Is it a Phone? Is it an Octopus? | Arts and Entertainment | Trends in Japan | Web Japan
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.

Taking Part in Art | Arts and Entertainment | Trends in Japan | Web Japan
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.

Playful Peripherals | Arts and Entertainment | Trends in Japan | Web Japan
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.

Manga For Grown-Ups | Arts and Entertainment | Trends in Japan | Web Japan
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.

Movies In Your Pocket | Arts and Entertainment | Trends in Japan | Web Japan
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.

Germany In Japan | Arts and Entertainment | Trends in Japan | Web Japan
Over 1,000 events are being held throughout Japan between April 2005 and spring 2006 as part of Deutschland in Japan 2005/2006.

Gundam Plastic Models | Arts and Entertainment | Trends in Japan | Web Japan
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.

A Fresh Look at Traditional Art | Arts and Entertainment | Trends in Japan | Web Japan
Tenmyouya Hisashi is one of a group of young and highly acclaimed Japanese artists who borrow styles and ideas from Japan's artistic history.

Cultural Treasures Go on Show | Arts and Entertainment | Trends in Japan | Web Japan
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.

Godzilla Turns 50 | Arts and Entertainment | Trends in Japan | Web Japan
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.

Howl's Moving Castle | Arts and Entertainment | Trends in Japan | Web Japan
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.

Making Music the Easy Way | Arts and Entertainment | Trends in Japan | Web Japan
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.

Battle of the Beetles | Arts and Entertainment | Trends in Japan | Web Japan
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.

Full Metal Fantasy | Arts and Entertainment | Trends in Japan | Web Japan
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.

Manga for Girls | Arts and Entertainment | Trends in Japan | Web Japan
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.

For Mind and Body | Arts and Entertainment | Trends in Japan | Web Japan
Trend in Japan Web Japan Arts and Entertainment Select Archives -- 01-03 Feature Business Science Society Sports Fashion -- 99-01 Business Science Society Sports Fashion Arts -- 97-99 Business Scien

Taking a Local Look | Arts and Entertainment | Trends in Japan | Web Japan
Trend in Japan Web Japan Arts and Entertainment Select Archives -- 01-03 Feature Business Science Society Sports Fashion -- 99-01 Business Science Society Sports Fashion Arts -- 97-99 Business Scien

Pure Love | Arts and Entertainment | Trends in Japan | Web Japan
Japanese women are being swept up in an unprecedented craze for jun'ai (pure, innocent love). A South Korean TV drama series titled Winter Sonata and the novel Sekai no Chushin de, Ai o Sakebu (Crying for Love at the Heart of the World) by Katayama Kyoichi are among the catalysts for this boom.

Coredo Nihonbashi | Arts and Entertainment | Trends in Japan | Web Japan
The year 2004 marks the 401st year since the construction of the Nihonbashi Bridge across the Nihonbashi River in Edo (now Tokyo) by the Tokugawa shogunate. Fittingly, the area enters its fifth century boasting a large, new commercial facility, Coredo Nihonbashi, which opened in March.

World-Class Virtuosity | Arts and Entertainment | Trends in Japan | Web Japan
As the physiques of Japanese people Westernize, Japanese ballet dancers are rising up the ranks of top ballet companies of the world as principals and soloists.