tokyo
The centuries-old Japanese art of ikebana draws those seeking calm
TOKYO | Ikebana, the Japanese art of arranging flowers, is a form of expression that dates back more than 500 years. It continues to blossom, quietly, not only with traditionalists but also with newcomers who find its blend of creativity and mindfulness to be restorative. Ikebana can be a bit like solving a puzzle, except […]
Centenarians living in Japan exceed 100,000 for the first time
TOKYO | The number of people aged 100 or older in Japan surpassed a record 100,000 this year, the latest government figures show, underscoring the country’s rapidly aging and declining population. The Health and Welfare Ministry statistics released Tuesday show Japan now has 107,677 centenarians, up 7,914 from the previous year and exceeding the 100,000 […]
Yayoi Kusama, who splashed polka dots across the art world, dies at 97 in Tokyo
TOKYO | Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama, who splashed her signature polka dots on paintings, sculptures and museum installations around the world, has died, her studio said Thursday. She was 97. Kusama died Aug. 14 at a hospital in Tokyo, Yayoi Kusama Studio said, without specifying the cause of death. “She continued to paint until her […]
Japan’s horror master Kurosawa’s first samurai film arrives at US theaters
TOKYO | Kiyoshi Kurosawa, the Japanese director known as “the master of horror,” was a bit nervous about how viewers might react to his first samurai film. He needn’t have worried. “The Samurai and the Prisoner,” opening in New York and Los Angeles on July 31, followed by a rollout in major U.S. cities through […]
7.1 magnitude quake shakes Japan’s Kyushu and people are missing after a shopping center collapses
TOKYO | An earthquake registering a magnitude of 7.1 shook Japan’s southern main island of Kyushu and caused part of a shopping center to collapse on Tuesday, leaving dozens of people missing or injured, officials and reports said. A tsunami advisory was issued but quickly lifted. The second floor of the Aeon Mall shopping center […]
Grateful dog owner describes mountain rescue after canine apparently ingests cannabis
LONDON | Christina Bluhme was high on the flanks of Britain’s tallest mountain with her dogs and one of the hounds was a lot higher — and not in a good way. Tokyo, a 5-year-old black Labrador retriever, had apparently ingested cannabis along the trail and had to be rescued after she began to sway […]