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April 13, 2026
 

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CULTURE

Film
Books
Art
Music
TV & Streaming
Stage
Entertainment news
¡°Freedom,¡± a mural in JR Ueno Station, created in 1951, has been repaired three times, most recently in 2025.
CULTURE / Art
At Ueno Station, ¡®Freedom¡¯ restored
By Jennifer Pastore
Genichiro Inokuma's 1951 pro-democracy mural speaks to a new generation as Ueno reclaims its identity as a cultural hub.
The title of "What am I, a Deer?" is based on a short film by Isabella Rossellini's series of short films about mating rituals.
CULTURE / Books
¡®What am I, a Deer?¡¯ searches to understand the self and others
By Kris Kosaka
Japanese-to-English translator Polly Barton has published nonfiction before. "What am I, a Deer?" is her debut novel.
Members of jazz ensemble The Blend ¡ª (from left) pianist Hakuei Kim, trumpeter Keisuke Nakamura, bassist Yoshio Suzuki, drummer Tamaya Honda and saxophonist Kosuke Mine ¡ª performed at Billboard Live Yokohama last month to celebrate Suzuki¡¯s 80th birthday.
CULTURE / Music
At 80, Yoshio Suzuki keeps chasing the possibilities of jazz
By Akane Hayashi
The veteran bassist proves that jazz is as much about discovery as it is mastery.

Film

Decades after the death of her teenage crush, a woman (Haruka Ayase) decides to pour her unresolved feelings into a written message in ¡°One Last Love Letter.¡±
Film
¡®One Last Love Letter¡¯: A wistful throwback to romance in the age of texts
By Mark Schilling
Yuya Ishii's drama leans into familiar tropes but delivers a tender reminder of the power of words left unsaid for too long.
Film
¡®WXIII: Patlabor the Movie 3¡¯: The franchise¡¯s melancholy, noir outlier
By Matt Schley
Film
¡®Burn¡¯ lights up Kabukicho¡¯s darkness with a bold vision
By James Hadfield
Film
The curious case of a pint-sized sleuth¡¯s box-office phenomenon
By Matt Schley
Film
¡®How to Steal the Gold¡¯ spins real crime into playful heist fun
By Mark Schilling
Film
¡®90 Meters¡¯ tempers the strain of caregiving with reassuring glow
By Mark Schilling
Film
¡®Chimney Town: Frozen in Time¡¯: A visually rich sequel with a thematic wobble
By Matt Schley

Books

The title of "What am I, a Deer?" is based on a short film by Isabella Rossellini's series of short films about mating rituals.
Books
¡®What am I, a Deer?¡¯ searches to understand the self and others
By Kris Kosaka
Japanese-to-English translator Polly Barton has published nonfiction before. "What am I, a Deer?" is her debut novel.
Books
New Tanizaki collection illuminates ¡®In Praise of Shadows¡¯ origin
By Steve John Powell and Angeles Marin Cabello
Books / Longform
Why tanka poetry is clicking with a new generation
By Zoria Petkoska
Books
Takaki Biwa on winning the 76th Mr. H. Poetry Prize
By Aleksandra Priimak
Books / Longform
The voices of Tibet, far from home
By Michael Judge
Books
¡®Alone in Japan¡¯ travels towns in decline and talks to the people left
By Tim Hornyak
Books
¡®Hooked¡¯ but not reeled in by Asako Yuzuki¡¯s new release
By Mike Fu

Music

Members of jazz ensemble The Blend ¡ª (from left) pianist Hakuei Kim, trumpeter Keisuke Nakamura, bassist Yoshio Suzuki, drummer Tamaya Honda and saxophonist Kosuke Mine ¡ª performed at Billboard Live Yokohama last month to celebrate Suzuki¡¯s 80th birthday.
Music
At 80, Yoshio Suzuki keeps chasing the possibilities of jazz
By Akane Hayashi
The veteran bassist proves that jazz is as much about discovery as it is mastery.
Music / Sound Off
Tokyo¡¯s concert scene searches for its next act
By Patrick St. Michel
Music / CULTURE SMASH
How the Japanese made jazz their own
By Roland Kelts
Music
Bad Bunny plays first-ever Japan show at exclusive Spotify event
By Patrick St. Michel
Music
For Evan Call, every melody is a conversation
By Patrick St. Michel
Music
What is Zipangu? Inside J-pop¡¯s first-of-its-kind Los Angeles festival
By Patrick St. Michel
Music
Fujii Kaze, Massive Attack among Fuji Rock Festival 2026 performers announced
By Patrick St. Michel

TV & Streaming

Fans gather at a Netflix-sponsored World Baseball Classic event at Tokyo Skytree on March 6.
TV & Streaming
The WBC was a hit in Japan. Watching it wasn¡¯t.
By Gabriella Geisinger
Netflix's WBC streaming push included "Hometown Hero" viewings, but many fans in Japan still lacked easy access to games.
TV & Streaming
Fans find their crew in Tokyo as ¡®One Piece¡¯ sets sail again
By Gabriella Geisinger
TV & Streaming
¡®Drops of God¡¯ decants a quiet, perfect ending
By Gabriella Geisinger
TV & Streaming
¡®Monarch¡¯ unleashes more monster mayhem
By Gabriella Geisinger
TV & Streaming
Season Two of 'Drops of God' serves a dark swirl of sibling drama
By Gabriella Geisinger
TV & Streaming / Wide Angle
Vulnerability, love and the limits of reality TV on 'The Boyfriend'
By Mike Fu
TV & Streaming
How 'Heated Rivalry' fits into the history of Japanese 'boys' love'
By Jessica Speed

