Film | Wide Angle Jan 10, 2020
NHK raises the dead for 'Kohaku' to mixed reviews
by Patrick St. Michel
After NHK brought deceased enka singer Hibari Misora back to the 'Kohaku Uta Gassen' stage, reaction from viewers was mixed.
National / Media | BIG IN JAPAN Jul 20, 2019
New era aside, Showa nostalgia continues to keep rolling along
by Mark Schreiber
The new Reiwa Era is now into its third month and histories are starting to appear about the Heisei Era that preceded it. In late June, the publishing arm of the Mainichi Shimbun released a 384-page softcover book titled "Heisei-shi Zenkiroku" ("Chronicle 1989-2019"). The ...
People | 20 QUESTIONS Dec 22, 2018
Ayako Minase can put a song in your heart
by Mio Yamada
Singer-songwriter Ayako Minase's 'mature pop,' with its fun retro-influences and contemporary sensibilities, comes from the heart.
Film | Wide Angle Feb 23, 2017
From the 'Queen of Boogie' to 'The Lion King,' Japanese audiences are always up for a good musical
by Kaori Shoji
Few Japanese will dispute that we are a nation of dedicated music fans and, though it may not seem like it at first, this goes for musicals, too. Shizuko Kasagi, widely revered as the "Queen of Boogie" was the first to perform at the reopened ...
Music | STRANGE BOUTIQUE Sep 25, 2016
Hikaru Utada and the iconic women of Japanese pop who came before her
by Ian Martin
In an age where anyone and (it often seems) everyone can be an idol, it takes something special to be an icon. An icon should stand apart from their peers and embody the spirit of their generation. They should be distinct to a particular time ...
People | 20 QUESTIONS Jan 23, 2016
Haruka Kuroda: 'Whatever the situation, listen to your feelings'
by J.J. O'Donoghue
U.K.-based Japanese actress on jelly and collaborating with Gorillaz
Music | They're Playing Our Song Aug 9, 2015
The song that dealt with the atomic bombs
by Dustin Wong
My own feelings toward the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II — and the anniversaries of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in particular — are complicated. I grew up in Japan. My grandmother was Japanese and my grandfather was American. ...