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Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Jun 25, 2014

The evolution of Seiki Kuroda

In all too-common sophomoric slight to artists is: 'A child could have done that.' Seiki Kuroda (1866-1924), the most significant Western-style painter in Japan's early modern history, however, shows that even some young adults can not accomplish what takes years to hone.
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
LIFE / Style & Design
Jun 16, 2014

Venice Biennale lays down the past

The Venice Architecture Biennale, first staged in 1980 and recurring every two years, has grown to become the world's largest and most influential gathering of architectural thought leaders. The event has come to be seen as providing a global snapshot of contemporary practice and as a weather vane of...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Jun 11, 2014

'Beauty on the Edge: Contemporary Art Nara — Magic of Materials and Wisdom'

Sculptors Takashi Kikuchi and Kei Takemata, stone artist Kota Kinutani, print artist Chihiro Shimotani, wood artist Chuichi Fuji, video artist Yutaka Moriguchi and painter Natsunosuke Mise are all connected by their strong afflilliation to Nara Prefecture.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design
Jun 9, 2014

Cool Biz 2014 inspires refreshing designs

Dressed in a gray suit, a model stops at the end of the runway and strikes a pose before taking off his jacket. Still standing at the end of the runway, instead of throwing the jacket over his shoulder, he begins to casually flip and fold it. Then he holds it up. What had appeared at first glance to...
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Jun 7, 2014

Kengo Kuma: 'a product of place'

Renowned architect's new book, 'My Place,' reflects an awareness of humanity's close affinity to the world around us.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 4, 2014

JR East takes the wraps off new luxury train

East Japan Railway Co. has unveiled the designs for a luxury train that's scheduled to roll into operation around spring 2017.
JAPAN / History / JAPAN TIMES GONE BY
May 31, 2014

Japan called lackadaisical; simple-living laws introduced; tourist recommendations questioned; China's use of force deplored

'Of course it may be all that you say it is, and all that the guide books assure that it is, but to me Tokyo is insufferably dull, very muggy and generally uninteresting!'
Japan Times
CULTURE
May 31, 2014

Essential summer festivals 2014

A summer without festivals simply wouldn’t be a proper summer in Japan, so now that the humidity has returned, it’s time to slop on an extra layer of sunscreen and line up some outdoor activities.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
May 31, 2014

Modern cat tale echoes former feline fiction

That the Japanese are great cat-lovers should come as no surprise: a taste for the elegant, the mysterious and the quirky leads in a feline direction, after all. There are paintings of cats from the classical period of the imperial court and prints from the more popular ukiyo-e of the Edo Period (1603-1867)....
Reader Mail
May 31, 2014

An urban gem that deserves reassessment

I don't know if any other Japan Times readers have recently been to the sides of the Kanda and Zenpukuji rivers below Omiya Hachiman Shrine, but it is quite shocking what civil engineers are doing to the environment in the middle of Tokyo.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
May 25, 2014

Ultra Hawai’i: Even superheroes need a vacation

Your favorite Ultraman characters finally get a break and hang ten in Hawaii.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
May 23, 2014

Farm life leads to healthy business for Dutch expat

Outdoorsy expatriate lured by the beauty of Hokkaido sets up in Niseko. Sound familiar?
Japan Times
SOCCER / J. League
May 21, 2014

Solid base puts Urawa top at break

There is no prize for heading into the J. League's World Cup shutdown in first place, but Urawa Reds can at least savor the view from the top of the table for the next two months.
SOCCER / PREMIER REPORT
May 16, 2014

Arsenal desperate to end trophy drought with F.A. Cup

Arsene Wenger admitted that it was "a dream" to watch the F.A. Cup final when he was a kid.
Japan Times
JAPAN
May 15, 2014

Michelin-starred chef fears loss of tradition

At his three-star Michelin restaurant in Tokyo, Yoshihiro Murata serves elaborate 12-course meals of delicate Japanese food. But his real passion is to make sure simple, traditional food is passed on to the next generation.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
May 15, 2014

Time to get over the 'shock' of aging actresses

"Americans can be strange about aging," said French actress Jeanne Moreau, in a brief interview she gave me back in 2005. She was then at the tail end of her 70s and had just co-starred with French heartthrob Melvil Poupaud in "Le Temps Qui Reste," as his sympathetic but alluring grandmother. As the...
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
May 11, 2014

On drinking, May and battling the blues

According to T.S. Eliot, April is the cruelest month. But in Japan May ushers in some pretty heavy blues, too. The dual combination of haru no megumi (春の恵み, spring blessings) and haru no utsu (春の鬱, spring depression) makes for a challenging 31 days.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
May 10, 2014

Takachiho: Gods and gorges in divine Miyazaki

The already cloudy sky darkens perceptibly as our car descends into Takachiho Gorge. This area of extreme scenic beauty — carved out of the earth by lava flow from Kyushu's volatile Mount Aso and further eroded by local rivers such as the Gokase — is already fairly hidden, in an untrampled corner...
CULTURE / Books
May 10, 2014

What the Sky Arranges

Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / HOTLINE TO NAGATACHO
May 5, 2014

Caroline Kennedy, dive with me in Okinawa and it'll change your mind

I entreat you, Ambassador Kennedy, to help protect the marvelous coral reef ecosystem at Oura Bay in northeast Okinawa from certain destruction under the U.S.-Japan plan for military expansion.
Japan Times
WORLD
May 4, 2014

Polish immigrants find their footing in Britain

Ten years after Tomasz Dyl left his small hometown near Krakow as a 13-year-old to start a new life in Southampton on England's south coast, his personal trajectory has become emblematic of the story of Polish migration to the U.K.
Japan Times
JAPAN / History / JAPAN TIMES GONE BY
May 3, 2014

Empress-Dowager Shoken laid to rest; crackdown in Shanghai's foreign quarters; Olympic preparations; Lebanese businessman Japan's top tax-payer

One of the notable landmarks in the modern history of Japan was the funeral ceremony held Saturday night for Her Majesty, the late Empress-Dowager (Shoken, empress consort of Emperor Meiji), who passed away on April 9.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle / CHILD'S PLAY
May 2, 2014

Conquering every parent's dread: a toddler trip to the hairdresser

It is perhaps one of the biggest challenges of parenthood. No, not teaching a child to how read, share toys or have good manners, but the task of trying to get a child to sit still — in particular when getting their hair cut.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EMBASSY AVENUE
Apr 30, 2014

Japan seen through diplomats' eyes

An event to promote the photo exhibition "Japan through Diplomats' Eyes" was held on April 23 at the Embassy of Saudi Arabia in Tokyo.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Apr 23, 2014

Endless inspiration to be found in Mount Fuji and spring flowers

It's often said by Japanese painters that the most difficult subject of all is Mount Fuji. How is it possible to come up with an original take on a theme that has been painted so often and by so many talented artists? Yet for all their angst, artists clearly manage, as demonstrated by the sheer variety...
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Apr 22, 2014

Fabulous fashionistas; exquisite éclairs; smartphone sake

Fabulous fashionistas

Longform

Sumadori Bar on Shibuya Ward's main Center Gai street targets young customers who prefer low-alcohol drinks or abstain altogether.
Rethinking that second drink: Japan’s Gen Z gets ‘sober curious’