Understanding more about Japan (from Hiragana Times articles)
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Japan-Behind the Scenes - Entertainment / Sports

You can read the full standard Japanese text with furigana, Kanji and English in the monthly printed Hiragana Times magazine or the PDF version. Every Japanese paragraph is followed by an English translation (and vice versa) so that you do not need to use a dictionary. About Hiragana Times

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. ...

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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