September 29, 2020
Samurai, geisha and kid dolls clad in ornate kimono depict the culture and fashion of Japan hundreds of years ago. Making them look as realistic as possible with attention paid to the details of the ...
Yayoi Kusama, Takashi Murakami and Yoshitomo Nara are among the world’s most recognizable names in Japanese art. They are part of an exhibition of works by six contemporary masters based in Japan at...
Composer Dai Fujikura has written music for a teleperformance. Having continued to send messages from London amid the COVID-19 pandemic, he keeps himself busy, even working on the planning of an upcom...
Noted writer Kenichi Sato, 52, winner of the prestigious Naoki Prize in 1999 and other accolades, is well-versed in French history and last year completed a historical fiction novel on Napoleon Bonapa...
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, Director Kiyoshi Kurosawa, winner of the Silver Lion for best director for “Spy no Tsuma” (Wife of a Spy) at this year’s Venice International Film Festival on S...
Noted writer Kenichi Sato, 52, winner of the prestigious Naoki Prize in 1999 and other accolades, is well versed in French history and last year completed a historical fiction novel on Napoleon Bona...
Masterpieces from Japan’s “three great collections of ukiyo-e” are on display together for the first time ever at the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum in Ueno, Tokyo, in a special exhibition titled...
A theater festival aimed at revitalizing regional communities is currently taking place in Toyooka, Hyogo Prefecture, as organizers brave the novel coronavirus pandemic.
The Toyooka Theater Festival...
Rio Asumi was a leading performer of the Takarazuka Revue. She mostly played male roles and would enamor the audience with her beautiful voice and cool demeanor.
Asumi’s first job since leaving th...
At last. The wait was positively George R.R. Martinesque, but the final installment of Hilary Mantel’s trilogy about Tudor statesman Thomas Cromwell finally reached bookstore shelves. The saga tha...
Donald Keene was a scholar of Japanese literature whom even the Japanese held in the highest regard, and we writers also respected him. When I had an opportunity to interview him about “The Tale of ...
On YouTube and other social media, New York-based video creator kemio skillfully uses online platforms to captivate his audience, many of them young people.
Standing 193 centimeters tall, kemio was ...
Upopoy, the National Ainu Museum and Park that opened in July in Shiraoi, Hokkaido, has become the center of resurrection for the culture of the Ainu, the indigenous people of northern Japan. Its cent...
Renowned playwright and critic Masakazu Yamazaki presented his unique wide-reaching view of civilization and led the nation’s fourth estate.
Yamazaki passed away on Aug. 19 at the age of 86. His a...
Sprinkled with a pulsing rhythm, all of Official Hige Dandism’s beautiful melodies sound as though every part is the hook. This piano-pop band and their music are sweeping this year’s music scene....
Laura Bohannan was well into her 60s when I met her in my first year in graduate school. Trained at Oxford University by renowned British anthropologist Edward Evan Evans-Pritchard, Bohannan delivered...
Amabie, a yokai supernatural being and protector against diseases, has become the subject of a new noh play, as the mythical creature has stepped into the spotlight during the novel coronavirus pandem...
There’s no need to explain that Fast Retailing Co., which operates Uniqlo, is a world-class apparel maker and retailer. Instead, I’m here to inform you about Fast Retailing’s counterpart in the ...
The mysterious swords of Muramasa could bring the Tokugawa family to ruin — so said a rumor that has continued for about 300 years since the reign of Tokugawa Yoshimune (1684-1751), the eighth shogu...
How should I describe this music? Absorbing soul, jazz, rock, hip-hop and every other kind of music, the four-man band Wonk sets new trends, with their eyes always fixed toward the world, even writing...
The fashion industry is under pressure to transform in the wake of the new coronavirus pandemic.
Long-established apparel maker Renown Inc. filed for civil rehabilitation procedures in May, and July ...
The Tokyo Olympics and Paralympic Games were supposed to be held this year, and the plan was for tourists, who were visiting Japan, to take home Hibari Misora’s CD as a souvenir from Tokyo. The alb...
