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December 07, 2024
 

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CULTURE

Film
Books
Art
Music
TV & Streaming
Stage
Entertainment news
Miho Nakayama
CULTURE
Miho Nakayama, known for 'Love Letter' and a decadeslong music career, dies at 54
By Yukana Inoue
Nakayama had a solo Christmas show scheduled in Osaka on Friday, but had canceled the show in the morning, citing health reasons.
Japanese creatives, athletes and activists saw their efforts recognized on the world stage in various ways this year. At the Oscars (left) Takashi Yamazaki and his team took a prize for ¡°Godzilla Minus One,¡± while later in the year Anna Sawai and Hiroyuki Sanada (center) took Emmys for their work in ¡°Shogun.¡± Shohei Ohtani (right) was arguably the biggest Japanese star of the year.
CULTURE / 2024 in Review
Japan's soft power soared to new heights in 2024
By Alyssa I. Smith
From Oscars and Emmys to a Nobel Peace Prize, it was a year of awards and triumphs in key cultural fields.
A year-old film on Netflix titled "12.12: The Day" saw a spike in viewers after the political turmoil that hit South Korea this week.
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Korean coup movie hits No. 1 on Netflix after martial law chaos
By Sohee Kim
The film depicts the events surrounding a Dec. 12, 1979, coup in South Korea, a theme also tackled in Han Kang's novel "Human Acts."

Film

¡°A Big Home¡± offers a sincere portrait of the vulnerable youth who live in more than 600 group homes across Japan.
Film
Vulnerable youth look for sense of belonging in ¡®A Big Home¡¯
By Mark Schilling
Ryo Takebayashi¡¯s documentary profiles the residents of a group home, but shies away from making emphatic statements about the circumstances that brought them there.
Film
¡®The Making of a Japanese¡¯: A warm and engaging portrait of Japanese schoolchildren
By James Hadfield
Film
¡®Faceless¡¯: Fugitive thriller turns a blind eye to hard truths
By James Hadfield
Film
The mind-bending melancholy of ¡®Lust in the Rain¡¯
By Mark Schilling
Film
¡®What Divides Us¡¯ producer honors grandfather¡¯s Hiroshima reportage
By Himari Semans
Film
The slow-burn success of ¡®A Samurai in Time¡¯
By James Hadfield
Film
¡®Angry Squad¡¯: A caper comedy with a lot of heart
By James Hadfield

Books

In Ko Shinjo's "Tokyo Swindlers," a group of con artists manipulates real estate giants into falsified deals within the highly competitive, quick market.
Books
'Tokyo Swindlers': Get deep into the minds of real estate con artists
By Kris Kosaka
Ko Shinjo¡¯s novel, a bold exploration of the twisted psyches of criminals, is best appreciated as a companion work to the recent Netflix series of the same title.
Books
Haruki Murakami's 'The City and Its Uncertain Walls' gives deep deja vu
By Thu-Huong Ha
Books
Brutal beauty worth saving from the wrecking ball
By Zoria Petkoska
Books
The sentimental gastronomies of ¡®Taiwan Travelogue¡¯
By Mike Fu
Books
¡®Set My Heart on Fire¡¯: Izumi Suzuki captures the heady cravings of youth
By Thu-Huong Ha
Books
A nuanced glimpse into the cloistered world of Kabukicho
By Kris Kosaka
Books
Cat companions and the 'healing fiction' boom
By Mike Fu

Music

The time and location for Amapinight parties are never certain, but two things you can be assured of when attending are that there will be dancing and a lot of amapiano.
Music
There's no room for wallflowers at Amapinight
By Kim Kahan
From amapiano to dancehall, Japanese dancers and DJs are moving the masses with African beats at Tokyo's most energetic party.
Music / Sound Off
'Kohaku' still matters for J-pop bragging rights
By Patrick St. Michel
Music
The Tubassadors hope to change the tuba¡¯s tune
By Louise George Kittaka
Music
Sign-language rock band marks 35 years in Japan
Music
Chilean trio Mareo! is on a lengthy tour to help grow its Latin-inspired sound in Japan
By Patrick St. Michel
Music
Peter Barakan¡¯s Live Magic! takes its final bow
By Matt Schley
Music
Ginger Root expands on effervescent retro sound
By Patrick St. Michel

TV & Streaming

Hiroshi Kurosaki¡¯s Netflix series ¡°Beyond Goodbye¡± centers on a woman (Kasumi Arimura, left) who discovers her dead lover¡¯s heart saved the life of a quiet pianist (Kentaro Sakaguchi).
TV & Streaming
Hiroshi Kurosaki looks beyond Japan for heart-wrenching drama
By Mark Schilling
The director¡¯s Netflix series relies on lush visuals and truths about love and loss to appeal to an overseas audience.
TV & Streaming
Amazon¡¯s ¡®Like a Dragon: Yakuza¡¯ pulls its biggest punch
By Owen Ziegler
TV & Streaming
Yuriyan Retriever is Japan's biggest heel ¡ª and proud of it
By James Hadfield
TV & Streaming
Japanese are jubilant over 'Shogun' ¡ª even without having watched the series
By Natsuko Fukue
TV & Streaming
¡®Shogun¡¯ and the painstaking art of ¡®getting it right¡¯
By Thu-Huong Ha
TV & Streaming
'Shogun' becomes first non-English-language winner of best drama Emmy
By Alyssa I. Smith
TV & Streaming
Hiroyuki Sanada: the actor and producer driving TV's 'Shogun'
By Natsuko Fukue

