Style & Design | ON: DESIGN Feb 4, 2017
Put the pedal to the metal for Valentine's Day
by Mio Yamada
If you haven't sorted out your loved one's special gift yet, On: Design this month has mined a few new ideas from Japan's metalworking industry.
Style & Design Oct 8, 2016
Oki Sato of Nendo: on the objects of design
by Haniya Rae
This year alone, Oki Sato, founder and director of Nendo, has not one, but two major retrospective exhibitions of the design unit's work — one at the Design Museum Holon in Israel, the other at the Taiwan Design Museum. His acclaimed "50 Manga Chairs" ...
National / Politics Jun 4, 2015
Success of Doraemon film in China reflects thaw in ties with Japan: expert
by Masaaki Kameda
The success of a Japanese animation film recently released in China reflects a thaw in relations between the two nations as Beijing opens up to cultural exchanges, according to a Japan-based expert on the communist country. The 3-D animated movie "Stand By Me Doraemon," which ...
Entertainment News May 14, 2015
Beloved Doraemon voice actress Nobuyo Oyama struggling with dementia
by Tomohiro Osaki
A veteran anime voice actress of Japan's beloved Doraemon robot cat is struggling with dementia, her talent agency and husband have revealed. Despite her disease, Nobuyo Oyama, 78, remains physically healthy and eager to continue with her voice acting duties, albeit to a limited degree, ...
Lifestyle Dec 27, 2014
Learning to love robots
by Masami Ito
With half the decade complete, we examine an industry that has significantly changed the way we think about ourselves.
People | 20 QUESTIONS Aug 30, 2014
Kazu Kuzuwata: 'You'll never find a rainbow if you're looking down'
by Elliott Samuels
Name: Kazu Kuzuwata Age: 34 Nationality: Japanese Occupation: IT engineer Likes: Music, the sea, Haruki Murakami, respect, advanced technology Dislikes: Pollution, disrespect 1. What does the kanji that comprises your first name mean? Would you say it matches your personality? My kanji character, 和 (wa), means peace, unity, Japan. I ...
Culture | CULTURE SMASH Jul 25, 2014
Anime enjoys summer homes in Los Angeles
by Roland Kelts
For more than two decades, post-production, audio and creative studio Bang Zoom! Entertainment in Burbank, California, has been delivering the anime fix abroad. Founder and CEO Eric P. Sherman talks about how it all began.
Events / Events In Tokyo Jul 18, 2014
Television fun away from the couch
by Sei Dickinson
This summer, TV Asahi and Roppongi Hills are working together to get you off the sofa and into the sun while still enjoying some of your favorite television programs. This is the collaboration's first grand-scale event, which is aimed at all ages and features music, ...
National Jul 9, 2014
Doraemon charms U.S. viewers in first remake for a foreign market
by Marcie Kagawa
It took two years of work, but Eric Sherman and his employees at Bang Zoom! Entertainment have brought Japan's beloved blue robotic cat Doraemon to TV screens across the United States. With a 20-minute pilot and 26 episodes lined up, America was treated to its ...
National Jun 25, 2014
Doraemon hitting U.S. airwaves this summer
by Marcie Kagawa
Japan's beloved blue robotic cat from the 22nd century is finally making his U.S. debut this summer, promoted as part of the Cool Japan campaign to export the country's pop culture around the world. The Japan External Trade Organization held a "Doraemon" launch party Friday ...
National May 9, 2014
Doraemon episodes to hit U.S. airwaves in English
The adventures of Japan's favorite robotic cat will be broadcast in English in the United States starting this summer, TV Asahi reveals.
Books Mar 1, 2014
Doraemon, the robot cat, gets your tongue
by Kris Kosaka
An earless blue robotic cat, one pocket bulging with gadgets from the future and a lifelong fear of mice: Who is he? Japan roars the answer — but English readers may be stumped. Because, even though he's a government-appointed "cultural ambassador" and a familiar ...