Culture
Culture Popular Articles
-
Night Parade of Dinosaurs in Tokyo; Lifelike Dinosaurs to Stomp Their Way Through Tokyo National Museum
A night parade of dinosaurs is coming to the Tokyo National Museum for two nights in September, w...
July 21, 2024
-
Ethnology Museum Conveys Cultural Diversity for 50 Yrs
SUITA, Osaka — This year marks the 50th anniversary of the foundation of the National Museum of E...
July 23, 2024
Manga & Anime
-
Israeli Graphic Novel Tactfully Draws Israel-Palestine Divide; New Japanese Translation Worth Reading at This Moment
Israel began its offensive in the Palestinian territory of Gaza last autumn. Despite worldwide calls...
July 21, 2024
-
Bunraku Plays with Animated Backgrounds to Go on U.S. Tour; Featuring 9 Shows in 5 Cities
Dramatic scenes from famous bunraku puppet plays that have been jazzed up with animated backgroun...
July 7, 2024
-
Sand Art Honors Legendary Manga ‘Cyborg 009’ in Miyagi Pref. City; Celebrating 60th Anniversary of Publication
A sand sculpture featuring characters from the classic manga “Cyborg 009” by the late Shotaro Ish...
June 24, 2024
-
Documentary-Style, Autobiographical Manga Remembers 2 Gekiga Gods of the 1970s; Iga Depicts Fierce Competition Between Saito, Koike
The late Takao Saito, the author and artist of “Golgo 13,” told people he had decided exactly how he...
June 21, 2024
-
Film Based on Japanese Actor’s Autobiography ‘Totto-chan’ Wins Award at French International Film Festival
A film based on actor Tetsuko Kuroyanagi’s autobiography won a prize at the Annecy International ...
June 16, 2024
Film & TV
-
Hiroe Igeta Enjoys Every Moment as Actor, Model; ‘Oshare Clip’ Co-Emcee Becomes Household Name
Hiroe Igeta has been active, showing her smile on TV dramas, variety shows, commercials and fashion ...
July 12, 2024
-
Yae-Kana Festival Celebrates 2 ‘Anison’ Singers, Pretty Cure 20th Anniversary
In May, I organized a new event called Yae-Kana Matsuri (Yae-Kana festival) to celebrate the 20th an...
July 12, 2024
-
TV anchor Zemba Wants to Create Relaxed Mood for Sunday Morning Viewers; Veteran Anchorwoman Now Heads TBS’s ‘Sunday Morning’ Show
Since this spring, newscaster Takako Zemba has become the face of TBS’s news show “Sunday Morning.” ...
July 6, 2024
-
In ‘Confession,’ Toma Ikuta And Yang Ik-june Try To Kill Each Other; But In Real Life They Get Along Like Old Friends
Do you have a secret that you have decided to take to the grave? One you’ll never, ever want another...
June 21, 2024
-
Rescue Police series actors help make event possible 30 years on
Last month, I organized Rescue Kanshasai II, an event to show gratitude for the Rescue Police series...
June 14, 2024
Kabuki / Noh / Rakugo
-
Kabuki Stars Nakamura Tokizo, Nakamura Baishi to Change Names in June
Kabuki actors Nakamura Tokizo V, 68, will change his name to Nakamura Manju and his first son, Nakam...
January 23, 2024
-
Bunraku Puppet Plays Get National Treasure Treatment, with Puppeteer Kanjuro Kiritake, Historic Shokoji Temple
Two bunraku puppet plays, featuring living national treasure and puppeteer Kanjuro Kiritake, were pe...
November 29, 2023
-
Famed Storyteller Shinsho Still Draws Fans after 50 Years
Fifty years have passed since legendary rakugo storyteller Kokontei Shinsho V died on Sept. 21, 1973...
October 29, 2023
-
Kabuki Firm Shochiku Offers English Audio Guides in Tokyo, Interpretation Event in Osaka to Draw Foreign Visitors in Japan
As foreign visitor numbers continue to recover, efforts to attract tourists are increasing, such as ...
October 22, 2023
-
‘Demon Slayer’ Kabuki Production Canceled
A kabuki adaptation of the popular manga “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba” has been canceled, accordi...
August 3, 2023
Performing Arts
-
Shibaigoya Spring: Kabuki Performances in Cozy Edo Period Playhouses Return After Pandemic Delays
Shibaigoya, or quaint kabuki playhouses that carry on traditions from the Edo period (1603-1867),...
June 10, 2024
-
Kabuki Returns; University of Hawaii Students Revive Traditional Japanese Theater in Gifu Pref. After 130 Years
MIZUNAMI, Gifu — Jikabuki, a folk performing art, which took root among Japanese immigrants to Ha...
June 4, 2024
-
Karagumi Theater Troupe Revives Beloved Play “Doro Ningyo;” Young Actors Carry on Performing Despite Playwright’s Death
The iconic red tent theater shakes with excitement as the actors inside leap about the stage. The di...
May 24, 2024
-
Hawaiian Students to Celebrate 130 Years of Kabuki in Hawaii with Commemorative Program in Gifu; Kabuki Star Ichikawa Monnosuke Advises
Kabuki has been passed down from generation to generation in farming villages throughout Japan an...
May 19, 2024
-
Pop Idol Koichi Domoto’s Musical ‘Shock’ Rewrites Japan Record
Tokyo, May 10 (Jiji Press) — The musical series “Shock” starring pop idol Koichi Domoto, 45, has ...
May 10, 2024
Art
-
Ueshima Museum, A New Center For Contemporary Art, Opens In Tokyo; Displays Works By Present-Day Artists From Japan And Overseas
The Ueshima Museum, which exhibits superb works of contemporary art from its own collection, open...
