Film Oct 6, 2019
Film director Hirokazu Kore-eda steps out of his comfort zone
by Mark Schilling
Award-winning director makes rare move overseas with latest release in a bid to experience various types of filmmaking.
Culture Sep 28, 2019
Go for it: Ancient board game holds logical and artistic appeal for players worldwide
by Andrew McKirdy
The master enters the room several minutes after the scheduled 9 a.m. start. He bows to the match officials before taking his seat at the board, but it is clear from the way he rubs his face and fidgets with his hands that he is ...
Culture Sep 21, 2019
Signs of life: Urban renewal in Nakamachi
by Stephen Mansfield
The oldest surviving quarter of Toba, Mie Prefecture, pins its hopes on crafts and small businesses to stay afloat.
Culture Sep 14, 2019
In the shadow of giants: Are high-rise condominiums in Japan destroying local communities?
by Alex K.T. Martin
Tsukishima is among many districts being gentrified by giant condominium projects popping up in the most populous city in the world.
Culture Sep 7, 2019
Death notes: Traditional rituals associated with curses persist in 21st-century Japan
by Alex K.T. Martin
It's a scorching summer afternoon with temperatures crawling toward 37 degrees Celsius. Kadota Inari Shrine is empty except for a chorus of screeching cicadas and the smooth stone statues of foxes guarding its entrance. Hanging on either side of the shrine are hundreds of small ...
Rugby Aug 31, 2019
Home advantage: World Cup puts Japanese rugby back in the spotlight
by Andrew McKirdy
The date is June 4, 1995, and the Japan national rugby team is facing New Zealand's mighty All Blacks in its final pool game at the Rugby World Cup in South Africa. Japan, which has already been eliminated from the tournament going into the ...
Stage Aug 24, 2019
Iwami-kagura: The changing face of a Shimane theatrical tradition
by Rob Gilhooly
Kneeling on the floor of his atelier in the Nagahama district of Hamada, Shimane Prefecture, master craftsman Katsuro Ka-kita applies the finishing touches to one of his colorful, striking and sometimes terrifying creations. Each depicts characters from Japanese mythology, such as the jealous female demon ...
Culture Aug 17, 2019
Game not over: Japan's amusement arcades tap community spirit to stay relevant
by Andrew McKirdy
"Kana," to call him by the nom de guerre he uses when he is competing in arcade game tournaments, is so good at The King of Fighters '97 that he can beat most other players one-handed. Even with that self-imposed handicap, the 37-year-old clothing company ...
Art Aug 10, 2019
Reborn-Art Festival: A Tohoku community gets a new lease on life
by John L. Tran
Climbing the stairs of Ishinomaki's first department store, built in 1930, I can hear the sound of a man singing and the gentle strumming of an acoustic guitar. The voice is not one of a professional crooner; it's raspy and unsure, and sounds like ...
Culture Aug 3, 2019
by Alex K.T. Martin
Once a dying profession, chindonya troupes are passing their knowledge on to the next generation
Film Jul 27, 2019
Makoto Shinkai isn't afraid of a bit of rain in the pursuit of his art
by Matt Schley
It has been raining for weeks, but director Makoto Shinkai doesn't seem to mind a bit. The award-winning creator's latest film, "Weathering With You," couldn't have been accompanied by better meteorological conditions than in the weeks leading up to its July 19 release. According to the ...
Culture Jul 20, 2019
Mane attraction: Coastal parts of Fukushima Prefecture have a long-standing love of horses
by Manami Okazaki
Hundreds of armor-clad participants on horseback parade through the streets of Minamisoma, Fukushima Prefecture, during the Soma Nomaoi festival on a typically blistering hot day at the end of July every year. As impressive as this spectacle may sound, the parade is actually the precursor ...