Elderly theater troupe not acting their age May. 21, 2013 - 06:24AM JST ( 0 ) When amateur actress Etsuko Shigemoto walks out in front of a Paris audience in an all-Japanese production this month she will forget about being 87… Read
Sparkling Koi Diamond, the ultimate embodiment of Japanese legend and tradition Arts & Culture May. 19, 2013 - 06:00AM JST ( 16 Comments ) Sitting in a vault in Antwerp, the 32+ carat Koi Diamond is one of the world’s most unique large gems. Big and beautiful as it is, the miraculous stories surrounding this fabulous diamond are at… Read
JJ Abrams boldly going from 'Trek' to 'Star Wars' Arts & Culture May. 18, 2013 - 06:29AM JST ( 3 Comments ) JJ Abrams is master of one universe — and he's about to try conquering another. The director who rebooted "Star Trek" for a new generation, sending the USS Enterprise out again to explore strange new… Read
Japanese Lolitas plan world domination Arts & Culture May. 17, 2013 - 07:05AM JST ( 57 Comments ) Disconcerting news from the world of Japanese fashion: adherents to the cutesy subculture of Lolita fashion are organizing themselves into an official group. Their target: the whole world. The Japan Lolita Association was formed in… Read
Tea buffs gather in Japan for global festival Arts & Culture May. 16, 2013 - 06:45AM JST ( 14 Comments ) In the shadow of a giant Chinese character for "tea" written in live cypress trees, enthusiasts gather once every three years in Japan to talk about one of the world's favourite drinks. The World Tea… Read
1969 Hendrix telegram: Can Paul come to play? Arts & Culture May. 14, 2013 - 06:31AM JST ( 5 Comments ) Miles and Jimi. Jimi and Miles. Fans of the late trumpet and guitar masters have long known that Miles Davis and Jimi Hendrix had been making plans to record together in the year before Hendrix's… Read
Fitzgerald's Hollywood ending followed sad death Arts & Culture May. 13, 2013 - 05:54AM JST ( 6 Comments ) Has-beens in Hollywood usually stay that way. Yet one writer who died there nearly forgotten 73 years ago had one of the most remarkable posthumous revivals in literary history. F Scott Fitzgerald is back on… Read
Graffiti - art or vandalism? Arts & Culture May. 12, 2013 - 06:00AM JST ( 51 Comments ) Graffiti or "rakugaki" in Japanese is the term for any basic public markings, whether big or small. It is usually associated with gangs, which were done mainly to “mark their territories.” It has also been… Read
Alphonse Mucha: An Insight into the Artist Arts & Culture May. 11, 2013 - 06:13AM JST ( 0 Comments ) For centuries there was a process or a system in getting dressed, in building buildings, in painting paintings. Top hats, tails, bow ties, fur lined collars, lace, corsets; layers upon layers of structure, filling, and… Read
47 prefectures, 47 unique souvenirs: Which one will win? Arts & Culture May. 09, 2013 - 06:36AM JST ( 6 Comments ) Omiyage, local, often food-based souvenirs, are a big thing in Japan. Each of the country’s 47 prefectures takes pride in producing a well-known representative that speaks for their area and reflects their unique terroir. But… Read
New York's Met Museum celebrates punk's influence on fashion Arts & Culture May. 08, 2013 - 05:12AM JST ( 1 Comment ) With their black leather, studded jackets, ripped jeans, bondage trousers and messages of rebellion and anarchy, punks from the 1970s probably never envisioned that a major museum would be celebrating their influence on fashion 40… Read