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Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jun 19, 2014

Luna Sea rockers Sugizo and Inoran talk life at 25

"I don't think of this as a reunion. We didn't break up; we just paused our activities and came back to life," says Sugizo, guitarist and violinist of rock group Luna Sea. Sitting next to bandmate Inoran, he speaks calmly and softly, his eyes looking back at me through tinted sunglasses. "Words like...
Japan Times
Events / Events In Tokyo
Jun 19, 2014

Dancing the praises of a Hawaiian lifestyle

Whether it's the beautiful flowers, the music or the gentle moves that promise women a flat stomach, hula, the traditional dance of Hawaii, has found international appeal. Hula Lehua, a clothes brand bringing Hawaiian fashion to Japan, cashes in on the popularity of hula, and as a celebration of Hawaiian...
Japan Times
Events / Events In Tokyo
Jun 19, 2014

Jamaica's one love starts in Tokyo and reaches out across Japan

This festival celebrating 50 years of friendship between Japan and Jamaica culminates with a Bob Marley Songs Day competition on Sunday, where the winner will receive the grand prize of a trip to Jamaica. For most visitors, however, Bob Marley's music is just one of 12 entertaining sets by various musicians,...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / FOREIGN AGENDA
Jun 18, 2014

Japan's 'no immigration principle' looking as solid as ever

In contrast to Hidenori Sakanaka's unbridled optimism, I argue that Japan has little prospect of becoming a 'migrant nation' anytime soon.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Jun 18, 2014

The Uemuras were not quite like mother, like son

Shoko Uemura (1902-2001) was born to Shoen Uemura, the most revered and financially successful female painter of the early modern period, who arguably did more to popularize the bijinga genre (pictures of beautiful women) than any other. Artistically, however, his mother is said to have taught him nothing.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Jun 18, 2014

'Treasured Masterpieces from the National Palace Museum, Taipei'

The National Palace Museum, Taipei, is one of the world's largest collections of ancient Chinese artifacts and artworks, housing more than 696,000 items, many of which are outstanding masterpieces.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / NOTEBOOK
Jun 17, 2014

Immortalizing Mt. Fuji; research fellowship; summer crafts

events
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jun 17, 2014

Japan won't let 'Frozen' go

At first blush, the Japanese success of the animated film "Frozen" seems easy to explain. In a country where people pack Tokyo Disneyland on weekdays, of course a new princess-centric cartoon from Disney would succeed, but "Frozen" has been a phenomenon all its own. It's on pace to be the second-highest-grossing...
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 17, 2014

A requiem for technocracy

Now that science's postwar charisma has faded, politicians are debating the safety of genetically modified foods, the hazards of extracting shale oil and gas, and the impact of global warming without regard for scientific evidence — as if the issues were morality plays.
JAPAN
Jun 16, 2014

Kyoto textile maker to increase classes for foreigners

A leading artisan textile maker that offers training courses in English is expanding its classes to meet demand from students overseas.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 16, 2014

The blame for Iraq can wait

American efforts to assign immediate blame for Iraq's unraveling carry with them a whiff of the can't-do spirit — as if, unsure how to proceed in the world, we turn on each other instead.
CULTURE / Music
Jun 16, 2014

Dommune welcomes British broadcasting platform Boiler Room to Tokyo

It might not be a substitute for experiencing music in a night club, but the live-streaming medium has become increasingly popular over the years, offering viewers a chance to watch their favorite DJs from the comfort of their own bedroom.
Japan Times
JAPAN / NATIONAL SPOTLIGHT
Jun 15, 2014

'Womenomics' push raises suspicions for lack of reality

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe may be a political hawk who believes Japan can once again become a macho state that can hold its own against regional threats, but as he looks for money and muscle he is turning to an unlikely source: women.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 15, 2014

Developing nations reversing the brain drain

Something remarkable is happening in some developing countries. The brain drain has reversed its flow, and there is reason to be optimistic that the vicious cycle of migrating talent can be broken.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jun 13, 2014

'Crowdfunding' readers back 'library bar,' request a book each

When 30-year-old book lover Shunsuke Mori decided to open a "library bar" in Tokyo, he took a leap of faith to solicit funds over the Internet.
Japan Times
OLYMPICS
Jun 13, 2014

JOC grooms young athletes for international success at Elite Academy

Since 2008, the Japanese Olympic Committee has run a national youth athlete development program called the JOC Elite Academy. It's a part of the JOC Gold Plan, which was drawn up to improve Japan's international competitiveness in sports seven years before the development program was established.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jun 13, 2014

Abe might be the world's best leader

An American finance professor who says he used to be a Shinzo Abe skeptic now calls Japan's prime minister the most effective national leader in the world right now.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 13, 2014

Indian soccer's strange World Cup history

Might the history of Indian soccer have taken a different turn if India's football federation had decided to send the golden generation of the '40s to the World Cup in 1950?
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jun 11, 2014

Popularity of 'kendama' abroad spurs trend at home

The traditional cup-and-ball game "kendama" is back, thanks to a new "cool" image mostly nurtured overseas and imported back to Japan.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Jun 11, 2014

David Bintley bows out with a 'Pagoda' set in Japan

Challenge is intrinsic to artistic creation, but David Bintley relishes it so much that he specializes in conceiving the unlikely.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jun 10, 2014

ICJ ruling will help Japan resume whaling in name of 'research': official

An embarrassing court ruling that halted Japan's Antarctic whaling will actually help Tokyo take whales in the name of science, a top whaling official said just a day after the prime minister vowed to press for commercial whaling.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics / FOCUS
Jun 10, 2014

Putin gambles on culture war with the West

Oleg Makarenko wants to set the story straight and answer the "Russophobes" who he says are trying to split and humiliate Russia.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KANPAI CULTURE
Jun 10, 2014

Meet the Willy Wonka of extraordinary cocktails

Contrary to expectation, the Blue Cheese Martini at the Akasaka branch of Code Name Mixology is a subtle concoction. The cocktail is clear, served in a delicate crystal glass, with three olives on the side. The cheese aroma hovers faintly on the nose, but the first sip is mildly sweet and fruity. The...
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 10, 2014

Some companies still struggle with their dark WWII history

The amount of bookshelf space dedicated to the 12 years of Hitler's Third Reich often exceeds that of any other period in history, but the role and the complicity of companies in the atrocities committed by the Nazis continue to be shrouded in obscurity.

Longform

After pandemic-era border regulations eased, Indian migrants began returning to Japan. Their population now stands at more than 50,000 across the country.
How remote work is rewriting the migrant experience in Japan