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Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Aug 13, 2011

Young dancers reap fruits of choreographer's expertise

Kimiho Hulbert danced before she could talk. Crawling backstage between dressing rooms of her Japanese mother and British father, both professional dancers in Belgium where she was born, Hulbert even disdained her first official ballet class at 2 years old as "too babyish."
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Aug 12, 2011

'In a Better World'

Woody Allen once said that it's easy to like people who make us laugh, but people who make us think don't get invited to a whole lot of parties.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Aug 12, 2011

"Moholy-Nagy in Motion"

This is the first retrospective in Japan of the Hungarian contemporary artist Laszlo Moholy-Nagy (1895-1946), who is known as a Constructivist artist, photographer and a professor at the Bauhaus arts and crafts school in Germany. He worked in a wide range of fields, which included painting, photography,...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Aug 12, 2011

'The Tree of Life'

When "Days of Heaven" was finally released in 1978 (see last week's review) after two years of perfectionist fiddling in the editing room, director Terrence Malick was given a blank check by his patron at Paramount, industrialist Charles Bluhdorn, to develop his next project. Malick assembled a small...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Aug 12, 2011

"Inner Voices"

The 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa, has invited a number of female artists from various cultural backgrounds and genres to participate in "Inner Voices," but under one condition — the artist's birth year must be after 1960. The exhibition puts an emphasis on the '60s and the social...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Aug 12, 2011

"Cafe in Mito 2011 — Relationships In Color"

Mito's Contemporary Art Center was forced to close its doors after suffering some damage due to the March 11 earthquake, but it has reopened for its annual "Cafe in Mito" — now in its ninth year. The event's name stands for "Communicable Action for Everyday," and its aim is to present art for the masses...
COMMENTARY
Aug 12, 2011

'Don Quixote' is alive and legal in Argentina

It may come as a surprise to many, but "Don Quixote" is still alive, and in a most unlikely place. He lives in Tucumán, my hometown in northern Argentina.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Aug 11, 2011

Summer Sonic prepares for an Asian invasion

Amid all the rivalry between Japanese and South Korean pop groups and the contrived debates about whether the manufactured crap from one country is better than the manufactured crap from the other, fans of independent or alternative music have been left scratching their heads.
COMMUNITY / Voices / HOTLINE TO NAGATACHO
Aug 9, 2011

Decent man Kan dealing with LDP's fallout

Dear Prime Minister Naoto Kan,
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Aug 7, 2011

Norway's horrors betray a bigoted ignorance of nationality's meaning

First of two parts
CULTURE / Books
Aug 7, 2011

Chilling Japanese tales just the thing for broiling August

KAIKI: Uncanny Tales from Japan, Volume 2: Country Delights. Kurodahan Press, 2010, 286 pp., $16 (paper) Kaiki, according to my Japanese-English dictionary, means "grotesque; bizarre; mysterious; strange." And since August is the traditional time in Japan for telling hair-raising tales, this anthology...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Aug 5, 2011

"Kukai's World: The Arts Of Esoteric Buddhism"

The Japanese Buddhist monk Kukai, commonly known as Kobo Daishi, traveled across China in the early 800s as an envoy to study esoteric Buddhism. After bringing the fruits of his learnings back to Japan, he later helped found Shingon as one of the main forms of Buddhism in the country.
CULTURE / Film
Aug 5, 2011

Iranian filmmaker seeks Japanese male in his 60s (but not like that)

Kiyoshiro Imawano is gone. Kiyoshi Kodama is gone. Yoshio Harada is gone. Some of the rockin'est, rollin'est, hottest/coolest older guys in the archipelago are no longer around to console us with their sizzling presences.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Aug 5, 2011

"Nobuyoshi Araki: Higan"

Nobuyoshi Araki is most noted for his provocative depictions of scantily-clad women, often posed in submissive positions. His work has garnered him attention and admirers, including stars such as Lady Gaga and Bjork.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Aug 5, 2011

"Nihonga in Kyoto: Past, Present, and Future"

The Kyoto Japanese-Style Painters' Association was established in 1941, during World War II, by Seiho Takeuchi, Keigetsu Kikuchi, Kansetsu Hashimoto and a number of other well-known nihonga (Japanese-style painting) artists. The association has since grown to include around 500 artist members.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Aug 5, 2011

"Ancient Civilizations of The Americas: Man, Nature and Spirit in Pre-columbian Art"

The Americas became known as the New World, after European explorers discovered the continents in the late 15th century.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Aug 4, 2011

'Tokyo Tango': A fairy tale to keep you on your toes

When the mayor of a village is told by a frog king, who is fascinated by the elegance of swans gliding in the lake, that his villagers should wear toe shoes (ballet pointe shoes) all the time, he instructs everyone between the age of 8 months and 88 years to do so. Though at first this seems like a fun...
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Aug 3, 2011

Civic falls from Consumer Reports' 'recommended' list

Honda Motor Co.'s newest version of the Civic, a model that has been a foundation of the automaker's U.S. sales for decades, flopped in tests by Consumer Reports, failing to win the magazine's coveted "recommended" status.
Reader Mail
Jul 31, 2011

Where are the rewards for effort?

My father has been a woodworker for 35 years. He makes wooden bowls and such, and lacquers them Japanese-style. My mother helps my father and makes chopsticks, using various kinds of wood. They run a shop in a small town and struggle to earn a living. They seem to work eagerly and put their hearts into...
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Jul 30, 2011

The creeping crud on my hands

Recently, I have had this creeping crud on my hands. I get it every year.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Jul 29, 2011

Sake sisters are brewing it for themselves

For most of its thousand-year history, sake has been a man's world. Even as recently as 30 years ago, women were forbidden to enter some breweries, but today's pioneering lady brewers and brewery heads are teaching the industry to embrace its feminine side.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jul 29, 2011

Toyota said opposing U.S. fuel-economy plan

Toyota Motor Corp. is objecting to a fuel-economy target of 54.5 miles per gallon (23.17 km per liter) by 2025, which competitors support, as the Obama administration seeks to reach a consensus among carmakers selling in the U.S., according to three sources.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 28, 2011

Japan's opportunity for global re-engagement

Few would doubt that Japan's economic relevance was already being questioned by some in the global community before the tragic events of March 11.
CULTURE / Music / STRANGE BOUTIQUE
Jul 28, 2011

Tis the season for some girl-pop classics

In Japan, observation of the seasons is an ingrained cultural trait that not only forms the basis of haiku poetry and many classic works of art, but also marks the calendar for cultural ephemera from special-edition Kit Kats to alcoholic drinks to pop music. Since summer is now at full burn, here are...

Longform

A sinkhole in Yashio, which emerged in January, was triggered by a ruptured, aging sewer pipe. Authorities worry that similar sections of infrastructure across the country are also at risk of corrosion.
That sinking feeling: Japan’s aging sewers are an infrastructure time bomb