|  Endless
Comedy Boom
In Japan the comedy boom just keeps on going. Almost
every day you can see and listen to comedy programs
on the TV and radio. There are various styles of Japanese
comedy, but it can be said that rakugo, which is performed
by only one person, is the most traditionally characteristic
among them. In rakugo a storyteller sits on a mat
on stage and tells a well-known funny story. No matter
how many times they have already listened to the story,
skilful storytellers can make the audience laugh.
...
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 English-speaking
Shamisen Teacher Shares Japanese Culture with the World
Not many young Japanese women these days seem to take
much of an interest in the traditional aspects of Japan.
Some perhaps try flower arranging or practice the tea
ceremony, but most seem more interested in modern pastimes.
Twenty-four-year-old shamisen player and teacher FUJIMOTO
Kumiya, however, is anything but typical. ... |
 Imaginative
Stylish Balloon Art
What do you think the white dress in the photo below
is made of? It is not made of silk or satin. It is made
from a rubber balloon! At a glance, it is hard to believe
that it is made from balloons as it is so hip and stylish.
The dresses in the photos here are all made from balloons.
Yes, they are called balloon art. ... |
 Mobile
Phone Novels are Booming!
In November 2007, a movie called “Koizora (Love
Sky)” was released. With a popular young actress
playing a leading character, Koizora is a love story
about a high school girl who, despite her boyfriend’s
death, carries on with her life. Words in the movie’s
official website claim, “12 million people cried
over the movie!” The story has stolen the hearts
of many young people and it all started with a mobile
phone novel. ... |
 Street
Art Boom Turns Town into Open Museum
Shibuya is one of the three biggest thriving towns in
Tokyo and is well known as a town for young people.
Around the town you will see lots of graffiti on the
walls and shop shutters. A local group, which aims to
create a safe town, began to turn graffiti into art
so that people could walk the streets comfortably. ... |
 British
DJ Rocks in Japan!
It’s Saturday night in Shibuya, Tokyo. As the
elevator rises, the roaring sound of a base guitar hits
you in the stomach. “Tonight will be a blast!”
shouts DJ Mike McKENNA, welcoming us into the restaurant
that has been turned into a nightclub for one night
only. ... |
 Comedy
Boom Spreading among Foreigners
Japan is just now in the middle of a comedy boom. You
can see comedy shows on any TV station almost every
day. At the end of the year a grand comedian contest,
the M1-Grand Prix, is aired and gains high viewing ratings.
Every year new comedians burst onto the scene bringing
with them new vogue words. ... |
 Soccer
Teaching Friendship - and English!
There has been a big upsurge in recent years of getting
English teaching out of the classroom and into the outdoors.
While people can now study English while cooking, playing
golf and even hiking, the latest movement in Tokyo is
for kids to practice and learn the language while playing
the world's most popular sport - soccer. ... |
 Costume
Design Crossing Borders
In August 2006 at the Umewaka Noh-gaku Gakuin Kaikan
in Tokyo's Nakano ward, four musicians in fancy costumes
appeared on the quiet and simple Noh stage and began
to play drums that echoed around the hall. It was very
difficult to recognize exactly which play was being
performed from this opening scene, but once the dialogue
started, you realized that it was SHAKESPEARE's "Othello."
... |
 The
Story Behind the Opening Bell of the Musical "The
Little Prince"
The musical "The Little Prince" by theater
company Ongakuza is scheduled to be performed starting
this month in many locations around Japan. It is a musical
based on "Le Petit Prince" written by Frenchman
Antoine de Saint-EXUPERY, and its eventful story started
long before it opened. ... |
 New
SILENT COMEDY Sensation
Audiences worldwide agree, GAMARJOBAT's performances
are fascinating and unique. The duo are Ketch! and Hiropon,
two street performers who have turned pantomimes into
incredible silent comedies. ... |
 SUMO
- not as Japanese as you think!
Despite its long history and many legends, the sport
of sumo today is undergoing a change in its existence;
a change that is increasingly taking this unique form
of wrestling onto the global stage. Sumo, which has
been around for almost two millennia, has long been
under the almost exclusive control of the local Japanese
rikishi (wrestlers). ... |
 Charismatic
Tap Dancer who Takeshi Calls "Teacher"
The closing tap dance scene in which farmers dance with
joy at a festival, shown in the re-make of the movie
"ZATOICHI" by widely known director KITANO
Takeshi (Best Director Award at Venice International
Film Festival, 2003), must have left a vivid impression
on the world of movie fans. ... |
 Ski
Career Success Despite Bumpy Slopes
"Nana-korobi
ya-oki" (seven failures then success) is a Japanese
proverb meaning that a person continues to stand up
even if they fail many times. The career of Aomori-native
SATO Hisaya (33), a professional skier who won the All
Japan Technical Ski Championship last March, has mirrored
this proverb. ... |
 Odd
Foreign Women Comedians Coming Up "Double"
Japan is now experiencing a comedy boom and an uncommon
female comedy duo is on the way to stardom. Isabel,
one of the manzai pair, was born to Japanese and French
parents, while Bene was born to Slovakia and Senegalese
parents. Many readers may already know them since they
often appear on TV and radio. ... |
 Behind
the Curtains - ALEGRIA 2
Since 1984, Cirque du Soleil has combined scintillating
artistry, exciting acrobatics, dance and music to bring
the world's best circus show to audiences all over the
world. It began with a small group of people and a simple
dream to amuse audiences and see the world while doing
it. ... |
 Haaaai,
Irasshai!
Meet Afropics, NoviGo and Eikaiwa Dave - all stars of
the up and coming music group, Nice Guy Jin. Combining
basic Japanese, catchy rap tunes and gaijin perspectives
on traditional Japanese culture from onsens to natto,
these Nice Guy Jins target many of the interesting aspects
of Japan's culture that most gaijin are initially surprised
with. ... |
 A
Talented 'Tarento' on the Way Up in Tokyo
When American Jason HANCOCK first came to Japan at age
19, he had absolutely no idea that he would later be
appearing on Japanese TV, building a career for himself
in the 'gaikokujin' talent industry, or appearing on
the cover of Hiragana Times! (Feb 2004) ... |
 Japanese
Team Wins International Australian Football Tournament
Have you heard of Australian Football before? In Japan,
Australian Football is a relatively unknown sport. However,
Australian Football is immensely popular in every state
of its native land. ... |
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