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CULTURE
Feb 5, 2019

Game for a laugh: Learning to become a manzai comedian

As I stand in the cramped wooden gangway at the side of the stage, going over my lines in a frantic whisper, I am reminded of something that American comedian Patrick Harlan had told me when we first met four months ago.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Feb 5, 2019

Gentaro Komaki: A pioneer of surrealism

Gentaro Komaki (1906-89), the son of a Kyoto Prefecture silk crepe wholesaler, lived a decadent youth of literature and philosophy, until seeing the work of Max Ernst and Yves Tanguy inspired to pursue surrealist art.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Jan 28, 2019

Japan-U.S. law enforcement fingerprint data-sharing pact kicks off, raising privacy concerns

Earlier this month, Japan and the United States began sharing fingerprint data among their law enforcement agencies under a bilateral agreement.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / FOREIGN AGENDA
Jan 13, 2019

Before returning from your trip back home, you'll have a big choice to make

Whenever friends of mine return home for a visit, they've all told me they're confronted by one nagging question when they're there: Should I just stay, or should I go back?
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Jan 12, 2019

Utagawa Kuniyoshi, the undisputed master of warrior prints

Utagawa Kuniyoshi was a true son of Edo. Born near Nihonbashi in 1797, his father a dyer, he grew up among the hoi polloi in the crowded streets of the low city, where popular stories of tattooed otokodate, the revered "street knights" of the kabuki stage, were capturing people's imagination. Bluff in...
Japan Times
LIFE / Language
Jan 7, 2019

Join in the chatter during film awards season

With the Golden Globes finished, the race to the Oscars is on. It's time to try out your Japanese on the topic of movies.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Jan 6, 2019

It's 2019 and it's time to hit those Japanese textbooks — for real

Whether you've been here for several days or several decades, listening to fellow expats, immigrants and other non-Japanese residents groaning about their dissatisfaction with their language abilities is nothing new. The advice I've received on how to improve, however, sometimes skews toward the exasperating....
EDITORIALS
Jan 4, 2019

Russia brandishes hypersonic threat

Talks should begin to discuss limits on 'hypersonic' technologies to prevent a new major arms race.
Reader Mail
Jan 4, 2019

We need more Henoko coverage

Thank you for covering the Henoko base construction issue in Okinawa a little, but we need much more coverage, and also some analysis, right now.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHY DID YOU LEAVE JAPAN?
Dec 31, 2018

Akira Satake: From handmade banjos to vases

When the music industry became too stressful to bear in the U.S., Akira Satake found a new vocation in pottery.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / B. League
Dec 30, 2018

Shigehiro Taguchi plays leading role in Jets comeback over Hannaryz

On a star-studded roster, Chiba Jets Funabashi shooting guard Shigehiro Taguchi can be overlooked at times.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Dec 28, 2018

Invest in education and save the economy

Giving birth to dynamic companies in Japan will require nothing but education that values and nurtures extraordinary individuality.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 26, 2018

How Beijing risks trashing its amazing growth story

There already are some signs that the country is making mistakes that will hobble economic growth.
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
Dec 22, 2018

Celebrities use social media to counter criticism online in 2018

Celebrities are just like the rest of us: They eat, sleep and would probably be better off if they reduced the time they spend on their social media.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHY DID YOU LEAVE JAPAN?
Dec 15, 2018

Gohei Nishikawa: Music as a salve for the challenges of life

Nothing, not even dystonia, could make Gohei Nishikawa turn his back on the piano.
Japan Times
JAPAN / History / THE LIVING PAST
Dec 15, 2018

The war that spawned the way of the warrior

Spectacular battle scenes, honorable deaths and tragic pathos, 'The Tale of Heike' is like Japan's very own 'Iliad.'
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Dec 14, 2018

A power spot, tucked away on the Shima Peninsula

Four or five years ago, standing alone in front of the clear, gently bubbling waters of Kiyomasa no Ido, a natural spring secreted in woodland at the far end of the Meiji Shrine's iris garden, I strained to detect any sound, but even the noise from car horns was smothered and muted by the grove. If I...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society / GENERATIONAL CHANGE
Dec 10, 2018

Yuzuriha support center in Tokyo helps abuse victims get back on track

Open the door to a small studio tucked away on a street near Kokubunji Station in western Tokyo on a Friday evening, and you'll find a group of young adults making jam or Japanese ponzu citrus-based sauce as they chat quietly amongst themselves.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHY DID YOU LEAVE JAPAN?
Dec 8, 2018

Machiko Yamashita: A Japanese breadwinner in Berlin

Former art historian and butoh dancer Machiko Yamashita brings Japanese bread buns to Berliners.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 5, 2018

Trump presidency a symptom of a deeper American problem

The real long-term problem faced by America is not the U.S. president. It's the crumbling legitimacy of the entire U.S. system of government.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Nov 21, 2018

Building a 'free and open' Indo-Pacific

While deference usually invites bullying, standing up to China draws respect and a readiness to negotiate and make concessions.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / JAPANESE KITCHEN
Nov 17, 2018

A comforting udon noodle recipe for the winter season

Two of the most popular everyday hot udon soups are named after animals that have a special place in Japanese folklore and the Shinto religion: the kitsune (fox) and the tanuki (Japanese raccoon dog).
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 10, 2018

Scientists spend too much time on the old

Spending billions on a huge particle collider won't give us the breakthrough discoveries we need.
CULTURE / Music
Nov 8, 2018

Beverly Caimen: 'Music is universal and goes beyond languages'

When Beverly Caimen moved from the Philippines to Japan in 2016 she was a relative unknown who could barely speak the language. Several months later, however, an unexpected encounter with actor Shun Oguri drastically changed her life.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Hiroshima
Nov 8, 2018

Hiroshima A-bomb survivor: Yoshinori Kato regrets failing to save the lives of trapped schoolchildren

Words of regret run repeatedly through the mind of Yoshinori Kato: "I'm sorry I couldn't save you."
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Nov 7, 2018

Tasuku Emoto talks about directing, acting in English and sounding like Tom Cruise

This has been a busy year for Tasuku Emoto. Long accustomed to appearing in colorful supporting roles, the 31-year-old actor has found himself starring in three films in 2018.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 6, 2018

Time for Europe to step up its China game

The EU must form stronger political and economic alliances with Asia's top liberal economies.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language
Nov 5, 2018

A hiragana-kanji mix can make reading a lot easier

It's no news that Japanese writing is a complex affair. Apart from the sheer number of characters — 48 each for the hiragana and katakana syllabaries plus an almost open-ended number of kanji — there are also various rules about when to use what.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Oct 28, 2018

Duchamp and Japan: No rest for the urinal

If you want someone to blame for Banksy's stunt of shredding "Girl With Balloon" after selling it for $1.4 million at auction, your prime suspect currently has a major retrospective at the Tokyo National Museum.

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