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CULTURE / Music
Oct 19, 2007

Various Artists "The Kings of Electro"
Ricardo Villalobos "Fabric 36"
Various Artists "Soundboy Punishments"

Three reasons to buy the double CD mix album "The Kings of Electro" — Various Artists (Hostess): It is an excellent introduction to old-school electro, that synth-heavy take on hip-hop indebted to Kraftwerk and funk; it provides a timely reminder that there was computer-generated dance music before...
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Oct 19, 2007

Ikebana comes together with music in Kyoto

Visit Kyoto by train and the first thing you will encounter will be Kyoto Station, an immense structure that was criticized by many of the city's inhabitants when it was completed as the antipathy of what the Japan's cultural capital stands for.
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Oct 19, 2007

Pop goes Celtic

Irish singing sensation Celtic Woman are touring Japan in late November and early December. Often referred to as "Riverdance for the voice," the group have a strong fan base in Japan.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Oct 19, 2007

'The whole world wanted us dead'

The locals call her Madussa, or Medusa. Clearly, 46-year-old Ari Up, the punk-reggae goddess of the recently reformed Slits, is still a mesmerizing presence — and not only because she sports a tangled blonde beehive of dreads.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Oct 19, 2007

'Appleseed: Ex-Machina'

"Appleseed," Shinji Aramaki's sci-fi animation based on a Shirow Masamune comic, was hailed as ground-breaking when it opened in 2004. Not so much for its story, which recycled tired dystopian, man-as-machine tropes from many sources, including Masamune's better-known manga "Kokaku Kidotai (Ghost In...
BUSINESS
Oct 19, 2007

'Mr. Yen' sees dollar fall in '08, need for intervention

The dollar may "plunge" in 2008, prompting the United States, the European Union and Japan to intervene in foreign-exchange markets, according to Eisuke Sakakibara, the country's former top currency official.
CULTURE / Music
Oct 19, 2007

Radiohead "In Rainbows"

With a "revolutionary" distribution system whereby fans can pay whatever they like for a download of the album (or pay $80 and wait nearly two months for the physical CD and vinyl box set), Radiohead have got the industry talking (and mostly what they're saying is "Huh?"). Having submitted my download...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film / SHORT TAKES
Oct 19, 2007

I Am

Director: Dorota Kedzierzawska
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Oct 19, 2007

Sherwood: 'Ari Up is a genuine one-off'

Joining The Slits on their Japan tour will be producer Adrian Sherwood. One of the key figures on the British reggae scene for the last 30 years, Sherwood has most recently been working on new Primal Scream and Lee "Scratch" Perry material, while some of his past credits include New Age Steppers (who...
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Oct 19, 2007

In hot water at the seaside

I'd heard about the "bath in the sea" in Aomori Prefecture, Honshu's northernmost prefecture and a mere 600 km north of Tokyo. But this kaichuburo, as they call it in Japanese, isn't about splashing in the waves; it's a hot spring, and it's named Furo Fushi Onsen (hot spring of eternal youth and eternal...
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Oct 19, 2007

Berlin-based artists unite

Writer Yoko Tawada and jazz pianist Aki Takase will perform together on Nov. 2 as part of Art Complex 2007, a new project held by Kanagawa Kenmin Hall, which combines chamber music, art, theater and contemporary dance.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Oct 19, 2007

Concha Buika

For much of its decade-long existence, Tiempo Ibero- americano has been spicing up the summer with the Isla de Salsa festival, an annual celebration of the Caribbean beat. To mark its 10th anniversary, the Fukuoka- based nonprofit organization is expanding its musical horizons to span the entire Iberoamerican...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Oct 19, 2007

'Stardust'

"People who know" say that fantasy is the next big thing in Hollywood. "People who know" obviously haven't seen "Stardust" yet.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / HOTELS & RESTAURANTS
Oct 19, 2007

Halloween, gastronomic gratitude and French with a German twist

Halloween celebration at Okura To celebrate Halloween, the main lobby of the Hotel Okura Tokyo will be decorated in the spirit of the holiday, and the hotel will offer special Halloween dishes and sweets from Oct. 19 to Oct. 31.
BUSINESS
Oct 19, 2007

Sumitomo, MUFG eye JAL credit card unit

Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Inc., Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc. and Credit Saison Co. may submit bids for Japan Airlines Corp.'s credit card unit, five people with knowledge of the transaction said.
JAPAN
Oct 19, 2007

Ruling bloc's MSDF bill rankles opposition in Diet

won't be able to get Diet approval in the Upper House, in which the opposition parties hold a majority in accordance with the public's will," Yamaoka told a news conference. "That is why the Diet's approval was omitted. . . . (The bill) is one-sided and merely convenient" for the ruling coalition. The...

Longform

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