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COMMENTARY / World
Dec 26, 2011

The greater evil is to expect an Asia-Pacific war

Now that the war in Afghanistan appears to be reaching an end, President Barack Obama has indicated that the United States will shift focus toward the Asia-Pacific.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Dec 25, 2011

'Takeshi Art Beat' on tap dancing; New Year's Eve TV roundup; CM of the week: Dorea

Ever wonder where director/star "Beat" Takeshi Kitano got the idea of the big tap-dancing finale for his 2003 remake of the samurai classic "Zatoichi"? It came to him after he saw the American dancer Savion Glover, who the program information says influenced Michael Jackson's Moonwalk.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design / STYLE WISE
Dec 13, 2011

Stepping in the right fashion-forward directions

Opening ceremony for Kenzo Kenzo is one of Japan's most long-standing fashion houses, so it is understandable that it has undergone quite a few changes in its 41-year history — especially since Kenzo Takada himself retired in 1999.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Nov 10, 2011

Sun shines on Kenji Yanobe's children

In 1971, when artist Kenji Yanobe was a child, he often played in the abandoned site of Expo '70, not far from his family home in Osaka. A year before, under the theme of "Progress and Harmony for Mankind," Japan's World Exposition had showcased a vision of the future that included an array of advanced...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Oct 27, 2011

Burning Spirits

DAISUKE KIKUCHI Special to The Japan Times Who says Halloween isn't popular in Japan? The Burning Spirits Halloween 2011 event will rock Shinjuku Antiknock on the scariest night of the year, with acts hand-picked to create a creepy but fun atmosphere. Expect bands and DJs made up like corpses, all offering...
BASKETBALL / BJ-LEAGUE NOTEBOOK
Sep 23, 2011

Broncos, 89ers making strides at different pace

The old-fashioned scoreboard, featuring hand-turned numbers, in the far corner of toasty Hanno Civic Gymnasium displayed the following scores when it was over: Saitama 90, Sendai 51.
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Sep 9, 2011

Fukuoka fast becoming Asia film hub

During a speech to mark his receipt of The Japan Foundation Award for Arts and Culture late last year, there was one point that the widely respected film critic Tadao Sato was especially keen to convey to his Tokyo audience.
SOCCER / J. League
Jul 9, 2011

Haraguchi charts path for eventual move to Europe

While more and more young players look to Europe for a soccer education, Urawa Reds midfielder Genki Haraguchi is enjoying the benefits of home schooling.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 27, 2011

Rethinking the myth that we cannot make energy independence financially feasible

Human beings' inalienable fascination with fossil fuels and their lack of political confidence in driving the nation through a careful energy transition process have often put the energy independence dream in the backseat among national priorities.
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Jun 17, 2011

French arts festival lifts any ennui in Yokohama

The relationship between Japan and France began in the early 17th century, when a Japanese ambassador and an accompanying samurai stopped off in Southern France on their way to Rome. They caused a stir with the locals. The infatuation must have been reciprocated because, 400 years later, Yokohama has...
BUSINESS
May 19, 2011

Yamaha expands U.S. ATV output as dollar falls, transport costs rise

Yamaha Motor Co. is expanding U.S. production of all-terrain vehicles as a weaker dollar and higher transport costs make manufacturing the off-road products in their biggest market more enticing than building them in Japan.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Mar 11, 2011

The Centre Pompidou brings the surreal to Tokyo

In its passage from the art world into everyday speech, the word "surreal" has ended up as mere shorthand for the bizarre and the unusual. But it originally referred to something deeper.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / BACKSTREET STORIES
Feb 27, 2011

Notes from the underground

When my yoga class was canceled recently, I decided to explore Yoga instead.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / HOTELS & RESTAURANTS
Jan 14, 2011

Special winter plan for businessmen

The IHG ANA Hotels Group Japan is offering a special winter package called the kaiteki (comfortable) business plan through Feb. 28.
CULTURE / Music
Dec 24, 2010

Counting out 2010 with the best beats across the country

Over drinks with a former Tokyo-based promoter recently, our conversation turned to the state of the city's nightclub scene. In Europe, nightclubs can usually guarantee a certain number of patrons to show up on any given night, which is great for DJs who are scouted to perform at those clubs. In Japan,...
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Nov 26, 2010

Expo puts a shine on nail art

The nation's fast-growing nail service / goods industry will be on display this Sunday and Monday — showcasing everything from the latest trends and techniques to appearances by celebrities known for their nail art.
COMMENTARY
Nov 3, 2010

Asia warily watches China

Asia's festering Cold War-era territorial and maritime disputes highlight the fact that securing long-term regionwide peace depends on respect for existing borders. Attempts to disturb Asia's territorial status quo are an invitation to endemic conflict — a concern that led Asian states to welcome the...
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / HOOP SCOOP
Sep 24, 2010

The constructor: Pierce using Shiga experience to help in Akita

Bob Pierce is the first head coach in bj-league history to be handed the reins of two expansion teams in their first seasons.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Sep 17, 2010

Hifana "24H"

The concept behind Hifana's new CD/DVD, "24H," is to convey a day in the life of the Tokyo breakbeat duo via 12 tracks, each with its own video.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Sep 17, 2010

Tokyo Boredom

Tokyo Boredom was originally a massive thank-you to indie music fans. Dedicated punters who paid at least ¥2,000 every week to get into shows were treated to a free gig when all the acts at the event pitched in to pay for it.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Sep 10, 2010

Nabeshima ware: made to order

Talk about a nightmare of a client. They expect deliveries tailored to their precise instructions — once every year. They send missives along the lines of, "You should be a bit more creative with your designs," and then append them with casual reminders that they will be happy to vet any innovations....
CULTURE / Books
Aug 22, 2010

Forbidden romance in Saigon

United by wars against the United States, yet divided by the economic results and effects of those wars, Vietnam and Japan are the real subjects of Aska Mochizuki's Knopf Kodansha Prize-winning novel "Spinning Tropics."
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Jul 2, 2010

The Royal Ballet pictured in style

A ballerina stands lightly en pointe in a monochrome photograph, feet arched to perfection and a hand stretched toward the sky. Another dancer mid-arabesque raises her back leg gracefully. A third is frozen leaping through the air with legs stretched into a perfect straight line.

Longform

Once smoky, male-dominated spaces, today's net cafes, like Kaikatsu Club, are working to make their operations more attractive to women customers.
The second life of Japan's net cafes