People
Director brings out the theater in opera
When the curtain rises, Shugo Ikoh's job as an opera director is done. There is nothing more that he can do. He always sits alone in an aisle seat among the audience.
Meet the ventriloquist who makes the impossible...
It's a weekend daytime in February and there's still a chilly bite in the air. Inside the warm hotel banquet hall in Kita-Kyushu City, an audience of around 300...
Oue wields conductor's baton with dance like...
"This way, Mayor!" Conductor Eiji Oue, 55, was on stage at a concert by the Osaka Philharmonic Orchestra at Osaka City Central Public Hall in September 2012. The city mayor,...
Teruya helps Mongolian orphans turn tears into...
The curtain is about to rise in Tokyo on a music and dance performance by young people in from an orphanage in Mongolia. The performers are attired in national dress and their...
Otsuka wants to preserve the rich tradition of the...
On an early winter's afternoon, Noriko Otsuka is in the suburbs of Kawagoe in Saitama Prefecture, a city dotted with factories and homes.
Song and dance man Koji Yamamoto walks a solitary...
Walking slowly through the rehearsal room, the actor came to a standstill.
Video-game music orchestra take global concert...
An orchestra of classical players, singers and rock musicians is thrilling audiences with an unusual repertoire: the music from popular videogames.
What is aging? Shinichiro Imai studies this...
A class of proteins called sirtuin possess the seemingly magical ability to slow the aging process and extend our lifespan.
Hiroki Kuroda, from an unknown reserve to a major...
Hiroki Kuroda only chases goals that are always right in front of him. He never overreaches himself. It is this approach to the game of baseball that has taken him from an...
Tadashi Shoji wants to make all women beautiful
For fashion designers working in the United States, the New York Fashion Week is their moment of truth.
Once-reluctant craftsman overcomes hardships to...
Akio Kumagai was in high demand at an international conference on thatched-roof construction in Germany. It was the latest stop on his long journey of innovation and sheer...
Japan's wall-crawling prodigy climbs to pinnacle of ...
On a stroll around town, Akiyo Noguchi notices a sculpture on the side of a building. She says it looks as if it would be easy to grab on to and climb.
Filmmaker ponders meaning of happiness, finds her...
Megumi Sasaki, a filmmaker, shares cramped conditions on the second floor of a multitenant building in Manhattan with more than 20 other artistic people, many of them designers.
Inferiority complex, hatred of losing drives goalie ...
After the Samurai Blue had taken the lead in a final Asian qualifying match for the World Cup on Sept. 11, an Iraqi player dribbled toward the Japanese goal.
Bitten by the travel bug early on, Shinobu Nimura...
The Silk Road, a trade route used since antiquity connecting the Eurasian landmass with the far reaches of Asia, is not for the faint-hearted: Even by bus, it's a marathon...
Patisserie Potager thrives on bold combos of...
On a recent summer Sunday afternoon, a gathering of about 30 people could be seen laying straw in a pumpkin patch and pulling weeds in a scallion field on a farm in Tochigi...
After 25 years of running, Tamesue clearing hurdles ...
When he finished last at the Japan national championships on June 8, Dai Tamesue bowed deeply toward the track twice. He had taken a tumble at the first hurdle, ending his...
'Marine procurer' Ishigaki stocks the world's...
After the rubber bands binding its long legs are removed, the Japanese spider crab unfolds them and stretches them out. They must be close to a meter in length.
Soccer star Nagatomo strives to be 'the best in the ...
In his spare time away from the soccer pitch, Yuto Nagatomo likes to go for a stroll through a nearby luxury boutique district near his home in Milan, Italy, located on the top ...
Okinawan artist believes art can transcend politics
In a room where Emperor Hirohito and General Douglas MacArthur once posed for an iconic photo, an Okinawan "bingata" kimono with a military theme is now displayed.
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We sense the transition of the seasons in the redolence of the wind and our hearts flutter at the scent of our beloved. Fragrances add color to our everyday life and enrich our existence. We are unable to resist their bewitching allure.
Economy
Asia’s No. 1 hub: Malaysia has ambitious plans...
May 12, 2013With oil consumption in the Asia-Pacific region increasing more than 30 percent since 2000, Malaysia has been bolstering its role as an energy consumer and regional hub for energy trading. In cooperation with Singapore, with...
Backstage
ASICS races for larger share of global sport shoe...
December 23, 2012ASICS, Japan’s largest sport shoe, apparel and equipment manufacturer, is gradually starting to make lengthy strides into the global athletic shoe market dominated by U.S.-based Nike and German Adidas.