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August 11, 2026
 

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CULTURE

Film
Books
Art
Music
TV & Streaming
Stage
Entertainment news
Summer Sonic stalwarts Babymetal curated an eclectic lineup to celebrate the summer music festival's 25th anniversary.
CULTURE / Music
Too much music, not enough weekend: A guide to Summer Sonic 2026
By Patrick St. Michel
From metal to 1990s dance nostalgia, this year¡¯s event packs an absurd amount of music into one long weekend.
Bunraku puppeteer Tamasuke Yoshida rehearses with Catalonian singer Maria Arnal for the upcoming performances of ¡°Kinkakuji¡± in Tokyo.
CULTURE / Stage
A Yukio Mishima stage adaptation pulls genre-bending strings
By Kris Kosaka
A cross-cultural collaboration mixing bunraku puppetry, kabuki and literature is creating a new take on Yukio Mishima¡¯s novel.
Takeshi Shibata (middle) directs Masahiro Motoki on the set of ¡°The Man Who Carries the Voice of August.¡± Shibata says he hopes the film can help viewers around the world understand hibakusha and ¡°the threat of nuclear weapons.¡±
CULTURE / Film
¡®The Man Who Carries the Voice of August¡¯ explores the fragile legacy of the hibakusha
By Sebastien Raineri
A journalist¡¯s effort to record hibakusha testimonies raises questions about memory, truth and survival.

Film

Seven years after traveling back in time and falling in love with a kamikaze pilot, Yuri (Haruka Fukuhara, left) contemplates a new beginning in Takehiko Shinjo¡¯s ¡°Till We Meet Again on the Starry Hill.¡±
Film
¡®Till We Meet Again on the Starry Hill¡¯: Time-travel kamikaze romance gets a pointless sequel
By James Hadfield
Takehiko Shinjo¡¯s follow-up to a 2023 hit film is even more muddled than its predecessor.
Film
¡®Ghost of Ueno¡¯: A human drama about the invisible among us
By Mark Schilling
Film
¡®The Secret Battlefield¡¯: An inside view of the machinery of war
By James Hadfield
Film
¡®Chiikawa¡¯ was always darker than it looked
By Patrick St. Michel
Film
¡®The Invisible Half¡¯: Stylish J-horror anchored in a standout performance
By Mark Schilling
Film
Suzu Hirose is ready to ¡®step into the unknown¡¯
By Blake Simons
Film
Time-travel anime ¡®You, Fireworks, and Our Promise¡¯ is serviceable but lacks spark
By Matt Schley

Books

Etc.books was named for those who appear as ¡°etc.¡± or footnotes in society.
Books
Etc.books: A lone bookstore in Tokyo pushes against sexism
By Kim Kahan
Etc.books helped redefine feminist publishing in Japan. Now its greatest challenge is staying open.
Books
Fans rush to buy copy of Keigo Higashino¡¯s final work
By Elizabeth Beattie
Books
Keigo Higashino¡¯s ¡®global afterlife¡¯
By Mike Fu
Books
Japanese author Keigo Higashino, known for intricate mystery novels, dies at 68
By Elizabeth Beattie
Books
How Hayao Miyazaki¡¯s love of books influenced Studio Ghibli¡¯s stories
By Kris Kosaka
Books
Indian brothers make manga debut in Japan
Books
The creator of ¡®Cowboy Bebop¡¯ has advice for the anime industry
By Eric Margolis

Music

Summer Sonic stalwarts Babymetal curated an eclectic lineup to celebrate the summer music festival's 25th anniversary.
Music
Too much music, not enough weekend: A guide to Summer Sonic 2026
By Patrick St. Michel
From metal to 1990s dance nostalgia, this year¡¯s event packs an absurd amount of music into one long weekend.
Music
This year, Fuji Rock rediscovered its nerve
By Erik Augustin Palm
Music
Â鶹´«Ã½ 100-year-old symphonic orchestra celebrates its milestone
By Junko Nonoyama
Music
A perfect storm: Kaze Fujii fans flock to Fuji Rock
By Alyssa I. Smith
Music
The sci-fi sensibilities of electronic trio Black Boboi
By Patrick St. Michel
Music
Maya Ongaku¡¯s DIY dream is getting bigger
By James Hadfield
Music
It was 60 years ago today: Â鶹´«Ã½ top Beatles fan keeps the Budokan flame burning
By Tim Hornyak

TV & Streaming

An inept salaryman gets wrapped up in an international espionage plot in "Vivant."
TV & Streaming / Wide Angle
The bittersweet nostalgia of the first season of ¡®Vivant¡¯
By Gabriella Geisinger
Taking place in a version of Japan that espouses tolerance and acceptance, the espionage drama¡¯s first season feels increasingly at odds with today¡¯s reality.
TV & Streaming
How ¡®The Solitary Gourmet¡¯ became one of Â鶹´«Ã½ most enduring TV hits
By Mathias Cena
TV & Streaming
The beating heart inside ¡®Human Vapor¡¯
By Gabriella Geisinger
TV & Streaming
¡®Human Vapor¡¯ brings blockbuster energy to the small screen
By James Hadfield
TV & Streaming
¡®Tagusari Bros.¡¯ searches for the meaning of justice
By Gabriella Geisinger
TV & Streaming
Nordic noir meets Japanese occult in ¡®Blood and Sweat¡¯
By Gabriella Geisinger
TV & Streaming
¡®Soul Mate¡¯ reaches for pathos but remains hollow
By Mike Fu

