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(March 29, 2007)
Sometimes you just want to enjoy a quiet trip that lets you step back and reflect on the world and your place in it. More and more Japanese take this view, and the country is witnessing a boom, primarily among young women, in overnight stays at Buddhist temples. |
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(March 23, 2007)
Shodo, or calligraphy with a brush and black ink, is a traditional Japanese art. Recent years have seen the emergence of a new generation of calligraphers who push the boundaries of tradition, and they are spearheading a boom in shodo. |
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(February 28, 2007)
The genre of books known as light novels is enjoying growing popularity among readers these days. These books are increasingly part of a multimedia strategy, as plans are afoot to make a number of them into anime movies. |
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(January 22, 2007)
The National Noh Japan's first museum dedicated to the full range of manga culture has opened in Kyoto. The museum was a success right from the beginning, attracting over 10,000 visitors in its first two weeks. |
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(January 5, 2007)
The National Noh Theater in Tokyo's Sendagaya district has become the first such establishment in Japan to introduce a system for displaying both Japanese and English subtitles at each individual seat. |
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(November 27, 2006)
A pair of Japanese comic performers known as Gamarjobat is currently winning fans all over the world. While still relatively unknown in Japan, they often perform overseas to rave reviews and have even won awards at arts festivals in Britain and other countries. |
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(November 22, 2006)
The production company Sunrise, which is known for creating the legendary Mobile Suit Gundam and other robot-themed anime, has released a new animated TV series titled Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion. |
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(October 27, 2006)
Japan is currently witnessing a boom in short anime created by individuals on a computer and uploaded to the Internet. The Internet is providing opportunities for new anime artists to display their talents and achieve renown. |
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(October 26, 2006)
The tenth annual Tokyo Game Show was held at Makuhari Messe in Chiba Prefecture on September 22 to 24. The biggest focus of attention was the PlayStation 3, the next-generation game console due to be rolled out in November by Sony. |
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(October 10, 2006)
An animated film based on Ursula K. Le Guin's fantasy epic Tales from Earthsea has been released by Studio Ghibli, the acclaimed animated film production company whose previous releases include My Neighbor Totoro and Spirited Away. |
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(September 29, 2006)
The Ultraman series of television shows, in which giant beings from the Land of Light fight vicious monsters to protect Earth, first appeared on Japanese television 40 years ago. |
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(September 4, 2006)
The long-running boys' comical manga Kochira Katsushika-ku Kameari Koen Mae Hashutsujo (From the Police Box at Kameari Park, Katsushika Ward), better known as Kochikame, turns 30 this year. |
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(August 18, 2006)
From Japan, the birthplace of manga, anime, and video games, comes cosplay, another form of Japanese pop culture that is beginning to sweep the world. |
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(July 28, 2006)
Handheld electronic games, once the exclusive domain of the young, are acquiring a rapidly expanding fan base among the middle-aged and elderly. |
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(July 26, 2006)
Over the past few years Japanese movies have won new popularity, and both box office sales and the number of releases are now on the rise. Live-action movies adapted from manga comics are a major force shaping this trend. |
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(June 22, 2006)
The school of Nihonga (Japanese-style painting) is an expression of Japan's artistic traditions. A young female artist called Matsui Fuyuko has caused a sensation in the world of Nihonga not only for her works but also for her striking looks. |
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(May 30, 2006)
Using cell phones to view manga is one of the newest and fastest-growing applications of mobile technology in Japan. |
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(May 24, 2006)
The broadcast of the South Korean TV series Winter Sonata in Japan in 2003 ignited a boom in South Korean pop culture. Amid burgeoning interest in Asian culture, Japan's first theater specializing in Asian films opened in Tokyo in March 2006. |
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(May 19, 2006)
For a major Hollywood project, Afro Samurai's roots are about as obscure as can be. The soon-to-be-released movie originated as a manga created in Japan by Okazaki Takashi, who originally funded the comic out of his own pocket. |
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(April 24, 2006)
Japanese author Murakami Haruki, who is perhaps best known for his novel Norwegian Wood, won the Czech Republic's Franz Kafka Award for Literature in March. |
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(March 28, 2006)
In the United States, the latest trendy Japanese import is shojo manga (girls' manga). As its name suggests, this is a genre of comics for and about girls and young women. |
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(March 10,2006)
The Adachi Museum of Art is not easy to get to. Even so, it manages to attract around 450,000 visitors a year. What is its secret? |
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(February 15, 2006)
Kokyo Shihen Eureka Seven is a new anime series currently on the airwaves in Japan. With TV broadcasts as the main plank in the success of the series, a mix of related projects has been launched in a range of media, including the Internet, publishing, and toys. |
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(January 26, 2006)
Kabuki, a traditional form of Japanese theater that originated about 400 years ago, was designated a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization in November 2005. |
