Culture
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‘I had a chance to pass my mum’s story on’: Kazuo Ishiguro on growing up in shadow of the Nagasaki bomb
The film version of A Pale View of Hills, the Nobel-winner’s tale of loss, exile and a pregnant radioactive br…
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Ancient example of printed text to be displayed in Melbourne: ‘It unites us all’
A Japanese prayer scroll dating back more than 1,250 years has been acquired by the State Library of Victoria …
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‘A form of meditation’: a photographic haiku to Japan – in pictures
A poetic new exhibition of dreamlike black and white images captures the country’s contemplative beauty, from …
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Hiroshige: Artist of the Open Road review – ‘I could look forever at these passing moments in cosmic colours’
British Museum, LondonThe Japanese master’s weightless gaze birthed not only French impressionism but also the…
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‘Monks, politicians, drag queens – all life is here’: a trip to Japan’s Kyotographie festival
The theme of this year’s celebrated photo bonanza is ‘humanity’ – and Kyoto is bursting with images – from fam…
- Japan, Technology, Drama films, Crime films, World news, Asia Pacific, Internet, Culture, Film, Thrillers
Cloud review – bizarre internet action thriller descends into hail of bullets
Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s baffling crime farrago follows a cyber fraudster pursued by an angry gang of disappointed s…
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Bog standard? Tokyo’s spectacular public toilets – in pictures
Public toilets are rarely thought of fondly – that is unless you’re talking about those in Tokyo’s Shibuya dis…
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‘Marriage feels like a hostage situation, and motherhood a curse’: Japanese author Sayaka Murata
The Convenience Store Woman author is renowned for challenging social norms in darkly weird near-future fictio…
- National Gallery of Victoria (NGV), Melbourne, Japan, Yayoi Kusama, Victoria, Asia Pacific, Art and design, Art, Culture
Yayoi Kusama: why this 96-year-old artist’s show is the most popular in Australian history
By the time the NGV exhibition of works by the Japanese favourite ends, more than half a million people will h…
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Kaiju No 8: Mission Recon review – the fury and rawness of battle as monsters keep coming
A high school-style training academy is the setting for Tomomi Kamiya and Shigeyuki Miya’s punky anime tale of…
- Trump tariffs, Tariffs, Japan, Technology, Inflation, Europe, Supply chain crisis, Australia news, Economics, International trade, Global economy, Sony, Business, PlayStation, PlayStation 5, Technology sector, UK news, Trump administration, Games, Culture
Sony hikes PlayStation 5 price by 25% as Trump tariffs bite
PS5 digital price in UK would rise to £430 and €500 in Europe as Japanese games developer cites ‘challenging e…
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Japan’s World Expo: a positive vision of the future for our divided world?
Fifty-five years since Osaka last hosted, rocks from Mars, domestic androids and artificial hearts are part of…
- Japan, MANGA, Fashion, Comics and graphic novels, Life and style, Sony world photography awards, Photography, Anime, Art and design, Culture
Monaka wears her cyclops mask to work: Niccolò Rastrelli’s best photograph
‘Japan is the mecca of cosplay. Monaka runs a cafe in Tokyo called Monster Party, where people go dressed as c…
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The Sinking of the Lisbon Maru review – British wartime tragedy told with potent empathy
This enthralling Chinese documentary about the torpedoing of a Japanese freighter carrying 1,816 British PoWs …
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‘Like a game of black-belt level Jenga’: inside the ancient art of Japanese carpentry
From the earthquake-defying joints that support a 13th-century temple to the delicacy of sashimono puzzle boxe…
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‘It’s been a challenge’: Assassin’s Creed Shadows and the quest to bring feudal Japan to life
From watching classic samurai movies to rendering the unique way light falls on Japan’s mountainsides and mode…
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Ichiko Aoba: Luminescent Creatures review – nurturing music for bleak times
(Hermine)The cult Japanese singer-songwriter’s new album, inspired by the Ryukyu islands, is like a powerfully…
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Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods review – classic anime has cosmic charm
An anniversary edition of the 2013 martial arts animation is light on bombast, funny and mischievousHere is a …
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Johatsu review – poignant account of Japan’s ‘voluntarily disappeared’
Melancholy documentary follows the owner of a ‘night moving’ business in Japan, helping people abandon their o…
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Broken Rage review – the strangest show of the year is here
This staggering Japanese programme from veteran Takeshi Kitano follows an ageing hitman … twice. First the sto…