An exhibition that looks back on Hibari Misora through articles from The Yomiuri Shimbun is being held at the Yomiuri Gallery on the third floor of the newspaper’s headquarters in Tokyo. The 52 ar...
Acclaimed Japanese playwright and stage director Hideki Noda has brought his masterpiece “Red Demon” back to the stage, but the events of recent months have given a fresh twist to his tale of fea...
The practice of burning incense is said to have been introduced to Japan from China in ancient times. The sweet, rich fragrances wafting through the air seem to have the power to relax even today’s ...
The Fukagawa district in Koto Ward, Tokyo, will transform into an outdoor art museum when about 300 paintings and illustrations by disabled artists will be displayed at local temples and shrines as we...
Most museums and art galleries have reopened after they had temporarily closed due to the coronavirus outbreak. Many of them have also introduced an online ticket reservation system to avoid overcrowd...
Eraser stamps engraved with designs of your choice provide the enjoyment of creating handmade items using materials within arm’s reach. If you hone your skills, you can pursue an artistic quality th...
More and more works by leading contemporary Japanese novelists are gaining popularity after being translated and published in English. “Natsu Monogatari” (A summer story, published as “Breasts a...
Little by little, the curtain that had fallen on the art world is being reopened. Galleries and museums around the country, closed in response to the coronavirus pandemic, are reopening one after anot...
The entertainment industry is facing the challenge of gaining commercial profit while meeting the government’s target of limiting an audience size to 50% or less of an indoor venue’s capacity, whi...
The relocated Takarazuka Hotel has opened in Takarazuka, Hyogo Prefecture, featuring a design that retains the elegance of the original hotel built in the Taisho era (1912-1926).
Located adjacent to ...
Gao Yan is an up-and-coming illustrator and manga artist from Taiwan who created art for a recent collection of essays by Haruki Murakami, titled “Neko o Suteru: Chichioya ni tsuite Kataru Toki” (...
Cool paintings are greeting hot travelers this summer at two train stations in Kumagaya, Saitama Prefecture, known as the hottest city in Japan. The artwork, with the theme of coolness, is pasted onto...
Tokyo Sinfonietta, a contemporary music ensemble, will hold a concert featuring new work by composer Eric Montalbetti at Tokyo Bunka Kaikan in Ueno, Tokyo, on July 9.
“Performing new works can be ...
Shochiku Co. announced kabuki performances will resume at Kabukiza Theatre in Chuo Ward, Tokyo, on Aug.1 after shows were suspended because of the spread of the coronavirus in March, on Monday.
“...
YUBARI, Hokkaido — Famed animator Yoshikazu Yasuhiko, who designed the characters for the Mobile Suit Gundam series, has completed the promotional artwork for this year’s Yubari International Fant...
Moves have begun to resume performances of classical music, which have been delayed or canceled due to the spread of the novel coronavirus. Various experiments are being conducted to determine how to ...
Moves to resume noh performances have grown gradually. The Nohgaku Performers’ Association and the Japan Nohgaku Organization have decided to jointly hold the Nohgaku Festival at the National Noh T...
Japanese kimono was at its most resplendent from the Azuchi-Momoyama period (late 16th century) through to the middle of the Edo period (1603-1867). During this time, Kyoto was the origin of the newe...
A large-scale solo exhibition by renowned architect Shigeru Ban, 62, is being held at a museum in Oita City until July 5.
While working on large-scale public buildings around the world — including ...
Many art museums have no choice but to stay closed to stop the novel coronavirus from spreading. Under the circumstances, museums are making various attempts to let people at home experience fascinati...
Casual, candid chats with the performers after watching a fascinating play is always a big reason for going to small theaters. If you’re looking forward to doing that again in the post-pandemic days...
SHIMANTO, Kochi — A local painter who does Western-style paintings has been drawing kannon bodhisattva, a Buddhist being known for compassion and mercy, on pebbles and stones, transforming them into...
Mizuhiki is a classic Japanese decorative string made of paper that is a reminder of the beauty in Japan. Traditionally, it is used to add a pop of color to gift wrapping and to envelopes, which are u...
The future remains uncertain as the coronavirus continues to spread. It has seriously impacted the service sector, including retailers and restaurants, and the fashion industry is no exception. Online...