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(January 20, 2006)
More than twenty years after the TV anime (cartoon) series Kido Senshi Gandamu (Mobile Suit Gundam) was first broadcast in 1979, it remains hugely popular. Many fans collect plastic models of Gundam characters, and limited-edition models have recently become hot items among collectors. |
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(January 6, 2006)
Over 1,000 events are being held throughout Japan between April 2005 and spring 2006 as part of Deutschland in Japan 2005/2006. |
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(December 27, 2005)
A growing number of people have begun to take advantage of video on the go, watching movies or television programs while riding the train or relaxing in a cafe. And among the most popular devices for portable video playback are handheld gaming consoles. |
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(December 5, 2005)
Hachimitsu to Kuroba (Honey and Clover) is a serialized manga (comic) that follows the lives of five young people attending an art college as they deal with unrequited love and other life issues. It has recently been turned into a TV anime series, and a big-screen version is now planned. |
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(November 7, 2005)
A new range of novelty peripherals is aimed at injecting a bit of humor and fun into the normally staid world of IT. These products are easy to spot: just look for what appears to be a freshly fried shrimp or some other surreal-looking object plugged into a laptop or desktop. |
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(October 25, 2005)
From September 28 to December 18, 2005, Yokohama is hosting an ambitious arts festival featuring the works of around 80 artists from around the world and located along the port city's spectacular waterfront. |
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(October 6, 2005)
As mobile phones become an indispensable part of life for many people, they have developed into personalized fashion items as well. Some users customize their phones by decorating them with stickers or covers of their choosing, and these covers have evolved to take on many forms. |
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(August 15, 2005)
A Japan edition of the Michelin Guides, travel books famous all over the world for their ratings of hotels and restaurants, will be published in February 2007. |
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(August 11, 2005)
Kabuki began about 400 years ago. At around the same time in Britain, William Shakespeare was turning out plays and sonnets. Now Ninagawa Yukio, a theater director known for his Japanese productions of Shakespeare's works, has fused the two classical styles together. |
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(August 9, 2005)
"Matsuken Samba II," a song and dance act by a TV star who is best known for his samurai roles, is riding a wave of popularity. The act is by Matsudaira Ken, a veteran entertainer who dresses as a samurai to perform the song. |
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(July 8, 2005)
Manga and anime are leading a global boom in popular Japanese culture. Now some enterprising travel agents are cashing in on this trend by organizing trips to Japan specifically for manga and anime fans. |
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(July 7, 2005)
The Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award (ALMA) is given annually to authors, illustrators and storytellers who help stimulate and promote interest in children's and youth literature around the world. This year, one of the two recipients was picture book author Arai Ryoji, the first Japanese to receive the prize. |
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(June 13, 2005)
One of Tokyo's newest attractions is an amusement center on the grounds of an exclusive hotel, combining a public aquarium with a concert hall, a bowling alley, a movie theater, and restaurants. |
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(June 7, 2005)
Nana is the title of the latest hit manga to take Japan by storm, and unlike in most comic success stories, a large proportion of Nana fans are female. |
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(May 26, 2005)
Recently the comic and anime titled Hagane no Renkinjutsushi (Fullmetal Alchemist), popularly known as "Hagaren," has gained a huge following among children and adults alike. |
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(May 13, 2005)
An arcade game called Mushiking, in which players battle for supremacy using cards featuring pictures of fierce-looking beetles from around the world, has captured the imagination of elementary-school boys across Japan. |
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(March 31, 2005)
The path to musical proficiency has been considerably shortened in the last few years, thanks to the introduction of a new generation of instruments that make playing music a lot easier than ever before. |
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(March 14, 2005)
Howl's Moving Castle, the spectacular new animated film directed by Miyazaki Hayao and produced by Studio Ghibli, is breaking records at the box office.
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(February 14, 2005)
Godzilla, the world-famous Japanese movie monster, has turned 50. In November 2004, Hollywood marked this great occasion by giving Godzilla a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. |
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(February 4, 2005)
Yokoso! Japan Weeks lasts from February 5 to 20, 2005. It coincides with the opening of Central Japan International Airport, located near the city of Nagoya, a development expected to draw significant numbers of Chinese and South Korean visitors to Japan. |
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(January 19, 2005)
Tenmyouya Hisashi is one of a group of young and highly acclaimed Japanese artists
who borrow styles and ideas from Japan's artistic history. |
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(January 13, 2005)
In Japan, there's no such thing as a typical film festival. A
rapidly increasing number are being held in provincial areas throughout the country. |
Copyright (C)2007 Web Japan. Edited by Japan Echo Inc. based on domestic Japanese news sources. Articles presented here are offered for reference purposes and do not necessarily represent the policy or views of the Japanese Government.