Art

¡°Freedom,¡± a mural in JR Ueno Station, created in 1951, has been repaired three times, most recently in 2025.
Art
At Ueno Station, ¡®Freedom¡¯ restored
By Jennifer Pastore
Genichiro Inokuma's 1951 pro-democracy mural speaks to a new generation as Ueno reclaims its identity as a cultural hub.
Art
Museum of Narratives is rife with possibilities
By Gabrielle Doman
Art
What¡¯s new (and what¡¯s not) at the reopened Edo-Tokyo Museum
By Thu-Huong Ha
Art
Art Fair Tokyo blends craft, pop and contemporary art in milestone 20th edition
By Jennifer Pastore
Art
Mari Katayama wins inaugural Mori Art Prize
By Jennifer Pastore
Art
A California wildfire survivor turns devastation into art with a message on the climate crisis
By Tomoko Otake
Art
Oscars museum dives into world of Miyazaki's 'Ponyo'

Stage

Company Grande¡¯s inaugural performance, ¡°The Rite of Spring,¡± took place Feb. 7 at Saitama Arts Theater.
Stage
100 ways to belong: The radical inclusivity of Company Grande
By Kris Kosaka
Company Grande includes members from all ages, walks of life and abilities, showing the stage can also be an arena for amateurs, persons with disabilities and the elderly.
Stage
From clicks to claps: Online comics seek the stage
By Laura Pollacco
Stage
Kishida Prize crowns wordsmiths in the theater world
By Kris Kosaka
Stage
After ¡®Kokuho¡¯: Nakamura Takanosuke to take kabuki¡¯s ¡®onnagata¡¯ tradition to Europe
By Kris Kosaka
Stage
'Wisteria': Mieko Kawakami¡¯s story of female longing adapted for stage
By Grace En-yi Ting
Stage
Can Japanese theater travel? A Murakami adaptation tries.
By Alicia Haddick
Stage
Late-night noh theater finds new groove in techno and jazz
By Zoria Petkoska

Entertainment news

Awich performs with fellow rappers Ai, Nene and MaRi at last year's Music Awards Japan in Kyoto. This year's edition will take place in Tokyo.
Entertainment news
Music Awards Japan sets June return in Tokyo
By Alyssa I. Smith
A week of events will precede the June 13 ceremony, which has expanded entries and categories for year two.
Entertainment news
K-pop supergroup BTS shuts down central Seoul for comeback concert
Entertainment news
Paul Thomas Anderson finally wins Oscars as 'One Battle After Another' takes best picture
By Paula Ramon
Entertainment news
¡®Kokuho¡¯ misses out on Oscar for makeup and hairstyling
Entertainment news
It's 'Sinners' vs. 'One Battle' as Oscars day arrives
By Paula Ramon
Entertainment news
Has Timothee Chalamet blown his Oscars chances again?
By Romain FONSEGRIVES
Entertainment news
¡®Kokuho¡¯ dominates Japan Academy Film Prize with 10 wins
By Alyssa I. Smith
Read more CULTURE stories
Japan team discovers why cats leave meals unfinished
An Iwate University team said it has confirmed that cats' appetites wane once they get used to the smell of their food.
Japanese researchers look at 800-year-old books and trees for signs of extreme solar events
A drawing of Fujiwara no Teika, known as a courtier, <i>waka</i> poet and scholar of the late Heian and early Kamakura periods
Debt-laden Japan should review spending on gender equality, survey finds
A woman holds a handheld fan bearing the image of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi&#039;s wedding photo, during an election campaign event in Tokyo on Feb. 7.
Jehovah's Witnesses followers sue Japanese government
Jehovah&#039;s Witnesses hand out pamphlets in the Bronx borough of New York City in 2023. In Japan around 20 members of the group have sued the government.
Chinese payment apps raise questions in Japan
Alipay has been mentioned by legislators in discussions about the use of foreign payment apps in Japan.
Tokyo¡¯s sake calendar is filled to the brim
The recently concluded Sake Park invited younger brewers to make sake more approachable for attendees in their 20s and 30s.
Japan¡¯s tighter immigration controls yielding results
An immigration control passport stamp issued in Japan. A surge in arrivals from overseas has coincided with a tightening of immigration controls under a government initiative aimed at reducing overstayers.
At 80, Yoshio Suzuki keeps chasing the possibilities of jazz
Members of jazz ensemble The Blend ¡ª (from left) pianist Hakuei Kim, trumpeter Keisuke Nakamura, bassist Yoshio Suzuki, drummer Tamaya Honda and saxophonist Kosuke Mine ¡ª performed at Billboard Live Yokohama last month to celebrate Suzuki¡¯s 80th birthday.
Sumo creates unity on an island famed for division
Jonathon Templeton (second from right) with members of Sumo na hEireann
Pokemon store stabbing spotlights importance of treatment for stalkers
Police investigate the scene where a staff member of a Pokemon store was fatally stabbed, in Tokyo&#039;s Toshima Ward on March 26.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo¡¯s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo¡¯s ¡®stadium of desire¡¯

Longform

Projects like the BuddhaBot aim to re-create dialogue once lost to time, raising questions about whether AI can extend the teachings of Buddha or merely simulate them.
Can AI replace a priest? Japan¡¯s temples and shrines are testing the limits.
By Alex K.T. Martin

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