Generally referred to as Kyo-yaki or Kyo ware, ceramics were first produced in Kyoto in the latter half of the 16th century and are still made there today. Kyoto may be a rare place in the world in th...
A seriously energetic superhero TV show has exploded onto screens in the Kyushu region. “Dogengers,” a tokusatsu sci-fi superhero drama shown on KBC (Kyushu Asahi Broadcasting Co.) and other servi...
Ezra F. Vogel, a professor emeritus at Harvard University, is well known for his classic 1979 work “Japan as Number One,” which described Japan’s high economic growth. When I was living in the U...
Theater and music circles are no exception to the damages caused by the spread of the new coronavirus. There have been a series of cancellations and postponements of performances and concerts followi...
As seven prefectures are under a state of emergency because of the spread of the coronavirus, museums are expected to remain closed for an extended period of time. In an effort to allow people to con...
KOCHI — I had assumed ghosts usually appeared by themselves, but in the Shikoku and Chugoku regions it is believed that bands of seven ghosts roam around together. Various areas have differing stori...
Ceramics produced in Kyoto are generally referred to as Kyo-yaki or Kyo ware. Originated in the latter half of the 16th century, Kyo ware has continued to be produced in the present day. An ancient ca...
The Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra (YNSO)’s 2020-2021 season will be led by Sebastian Weigle, his second season at the helm as the orchestra’s principal conductor.
This season will have 46 co...
As Sebastian Weigle winds up his first year as the Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra’s principal conductor, the Yomiuri Shimbun has decided to ask him how his first season has been and what his expe...
At this point, more and more stage performances and live concerts have been canceled following the government’s request to exercise self-restraint on holding events. With that in mind, livestreaming...
Restoration work on richly colored murals in a tomb that dates back some 13 centuries has finally been completed after more than a decade, the Cultural Affairs Agency announced Thursday. The agency r...
KYOTO — In Japan, there are things that Japanese people believe only the Japanese can understand. One of these is the value of tea bowls.
There is an expression indicating the best three tea bowls...
The establishment of Rekishi Shiryo Network (Shiryo Net) organizations, designed to rescue cultural property at times of disaster, has been spreading nationwide. The movement gathered momentum in the...
Like kabuki, the traditional art of rakugo storytelling developed in the densely populated regions of Edo (present day Tokyo) and Kamigata (encompassing Kyoto and Osaka). Each became a distinctive sty...
The UNESCO World Heritage sites of Angkor in Cambodia and Bagan in Myanmar are among the huge ancient remains symbolizing the history of Southeast Asia that have experienced crises such as deteriorati...
BERLIN (AFP-Jiji) — Dissident Iranian director Mohammad Rasoulof on Saturday won the top prize at the Berlin film festival for “There Is No Evil,” a searingly critical work about the death pena...
An exhibition featuring works by contemporary artist Yayoi Kusama is being held at Niigata City Art Museum in Chuo Ward, Niigata.
In the exhibition “The collection of Yayoi Kusama + Artists who we...
The famous Eleven-Headed Kannon, a national treasure, will be shown in Tokyo for the first time at a forthcoming exhibition of Buddhist art that opens in June at Tokyo National Museum.
The Buddhist...
KYOTO — Masatsugu Suga wears two hats. He runs an apparel shop while also serving as the secretary-general of a committee organizing a biannual art festival at temples and other venues around the Ni...
Why not enjoy flowers in your daily life by choosing vases that suit your taste? Vases highlight the charms of flowers and accentuate interiors. They can also add color to a space like pieces of art....
Jidaigeki (period drama) is a traditional genre in Japanese movies, TV programs and theater. Broadly speaking, these dramas are set in Japanese society before the Meiji Restoration in 1868. Many movi...
In my previous column, I wrote, “Noh and kyogen are said to be twin performing arts.” A similar thing can be said of kabuki and bunraku puppet theater. This is so even though kabuki is said to hav...
“There is a good chance some FBI agents aren’t reading that bestselling book series or watching that popular show depicting the FBI. They can be difficult to engage in without hurling the book acr...
