Life & Arts

Australia's recent passport update was a chance to showcase the nation's design prowess. What the public got instead was the same sober navy-blue cover. (Courtesy of Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade)
Tea Leaves

Passports can say a lot about a country

Australia's new design is a missed opportunity in soft power projection

22 February 2023
An assortment of dishes from Archana Pidathala's cookbook "Why Cook," which she describes as "a 315-page ode with raw candid images, heartwarmingly personal stories and rare recipes." (All photos courtesy of Archana Pidathala)
Books

South Asian author explores why and how women cook

Archana Pidathala's latest book uncovers deeply personal stories and rare recipes

22 February 2023
Japanese manga artist Leiji Matsumoto, known for "Galaxy Express 999" and "Space Battleship Yamato," died last week. (Source photos by Kazumi Saito and Kyodo)
Obituaries

Leiji Matsumoto, creator of 'Galaxy Express 999,' dead at 85

Legendary artist was recipient of two major government achievement awards

20 February 2023
A staff member of the Nipponia Hotel, clad in samurai armor, gives guests a royal welcome. (Photo courtesy of Nipponia Hotel)
Travel & Leisure

Want to be lord of a Japanese castle? You can for $8,400 a night

Wealthy Chinese tourists thirsty for $770 bottles of sake

19 February 2023
The Hyundai Seoul department store in the central part of South Korea's capital has opened a special section for Slam Dunk-related goods such as T-shirts with illustrations printed on them. (Photo by Kotaro Hosokawa)
Media & Entertainment

'Slam Dunk' anime movie makes waves across South Korea, Taiwan

Blockbuster based on 1990s manga lures tourists to Japan and 'sacred' places

19 February 2023
Mandarin open mic club CrazyLaugh has given Chinese expats in the U.S. a place to share their common experiences. (Photo courtesy of CrazyLaugh) 
Arts

At Mandarin open mic stand-up shows in U.S., 'warmth' overcomes hate

Anti-Asian sentiment and pandemic push Chinese youth overseas on stage

19 February 2023
A patron walks by a display for the new movie "Full River Red," which was a hit over the Lunar New Year holiday. (Photo by Tomoko Wakasugi)
Media & Entertainment

China's movie industry roars back with record box office in January

Eased pandemic restrictions bring customers in droves for local blockbusters

18 February 2023
Xiang Xiang was the first giant panda to be born and grow up at the Ueno Zoo since 1988. (Photo courtesy of Tokyo Zoological Park Society)
Life

Japan bids farewell to beloved panda Xiang Xiang

Ueno Zoo star, leaving for China on Tuesday, made life 'richer' for fans and locals

18 February 2023
Donald Richie on set with the cast of the play "Three Kyogen" in 1969. A habitue of bars, pink cabarets, and porno flea pits, he was equally at home among film archives, embassy receptions, or glittering parties for members of Tokyo's high society. (All photos from Donald Richie's collection unless otherwise stated)
Life

Remembering Donald Richie: Keen chronicler of an ever-changing Japan

10 years after his death, words of US-born cultural commentator still resonate

17 February 2023
A dog walker in Tokyo in October 2020: Gone are the days when Japanese mainly kept canines for guarding their homes and for hunting.
Tea Leaves

Japan puts new meaning into 'dog's life'

Once banished outdoors, canine pets benefit from social and economic changes

15 February 2023
A mural by Japanese artist Maru Yacco, exhibited at "Myth Makers -- Sprectrosynthesis III" at Hong Kong's Tai Kwun Contemporary. (Courtesy of Tai Kwun Contemporary)
Arts

Hong Kong turns heads with Asian LGBTQ art show

Exhibition ranges from the 1940s to modern video installations

15 February 2023
Shoichiro Toyoda, a car enthusiast, test-drove new models even into his later years.
Obituaries

Shoichiro Toyoda, a humble car fan who set stage for Toyota's global rise

The founder's son negotiated automobile deal with U.S. to bring down trade tensions

