
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design / ON: DESIGN
Oct 30, 2012

Tokyo Designers Week: Say hello to the best again

Something old, something new Halloween is here, which means Tokyo Designers Week is, too. The latter is, of course, what we're particularly interested in, and since you are reading this on the day it kicks off, we forego our regular product-recommendation format and instead offer some guidance on what...

Longform

Mount Fuji is considered one of Japan's most iconic symbols and is a major draw for tourists. It's still a mountain, though, and potential hikers need to properly prepare for any climb.
What it takes to save lives on Mount Fuji