Video: Mr. Ando of the Forest

When it comes to surrealism, Japan has a head start. At its essence, Surrealism is the evocation of a higher (i.e. less bound by materi...

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Kogyaru - Not as Dumb as They're Painted

Japan is obsessed by the mutation of high school girls that go by the name of "kogyaru" in the media. They dominate fashion...

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Sengai and the World of Zen

One of the most delightful museums to visit in Tokyo is the Idemitsu Museum of Arts. It is set several floors up in a building that ove...

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Teppei Ujiyama: Ad Hoc Accumulations Create Musical Universes

Kegon No. 11, 1970s While the exuberance of youth has played its part in countless artistic breakthroughs, the power of the mid-life...

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Book Review: "Japan-ness in Architecture" by Arata Isozaki

Modern Japanese architecture seems to be rooted somewhere in the Space Age, but this informative book by Arata Isozaki, an important ar...

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Book Review: "Out" by Natsuo Kirino

The best mysteries are those that reflect deep psychological and social tensions, and have a higher agenda. In fact, without these reso...

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Hisakatsu Hijikata: The Artist and the Island

Because of strong pressures to belong and conform in Japanese society, the country can be a difficult place for those otherwise incline...

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Ditch the guidebook to avoid Japan's worst tourist draws

Yes, Mt. Fuji literally is a giant ashtray! From climbing giant ashtrays to watching tea grow cold, there's far too much attentio...

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Photo: Junior High School Girls by Umekayo

Umekayo is a female Japanese photographer who takes warm-hearted and often funny shots of everyday life and ordinary people.

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Makoto Aida: Sorry For Being a Genius

For most of his career, Makoto Aida has been the enfant terrible of the Japanese art world. But now this exciting and iconoclastic art...

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Punning the Russian Fleet into Submission

"Gonbei who is picking up rubbish" In the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-05, perhaps the climatic moment was the great Battle o...

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Photo: Mimicking Gaijin

Japan is very international: it welcomes stereotypes from all round the world! This is from a popular and regular rakugo show on Ja...

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Mirei Shigemori: The Garden as Zen and Art

The Japanese garden's beauty is unique. While other lands can boast equally or even more beautiful outdoor spaces, nowhere else is...

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Photo: Tokyo Sky Tree

At 634 meters (2,080 feet), Tokyo Sky Tree is the tallest building in Fujiland and about twice as tall as Paris's Eiffel Tower (320...

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Exhibition: Voodoo Child

Mother Breast Feeding   by Kitagawa Utamaro The 'Little Treasures' of Japanese Art Nowadays it is quite common to hear ...

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