Japan: Culture
What does 2021 have in store for J-pop?
While K-pop and TikTok will sway trends in the music industry, rock looks set to be Japan's best chance at producing global hits.
Coronavirus rains on Tokyo’s samba parade
Having canceled 2020's Asakusa Samba Carnival due to the COVID-19 pandemic, organizers have now scrapped the 2021 iteration, more than six months before it was ...
‘The Night Beyond the Tricornered Window’: Stylish scares with a side of romance
Director Yukihiro Morigaki’s horror-mystery film based on a ‘boys’ love’ manga focuses more on confronting inner demons rather than battling ghouls.
‘Woman of the Photographs’: An existentialist fable for the Instagram age
Takeshi Kushida’s debut feature playfully riffs on Kobo Abe’s novel, “The Woman in the Dunes,” in a surrealist fable about the pitfalls of image retouching.
Nonfiction writer Kazutoshi Hando dies at 90
Born in Tokyo, Hando experienced massive U.S. air raids on the Japanese capital in March 1945 during World War II.
How COVID-19 has changed live events in Japan
While some live events have resumed, the arrival of artists and participants from overseas still may be a ways off.
Life in David Chang’s kitchen isn’t always peachy
David Chang’s memoir, “Eat a Peach,” offers an engaging and personal, albeit disjointed, look into the American celebrity chef’s career and the tumultuous culinary world.
Japanese films you won’t want to miss in 2021
This year’s release lineup is stacked with domestic films that have little competition for audiences as many Hollywood films have been set back by the ...
Country flags reimagined as samurai ahead of the Olympics
World Flags, a Tokyo-based project, transforms flags into anime characters to familiarize people with other nations and their cultures.
‘Angry Rice Wives’: Rousing take on ‘rice riots’ is sure to inspire
Katsuhide Motoki’s drama about the “rice riots” in 1918 shows the bravery of female protestors who fought against sexism and the deep poverty that threatened ...
Fool Magazine’s latest issue dives deep into the recesses of Japan’s food culture
The publication’s mook-sized issue is back with a second printing — get it while you still can.
Exciting books and translations from Japan to look out for in 2021
It’s time to put 2020 behind us and look ahead to a new year with a new reading list. Here’s a selection of intriguing titles ...
‘Japanese Zen Gardens’: Unearthing the complexity of Kyoto’s gardens
Yoko Kawaguchi’s book shows readers how many of Japan’s gardens incorporate Buddhist principles in their designs to function as spaces for meditation and enlightenment.
Virtual and victorious: Anime came out on top in 2020
In a year marred by industry-wide delays and cancellations due to the COVID-19 pandemic, anime still managed to become more popular than ever thanks in ...
How ‘Demon Slayer’ came to be Japan’s biggest box-office hit of all time
The anime film beat out former record holder “Spirited Away,” due in part to fortuitous timing and word-of-mouth popularity.
‘Demon Slayer’ becomes Japan’s highest-grossing film ever
The film, which has amassed ¥32.47 billion since its Oct. 16. opening, surpassed the earnings of Hayao Miyazaki's "Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi" ("Spirited ...
‘Love Child’: A labor of love 20 years in the making
Rakuko Rubin's collection of short stories that traverse bicultural themes and universal mileposts in life was translated by her husband, Jay Rubin.
When reading was a refuge and had no end
This was the worst year, and nothing made sense any longer, except when it was the best year, because time for reading seemed to expand ...
Collapse, isolate, adjust and rebuild: How Japanese pop culture fared in the pandemic of 2020
Japan began 2020 with Olympic glory in its sights, with artists and musicians ready to take the spotlight. Then, the pandemic hit and pushed things ...
Fables inspired by life in lockdown resonate with Japanese readers
Barry Yourgrau’s struggle to cope with life during the COVID-19 pandemic inspired a burst of creative writing, which culminated in a book of short stories ...