Art

Aiku Kurotaki¡¯s ¡°Human 1¡± (2024) ¡ª and ¡°Human 0¡± (2024) to the left ¡ª on display at Tokyo¡¯s Som Gallery earlier this year.
Art
¡®From 0 to 1¡¯: Aiku Kurotaki¡¯s fabric of existence
By Ansel Swindells
The artist's wool sculptures play off the idea of string theory, which conceptualizes subatomic particles as infinitesimal strings vibrating in fixed patterns.
Art
Yuko Mohri is a maestro of unstable elements
By Thu-Huong Ha
Art
T3 Photo Festival reflects on past and present of the medium
By John L. Tran
Art
In Tokyo, the Taro Nasu gallery focuses on conceptual art
By Vivian Morelli
Art
Hold history in your hands at this triennial antiques fair in Tokyo
By Zoria Petkoska
Art
ÐÇ¿ÕÎÞÏÞ´«Ã½ biggest Louise Bourgeois exhibit yet leans into ambivalence
By Thu-Huong Ha
Art
Weather makes for an unpredictable artist at Nagano art festival
By Thu-Huong Ha

Stage

Drag queen Becca D¡¯Bus plays Dido, the forlorn queen of Carthage, in a drag version of ¡°Dido and Aeneas."
Stage
Divas and diversity: Opera meets drag in ¡®Dido and Aeneas¡¯
By Zoria Petkoska
Becca D¡¯Bus, one of Singapore¡¯s most popular drag queens, and Tokyo¡¯s voguers and queens team up for a grand show at the Yokohama International Performing Arts Meeting.
Stage
Butoh dances to the sounds of Hokusai¡¯s hometown
By Zoria Petkoska
Stage / Longform
Wozme, an all-women dance troupe, wants to move the needle in butoh
By Zoria Petkoska
Stage
Comedy offers new routine for women prisoners in Paraguay
By Hugo Olazarfirst
Stage
'La Sonnambula' offers a modern take on a dubious happy ending
By Kris Kosaka
Stage
The Tokyo Ballet marks year of rebirth with tributes to history and innovation
By Kris Kosaka
Stage
Tokyo Comedy Bar supersizes laughs with 11-night festival
By Zoria Petkoska

Entertainment news

A year-old film on Netflix titled "12.12: The Day" saw a spike in viewers after the political turmoil that hit South Korea this week.
Entertainment news
Korean coup movie hits No. 1 on Netflix after martial law chaos
By Sohee Kim
The film depicts the events surrounding a Dec. 12, 1979, coup in South Korea, a theme also tackled in Han Kang's novel "Human Acts."
Entertainment news
Beatles legend Paul McCartney stars in new U.K. coin collection
Entertainment news
French-Japanese series takes best drama at International Emmys
By Kathleen Benoza
Entertainment news
Chinese films about COVID-19 and gay romance win big at Taiwan awards
Entertainment news
Japan's manga powerhouse 'Dragon Ball' turns 40
Entertainment news
NHK announces Number_i, Illit and Glay for ¡®Kohaku¡¯ lineup
By Patrick St. Michel
Entertainment news
Yoko Ono is rightful owner of John Lennon's stolen watch, says Swiss court
Read more CULTURE stories
88 arrested for soliciting prostitution near Tokyo park so far this year
A woman is arrested for soliciting prostitution near Okubo Park in Tokyo's Shinjuku Ward in October.
Miho Nakayama, known for 'Love Letter' and a decadeslong music career, dies at 54
Miho Nakayama
Japanese companies weigh impact of South Korea's martial law chaos
Passengers line up at Narita Airport to board a flight to Seoul on Wednesday.
Tokyo government to introduce four-day workweek to empower women
Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike says she will continue to review work styles flexibly to ensure that women do not have to sacrifice their careers due to life events.
Japanese sake brewing added to UNESCO intangible heritage list
Sake bottles are displayed at the 19th World Cultural Heritage Conference, as sake was added to UNESCO'S Intangible Cultural Heritage list, in Asuncion, Paraguay on Wednesday.
Japan's soft power soared to new heights in 2024
Japanese creatives, athletes and activists saw their efforts recognized on the world stage in various ways this year. At the Oscars (left) Takashi Yamazaki and his team took a prize for ¡°Godzilla Minus One,¡± while later in the year Anna Sawai and Hiroyuki Sanada (center) took Emmys for their work in ¡°Shogun.¡± Shohei Ohtani (right) was arguably the biggest Japanese star of the year.
Lightning strikes twice for Shun Ikeda at All Japan Championships
Shun Ikeda holds the trophy after winning his second consecutive amateur yokozuna title on Sunday at Tokyo¡¯s Ryogoku Kokugikan.
Yoon¡¯s gambit a tempest in a teapot for financial markets
A screen displays market data at Hana Bank in Seoul on Wednesday.
U.S. Space Force launches first unit in Japan
Activated on Wednesday, U.S. Space Forces Japan ¡ª a component similar to the one established at South Korea¡¯s Osan Air Base in 2022 ¡ª will operate out of Yokota Air Base in the city of Fussa, western Tokyo, with a staff of about 10.
Can Japan's scientific community rebound from a Nobel nosedive?
The National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation in Tokyo is a popular place to foster curiosity in the natural sciences.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo¡¯s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo¡¯s ¡®stadium of desire¡¯

Longform

People in cities across Japan will pop into their local convenience store for any number of products they believe will help them with a night of drinking.
Hangover cures are everywhere in Japan ¡ª but do they work?
By Thu-Huong Ha

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