Art

The Rabbit Hole is helping redefine Okayama as a contemporary-art destination.
Art
Before the art islands, a reason to stop in Okayama
By Erik Augustin Palm
The Rabbit Hole and Fukuoka Shoyu Gallery make Okayama a contemporary-art destination before visitors reach the Seto Inland Sea.
Art
Â鶹´«Ã½ largest exhibition of women photographers rights a wrong in cultural history
By Jennifer Pastore
Art
Sachiko Kazama¡¯s art bites back at a cruel society
By Jennifer Pastore
Art
This is not AI. It¡¯s intentionally, painstakingly human-made art.
By Zoria Petkoska
Art
What is the ¡®Mona Lisa¡¯ of Japan?
By Thu-Huong Ha
Art
David Hockney, the British artist who went in search of Californian color, dies at 88
By William Schomberg
Art
Emerging Kansai artists to watch
By Jennifer Pastore

Stage

Bunraku puppeteer Tamasuke Yoshida rehearses with Catalonian singer Maria Arnal for the upcoming performances of ¡°Kinkakuji¡± in Tokyo.
Stage
A Yukio Mishima stage adaptation pulls genre-bending strings
By Kris Kosaka
A cross-cultural collaboration mixing bunraku puppetry, kabuki and literature is creating a new take on Yukio Mishima¡¯s novel.
Stage
¡®Death Note¡¯ musical eyes a London breakthrough
By Alicia Haddick
Stage
Can Japanese comedy get laughs in English? Yoshimoto Kogyo lets the jokes rip
By Alicia Haddick
Stage
¡®Princess Mononoke¡¯ comes alive in Super Kabuki staging
By Alicia Haddick
Stage
¡®Demon Slayer¡¯ musical is for fans who¡¯ve done the homework
By Alicia Haddick
Stage
New anime adapted for stage expands what 2.5D theater can be
By Alicia Haddick
Stage
At Singapore International Festival of Arts, theater spills into everyday life
By Zoria Petkoska

Entertainment news

K-pop act BTS performs Aug. 1 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, as part of its global "Arirang" tour.
Entertainment news
BTS pulls out of Grammys after Asian pop category introduction
By Claire Lee
Members say music should be ¡°loved for what it is, rather than being defined by region.¡±
Entertainment news
Japanese dancers win ballet prizes in Moscow
Entertainment news
Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are married, as pair hosts New York celebration
Entertainment news
Singer and actor Kazuya Kamenashi to marry Minami Tanaka
Entertainment news
Buzzcut backlash: AKB48 member¡¯s termination stirs online furor
By Patrick St. Michel
Entertainment news
Grammys to add best Asian pop music performance category in 2027
By Patrick St. Michel
Entertainment news / CULTURE SMASH
As his centennial nears, Osamu Tezuka gets a global reintroduction
By Roland Kelts
Read more CULTURE stories
America¡¯s cyberforces grapple with cluster of deaths by suicide
The U.S. Cyber Command building (center) stands on the National Security Agency campus at Fort Meade, Maryland.
Many Indonesians named after Japanese anime characters
Some people in Indonesia are named Doraemon, the name of a lead character of the blockbuster anime series with the same title.
Yasukuni Shrine introduces ban on military attire and cosplay
People gather in front of thousands of lanterns on display at Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo on July 15 during the Mitama Matsuri, one of the capital's largest summer o-Bon festivals.
As countries ban social media for children, Japan mulls a different approach
Data from NTT Docomo¡¯s Mobile Society Research Institute released in June found that 55% of respondents across all age groups said they fiddled with their phones when they had nothing to do, even when another person was in front of them.
¡®Total whiplash¡¯: Foreign residents react to Â鶹´«Ã½ changing permanent residency rules
The entrance to the Tokyo Immigration Bureau in Minato Ward, Tokyo, in March. For some foreign residents of Japan, tightening measures for permanent residency have become one factor in a broader calculation over whether remaining in the country makes financial sense over the long term.
Â鶹´«Ã½ brewers experiment with a secret ingredient: music
At Smoke Craft, a craft beer brewery in Tokorozawa, Saitama Prefecture, music isn't just a background to the brewing process ¡ª it's an ingredient.
As countries ban social media for children, Japan mulls a different approach
Data from NTT Docomo¡¯s Mobile Society Research Institute released in June found that 55% of respondents across all age groups said they fiddled with their phones when they had nothing to do, even when another person was in front of them.
J. League enters new era as league kicks off first fall-spring campaign
Players from each J. League club pose during a kickoff event on Monday ahead of the start of the 2026-27 campaign.
Speaking Japanese at the movies with ¡®Chiikawa¡¯
A "Chiikawa The Movie" poster is seen at Toho Cinemas in Shinjuku Ward, Tokyo.
How Â鶹´«Ã½ racehorses find second careers away from the track
TCC Therapy Park is supported financially by racing organizations as well as donations from members of the public.

Podcast

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

Longform

Disaster relief workers Taichi Kato (left) and Seiji Yoshimura enter the collapsed living quarters at Kyuganji temple in Yatsushiro, Kumamoto Prefecture.
What Kumamoto revealed about Â鶹´«Ã½ earthquake readiness
By Alex K.T. Martin

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