July 13, 2024
-
Indispensable Craftsmanship for Producing Traditional Nara Sumi Inksticks; Going from Doughy Soot to Beautiful Ink
NARA — Sumi ink, introduced to Japan from the Korean peninsula during the Asuka period (592-710),...
July 2, 2024
-
Gifu Museum’s Contemporary Art Exhibits Move the Soul; Two Artists’ Work Focuses on Theme of Time
IKEDA, Gifu – The Kyokushou Bijutsukan museum has no admission fee nor charges for its predominan...
June 17, 2024
-
These Fish Won’t Fry, but They Do Bring Joy and Elegance to a Room
NIIGATA — With their mouths wide open and gently curved paper bodies, Kami-nishikigoi, carp-shape...
June 16, 2024
-
Printed Circuit Board Art Radiates Delicate Beauty; Artist Has Original Take on Latest Technology
Printed circuit boards (PCB) are built into all kinds of equipment, including automobiles, home appl...
June 7, 2024
Fashion
-
Milan Fashion Week: Prada Projects Youthful Optimism
MILAN (AP) — Without making overt statements, Milan designers expressed their concern over the gl...
June 27, 2024
-
Fashion Designer Yumi Katsura Gets Rosy in Tokyo Show; Leading Japanese Bridal Fashion for Nearly 60 Years
Bridal fashion designer Yumi Katsura hosted a fashion show in Tokyo on March 5, unveiling about 70 n...
April 27, 2024
-
2024 Autumn/Winter Tokyo Fashion Week Kicks Off in Shibuya; Event Held Through Saturday
The 2024 Autumn/Winter Tokyo Collection kicked off Monday. Pays des Fees, known for its strangely...
March 11, 2024
-
The Revival of West Japan’s Kokura-ori and Its Beauty of Vertical Stripes
FUKUOKA — Kokura-ori is a cotton fabric that was once used to make samurai hakama pants and other...
March 10, 2024
-
Anna Wintour and the World of Fashion
A biography of famed fashion editor Anna Wintour, “Anna: The Biography” by Amy Odell, was translated...
March 2, 2024
Music
-
Tetsuya Komuro of TM Network Reflects on Band’s Impact on J-Pop 40 Years After Debut; ‘Get Wild’ Gets Revamp to Mark Anniversary
The J-pop trio TM Network continues to make music as they celebrate the 40th anniversary of their de...
July 5, 2024
-
Works by Ukrainian Composers Featured at Yokohama Charity Concert; Violinist Chieko Arai Performs in Show of Solidarity with Country Facing Russian Aggression
A charity concert featuring violin pieces by Ukrainian composers was held at a church in Yokohama...
June 24, 2024
-
Trove of Documents from Postwar Composer Ikuma Dan to Be Released Online; Includes Handwritten Score for ‘Arabian Dance’
Planning notes, musical scores and other documents written by Ikuma Dan, a major postwar composer...
June 10, 2024
-
Weigle, YNSO Impress with ‘Elektra,’ Orchestral Concerts
Sebastian Weigle’s sixth year as the principal conductor of the Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra...
May 9, 2024
-
Mazzel’s Debut Album ‘Parade’ a Great Medley of Music and Dance
Eight-man dance and vocal group Mazzel released their long-awaited debut album, “Parade,” in March, ...
May 3, 2024
Books & Literature
-
Bound to Please / Scholar Reveals Real-Life Characters Behind the Fiction of ‘Shogun’
“We’ve endured pestilence, known starvation, chewed the calfskin that covers the ropes. We should...
July 18, 2024
-
Award-Winning Author Mina Miyajima Aims to ‘Take Over the World’
Award-winning author Mina Miyajima is “taking over” Japan from Otsu, where she lives and where her ...
June 28, 2024
-
Prize-Winning Novelist Rie Qudan Finds AI Works Lacking in Human Originality; Latest Novel That Used AI, ‘Tokyo-to Dojo-to,’ Touches on Tech, Japanese Culture
Novelist Rie Qudan, who used AI to help her write the novel “Tokyo-to Dojo-to” (“Sympathy Tower T...
June 17, 2024
-
AI Works Still Need A Human Touch, Says Prize-winning Novelist; ‘Sympathy Tower Tokyo’ Weaves in Lines from ChatGPT
Novelist Rie Qudan sparked controversy in January when she won the Akutagawa Prize, one of Japan’...
June 16, 2024
-
Kotaro Isaka’s Thriller ‘The Mantis’ Shortlisted for CWA Daggers; Author Previously Nominated for ‘Bullet Train’
Kotaro Isaka’s novel “Ax” (“The Mantis”) has been shortlisted for the Ian Fleming Steel Dagger Aw...
May 13, 2024
Museums
-
Ethnology Museum Conveys Cultural Diversity for 50 Yrs
SUITA, Osaka — This year marks the 50th anniversary of the foundation of the National Museum of E...
July 23, 2024
-
Night Parade of Dinosaurs in Tokyo; Lifelike Dinosaurs to Stomp Their Way Through Tokyo National Museum
A night parade of dinosaurs is coming to the Tokyo National Museum for two nights in September, w...
July 21, 2024
-
Art Museums in Japan’s Kansai Region Reopen After Renovations; Many Structures Need Work to Keep Up with Modern Times
Art museums across the Kansai region are reopening following renovation and repair work on the ag...
July 8, 2024
-
Honen’s Pure Land Sect 850 Years Later; Get Close to History with Letters, Statues, Other Relics
To mark the 850th anniversary of the founding of the Pure Land sect of Buddhism, The Yomiuri Shim...
May 19, 2024
-
Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum to Introduce Online Ticket Service; Record Breaking Number of Foreign Visitors
The Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, located in Hiroshima City’s Naka Ward, will introduce an online...
February 13, 2024
JN Popular Articles
JN TOP STORIES