Archive
Drama Scene
I learned the hard way that at Yasukuni Shrine, no filmmakers are allowed
Aso’s Greatest Hits
Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on August 2009When he came to [...]
Biz Watch
Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on August 2009The August issue of [...]
Right Turns
Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on August 2009The nationalist groups (uyoku [...]
Scene Around Kyoto
Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on August 2009Title: Soma no Furudairi [...]
Heads, Tails & Snake Eyes
Chaos theory applied to summer vacation
The Other Expatriates
Joseph Hincks learns the pleasures of exile from members of Tokyo's lesser-known foreign communities
Aug 7, 2009
All the news that we can make up
Sony pulling a fast one?
Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on August 2009 We’d never suggest [...]
Super speedy, super dull
Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on August 2009Covering developments in consumer [...]
Mobile Porn Bottleneck
Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on August 2009If you’ve ever signed [...]
Peace of the Action
As Japan commemorates the end of WWII, local activists spread an antiwar message
A Legacy of Emotion
Why do people care so much about the death of pro wrestler Mitsuharu Misawa?
Spirit Parties
Japan's Obon and summer festivals are loud and mad enough to wake the dead - Here are a few of the major events being held around the country during the coming month.
Through the Monocle
Most expensive, most livable... with Tokyo, it’s all about who you ask
Closed Gates
The Japanese government is often criticized for its treatment of refugees - But a look behind the numbers reveals that the situation is more complex than it seems
Fighting Spirit
The cheering gets nasty at a pro baseball game
Team Spirit
Tokyo's cross-town rivals, the Yomiuri Giants and Yakult Swallows, are running neck-and-neck for the Central League crown--thanks in large part to a quartet of foreign stars
Taking the Stares
Or, how to avoid being gawked at in Japan
Made in Tokyo
Foreign filmmakers are queuing up to work on location in the city. But that's easier said than done
Kitchen Crusaders
From high-end Japanese cuisine to crowd-pleasing Italian, these four chefs have added a dash of excitement to Tokyo's restaurant scene
O is for Otaku
A handy new guide covers Japanese subculture from A to Z
The Cartography of Cyberspace
Mapping the internet is an exhausting business
Fuzzy Democracy
Saitama has its Obama Moment
Director of Chaos
After tantalizing Japanese audiences in films like Suicide Club and Love Exposure, director Sion Sono makes his scariest move yet: a big-budget Hollywood production
Train Talk
Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on June 2009 Roberto De Vido [...]
Hung Jury
Changes to Japan's legal system may energize the debate over capital punishment
Tall Order
Some of Tokyo's iconic buildings are being lost to zoning laws that were intended to improve the city
Band of Sisters
After finding fame as otaku idols, the Nakano Fujoshi Sisters are striking gold as a boy group
Highway to Hell
Or, why I hate driving in Japan
On the Cards
The government says its new registration system for foreign residents will make our lives easier. But some lawmakers and privacy rights activists claim that Big Brother lurks around the corner
Sky High
Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on May 2009 It’s easy to [...]
War Story
Gregory Hadley's Field of Spears recounts a dramatic—and little-known—episode from the closing days of World War II. Yet as the author discovered, the story didn’t finish with the war's end
The Rainmaker
Author Barry Eisler has found gold on the mean streets of Tokyo with six books about Japanese-American assassin John Rain. Now the action is coming to the big screen