Culture
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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…
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‘Fans say my concerts are safe spaces where they can forgive’: the cult of Ichiko Aoba
She sells out large venues, is feted by legends – and adored for her euphoric songs. The remarkable Japanese m…
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Cottontail review – life lessons are learnt in tender, Beatrix Potter-inspired tale
A Japanese man journeys to the Lake District to honour his late wife, testing his relationship with his son in…
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‘Asura is the best Netflix drama in years’: this strikingly beautiful show will leave you salivating
Palme d’Or-winning Japanese director Hirokazu Kore-eda’s tale of four sisters is a stunningly shot, laugh-out-…
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The Colors Within review – musical teen anime is a synaesthetic joy
Three adolescent misfits form a band in this luminous feature from Liz and the Blue Bird director Naoko Yamada…
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‘Am I a Cyclopian monster?’ How masked writer Uketsu went from asparagus videos to literary sensation
He gained fame in Japan posting surreal videos of meat, veg and even ears. Then he tried writing – and soon ha…
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Fallout from alleged sexual assault by former J-pop star marks cultural shift in Japan
More than 70 firms including Toyota and McDonald’s halt ads on Fuji TV as Masahiro Nakai retires amid assault …
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Stray Dog/High and Low review – Kurosawa lifts crime drama to astonishing new peaks
★★★★★/★★★★★Drawing on hardboiled US fiction, as American film had fed on his own Seven Samurai, the director b…
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‘Inside I was doing the Mario jump’ – how one artist became a key player in Nintendo’s story
Takaya Imamura worked at Nintendo for 32 years before leaving to create his own game, Omega Six. He shares ane…
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Japan’s coming of age ceremony – in pictures
Coming of Age Day is celebrated in Japan every January, when those becoming adults dress in formal kimonos, pr…
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Anna Sawai on Shōgun: ‘Our show taught women it was OK to stand up and say no’
Sawai’s astonishing performance as the fierce Lady Mariko won her an Emmy – and inspired women worldwide. She …
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Japanese Art History à la Takashi Murakami review – the opposite of refinement
Gagosian Grosvenor Hill, LondonThe Tokyo-born pop artist who has worked with Louis Vuitton, Billie Eilish et a…
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‘We are not a retro company’: Sega prepares to go back to the future
Sega started as a rock’n’roll breath of fresh air in a Nintendo-dominated world – and America and Europe CEO S…
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Yayoi Kusama in Melbourne: Instagram’s favourite artist dazzles in a blockbuster show
The 95-year-old is now one of the most popular artists in the world, for her cheeky pumpkins and infinity room…
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Japanese singer and actor Miho Nakayama dies aged 54
After making her name with J-pop hits, the performer went on to win acclaim for film roles including Love Lett…
- Japan, Food & drink industry, Heritage, Business, Unesco, United Nations, World news, Asia Pacific, Culture
Sake: Japan’s ‘divine gift’ given special status by Unesco
Rice wine enshrined as part of ‘cultural heritage of humanity’ Sake is perhaps more Japanese than the world-fa…
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Remembering Every Night review – drifting drama follows three Tokyo women living their lives
Yui Kiyohara’s film of long shots and silences could be deeply boring or oddly fascinating depending on your p…
- Japan, Reality TV, World news, Documentary films, Asia Pacific, Television & radio, Television, Culture, Film
The Contestant review – the cruelty of reality TV on show in one of its earliest manifestations
Tomoaki Hamatsu was a sensation over the year he stayed alone in a single room amusing the camera, but this do…
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‘Hatsune Miku has a special part in my heart’: the 16-year-old pop sensation who does not exist
Miku is a ‘Vocaloid’ – a holographic avatar that represents a digital bank of vocal samples – and performs sel…
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Shuntaro Tanikawa, giant of Japanese poetry, dies aged 92
The poet also wrote the lyrics for the Astro Boy theme song and translated Peanuts into JapaneseShuntaro Tanik…