Asian viewers around the world seem to have favoured Hilary Clinton after the first US presidential debate against Donald Trump last night. The debate was streamed live on China’s social media site Weibo, which attracted thousands of comments. According to Reuters, some called Trump a “loose cannon” whilst some saw him as a businessman who was best qualified to lead the…
The ‘micro’ in microagressions is somewhat misleading. After a grueling twelve-hour flight, including a two-hour layover in Shanghai, I was more than ready to collapse into bed and sleep off the impending jet lag. I had just landed at San Francisco International Airport from a two-week vacation in Tokyo. I was waiting at baggage claim when a beagle dressed in a…
The London East Asia Film Festival (LEAFF) has announced its 2016 programme and it looks like it’s going to be a great one. The festival will open on 20 October at Leicester Square’s iconic ODEON cinema with South Korea’s Academy Award submission Age of Shadows. LEAFF will run for 11 days from 20 to 30 October, closing with Johnnie To’s Three…
Tokyo governor Yuriko Koike has ordered workers to leave their desks by 8pm in an effort to crackdown overtime traditions. Governor Koike, who was elected in August, is setting up overtime prevention teams to usher those working beyond 8pm out the office. The governor said that the issue of employees putting in excessive work hours has become a long-standing problem in…
Hailing from Japan, Jun Seba, or Nujabes (1974-2010), was a producer and DJ who seamlessly combined smooth jazz with lyrical flows and hip-hop beats, to create what is still considered to be one of the best sounds in jazzhop and chillhop today. To jazzhop aficionados, Nujabes was as much a pioneer as his American contemporary, J Dilla, as an artist who…
A driver of a Japanese bullet train was caught driving the train with his feet up on the dashboard and has since been suspended. The driver of the train, which can reach speeds of up to 175mph, was photographed with his feet up on the control panel. The picture had emerged on Twitter. The Central Japan Railway Company (Jr Central) said…
Researchers from Tohoku University have created a doomsday clock that counts down when Japan is due to become extinct based on its declining fertility rate. According to the researchers, 16 August 3766 is the date. Japan has seen falling fertility rates for the past 25 years, which has coincided with widespread aging. The trends have come together to form a “demographic…
Kyoto’s ancient sanctuary, Shimogamo Shrine, and its neighbouring forest have been brilliantly illuminated by two beautiful and interactive light displays. The project was created by Japanese creatives Teamlab. The pathway leading up to the historic site is illuminated by animated trees called ‘Resonating Trees’. Further down, visitors will find the second exhibition comprising of giant interactive light orbs called ‘Resonating Spheres’ that hum…
Japan is planning to make their medals for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics out of used cell phones and other electronic devices. The host country is hoping to make the Olympics medals out of the gold, silver and bronze found in the devices. Japan has plenty of e-waste to recycle and fortunately, Olympics medals don’t require too much metal. A gold medal…
Japanese Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe, appeared as video game character Super Mario at the Rio 2016 Closing Olympics. Abe attended the closing ceremony to represent his country, who are set to host the 2020 Summer Olympics. Whilst viewers were expecting an appearance from the PM, no one expected him to rise from an oversized green drainpipe dressed as Nintendo’s iconic video…