15 February 2023
Shoichiro Toyoda led the company for a long time when Japanese cars were a critical issue of Japan-U.S. trade frictions. (File photo by Reuters) 
Obituaries

Shoichiro Toyoda, son of Toyota founder, dies at 97

Father of current president expanded Japanese carmaker into global leader

14 February 2023
Mademoiselle Yulia is a kimono stylist and DJ (Photo by Akira Takemura)
Life

Kimono's comeback: Out of the closet and into modern fashion

Traditional Japanese garment finds new life as is, or repurposed for new looks

12 February 2023
Then-Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, former U.S. President Donald Trump and their respective first ladies stroll through Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in April 2018. (Photo by Akira Kodaka)
Shinzo Abe

Abe memoir is instant bestseller; publisher triples print run

Former Japanese leader shares observations on Trump, Xi and Modi

11 February 2023
A man carries a fishing net after collecting clams near an abandoned mosque that has been claimed by the sea in Jakarta's Muara Baru district in August 2021. Indonesia's capital is one of the world's fastest-sinking cities, afflicted by out-of-control development and rising sea levels caused by global warming. (All photos by Garry Lotulung)
Life

The drowning land: Indonesia's climate crisis

Parts of the country's coastline are disappearing as sea levels rise

10 February 2023
The 1968 yakuza movie "Big Time Gambling Boss" was recently rereleased on Blu-ray Disc by U.K. company Radiance Films in a limited edition of 2,000 copies. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by Radiance Films)
Tea Leaves

A yakuza movie makes the case for videodiscs

How a fading medium can revitalize a message

8 February 2023
Foreign visitors enjoy the slopes in Hakuba Valley, in central Japan's Nagano prefecture. (Courtesy of Evergreen International Ski School)
Travel & Leisure

Japan's skiing industry hits bumpy patch

International visitor numbers surge even as domestic demand flags

8 February 2023
Refugees interact at a workshop for decorating eggs -- a traditional craft in Ukraine -- in Yokohama in November 2022. (Photo courtesy of YOKE)
Ukraine war

Grassroots refugee support grows in Japan amid tough asylum policy

Country accepts less than 1% of applicants, far cry from Canada's over 60%

6 February 2023
In Hokuto, Yamanashi prefecture, a cool dip after a visit to the sauna is popular with visitors.
Travel & Leisure

Saunas turn up the heat for local economies in Japan

Companies look to warm-air baths to deepen ties with employees, clients

5 February 2023
A screen advertising China's state-run Xinhua News Agency is seen in New York's Times Square in March 2020. 
Arts

Books: How Beijing targets media in global influence operations

Australia and U.S. serve among many examples of growing Chinese media control

5 February 2023
Kochi Fighting Dogs staff meet Brazilian baseball instructors in the state of Sao Paulo on their latest trip to South America. (Photo by Hidetake Miyamoto)
Sports

Japan baseball team takes grassroots swing at South America

Kochi Fighting Dogs offer clinics, pathway for new generation of players abroad

4 February 2023
International students from China prepare to take photos in their graduation gowns at the University of Sydney in July 2020. Chinese studying abroad have increasingly been used as tools of sharp power, which is wielded more clandestinely, than soft power.
Arts

Books: How China has expanded influence overseas

In new book, author delves into Beijing's focus on universities and the diaspora, as well as global media

4 February 2023
Ruba Ahmed, right, whose daughter was killed in the 2016 Holey Artisan Bakery terrorist attack, fought unsuccessfully to block the release of "Faraaz," a Bollywood film about the tragedy. (Nikkei montage/Source photos official poster, Mahmud Hossain Opu)
Arts

Feature films on Dhaka Islamist terror attack stir controversy

Mother fails to stop Indian movie based on Holey Bakery tragedy

3 February 2023
Nobuo Ishihara served the top administrative position in a record seven cabinets. He died Jan. 29 from multiple organ failure. (Photo by Akiyoshi Inoue)
Obituaries

Former Japan top official Nobuo Ishihara dies at 96

Bureaucrat served record seven governments as deputy chief cabinet secretary

1 February 2023