Tag - cultural

 
 

CULTURAL

Japan Times
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Nov 29, 2017
Students benefit from homestays without going overseas
Traveling overseas for a homestay to brush up their English or try life in another culture has become almost de rigueur for Japanese students, with many going as teenagers through their schools or as a private arrangement. However, the costs involved mean such an experience is often beyond the reach of students from impoverished backgrounds, such as those from single-parent households or children's homes.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Nov 18, 2017
'Red Roofs and Other Stories': Tales of restlessness by Junichiro Tanizaki
Junichiro Tanizaki is best known for his novels, "Naomi" and "The Makioka Sisters," and is widely considered one of Japan's greatest writers of modern literature. This collection of his early stories "Red Roofs & Other Stories," published between 1917 and 1926, begins with a novella-like story that alludes to Robert Louis Stevenson's "Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde," as well as Edgar Allan Poe's "The Cask of Amontillado."
BUSINESS
Aug 28, 2017
Trump administration weighs cuts in cultural, work exchange visas: WSJ
President Donald Trump's administration is considering reducing visas for U.S. cultural and work exchange programs, including au pairs and summer workers, the Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Jul 7, 2017
Cultural construction boom aims to offset Hong Kong's business-like image
The theater stage is bathed in a luscious lavender hue, a color that in Chinese tradition signifies nobility and mystery — and portends things to come. A young couple, pure of heart, fall in love only to see their romance thwarted by the machinations of a corrupt bureaucrat. They declare their devotion to each other, expressing themselves in song and precisely choreographed hand movements and poses.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
May 16, 2017
Culture thrives when it's all shook up
Indignation about cultural appropriation is a new frontier in the ever-expanding empire of cultivated victimhood.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / MORNING ENGLISH
Mar 20, 2017
Let's discuss the Tokyo 2020 Cultural Olympiad
Japan's celebration of culture leading up to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics will 'deliver something inspiring for the people of Japan and the whole world,' says the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad Director.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 9, 2017
Japan will deliver big during Tokyo 2020 Cultural Olympiad, London Games official says
Japan's celebration of culture leading up to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics will "deliver something inspiring for the people of Japan and the whole world," according to London 2012 Cultural Olympiad Director Ruth Mackenzie.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 4, 2017
Sixty traditional folk events halted in rural Japan due to depopulation, aging
Sixty traditional festivals and dances in 20 prefectures designated by local governments as intangible folk culture assets have been ended or suspended due to population declines and the aging of rural communities, a survey has found.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 1, 2016
UNESCO panel recommends adding 33 Japan festivals to heritage list
Communities around Japan hail the decision, which figures to boost tourism numbers considerably.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Oct 4, 2016
Reconnecting Japan's ancient cultural hub
"When I visited Todaiji Temple in Nara, just after I arrived as a Chinese student in Japan about 30 years ago, I felt somehow nostalgic as it had an atmosphere of old China," says Cai Guo-Qiang, as he explains his work for Culture City of East Asia 2016, Nara, a cultural project that launched in March. "I think that Todaiji is a symbol of cultural exchange between Japan and China, which crossed over the ocean by ships, bringing Buddhism, technology and culture as well as goods such as silk or ceramics. That's why I wanted to build a ship here to remind us of our close relationship in ancient time."
Japan Times
JAPAN
Sep 21, 2016
Japanese architect group pushes for Yoyogi National Gymnasium to get World Heritage listing
A group that includes famed Japanese architects Fumihiko Maki and Kengo Kuma on Wednesday launched a campaign seeking inclusion of gymnasium facilities used in the 1964 Tokyo Olympics on UNESCO's World Cultural Heritage list.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 14, 2016
Quest for a moral compass
The Cultural Revolution tore China's social fabric and transformed the society into a dog-eat-dog world, the vestiges of which are still felt today.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Aug 22, 2016
Pillaged cultural assets returned to Afghanistan with help of Japan
Some 102 cultural assets taken illegally from conflict-torn Afghanistan have been returned to the South Asian country with the help of a Japanese nonprofit organization.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jul 19, 2016
Ex-JET teachers eyed to help improve English-language tourist information
Former Japan Exchange and Teaching Programme participants (JET program) could be tapped to improve English-language information at cultural landmarks under a proposal being considered by the Cultural Affairs Agency.
COMMENTARY / Japan
May 23, 2016
What's mine is yours: build bridges by sharing cultures
Saying Japanese culture can only be experienced by the Japanese inhibits cross-cultural exchanges and ignores the fact that Japan has borrowed liberally from other cultures.
EDITORIALS
May 19, 2016
China marks a milestone in silence
Given the scale of the brutalities that were unleashed by the Cultural Revolution and the complicity of almost all Chinese in those events, China's near silence on its 50th anniversary almost makes sense.
JAPAN
May 13, 2016
Cabinet backs rural tourism drive in quest for 40 million visitors
The Cabinet on Friday approved a white paper to boost the nation's rural tourism sector as it aims to increase overseas visitor numbers to 40 million by 2020.
LIFE / Language / MORNING ENGLISH
Apr 4, 2016
Let's discuss relocating government agencies out of Tokyo
The Cultural Affairs Agency will be moving to Kyoto as part of a policy to revitalize regional economies and address the over-concentration of government offices in Tokyo.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 21, 2016
Japan to focus on cultural, historical sites in bid to pump up tourist numbers
With Japan determined to boost the number of foreign tourists visiting by the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, the government plans to maximize the use of cultural assets at 200 spots nationwide to spark visitors' interest in Japanese history and culture, a draft of the new plan shows.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 18, 2016
Namahage fans rejoice as panel adds tradition to next UNESCO heritage bid
A government panel on cultural assets has decided to pitch seven indigenous regional events for inclusion on UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list.

Longform

When trying to trace your lineage in Japan, the "koseki" is the most important form of document you'll encounter.
Climbing the branches of a Japanese family tree