Latest news with #Japanese
Nikkei Asia
36 minutes ago
- Business
- Nikkei Asia
Historic hotel in Japan's Nikko renovates to tempt overseas guests
Established in 1873, Nikko Kanaya is the oldest resort hotel still running in Japan, but currently only around 10% of its guests come from abroad. (Photos by Yutaro Yokoyama) YUTARO YOKOYAMA UTSUNOMIYA, Japan -- A 150-year-old hotel in the historic Japanese town of Nikko is planning a makeover in a bid to lure more business from the waves of overseas tourists heading into the country. Established in 1873, Nikko Kanaya Hotel is the oldest resort hotel still running in Japan, but currently only around 10% of its guests are travelers from abroad.
Yomiuri Shimbun
37 minutes ago
- Entertainment
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Dandyism, Decadence and a Taste of Rebellion at Junya Watanabe's Vision of Paris
PARIS (AP) — A new kind of dandy took over Junya Watanabe's runway on Friday — not the traditional gentleman, but a sharp-dressed rebel with a streak of punk at Paris Fashion Week. Watanabe, the pioneering Japanese designer known for mixing classic tailoring with a wild, creative edge, unveiled a lineup of bold, offbeat looks at the Lycée Carnot. The show was sharp but rebellious, rich in history but full of energy. It wasn't about looking back. It was an explosion of new ideas. Watanabe has built his reputation by smashing the line between elegance and rebellion. This season, he didn't just mix old and new, he turned history into a weapon. His spring men's collection borrowed from the past — rich brocades, jacquards and a hint of Rococo flair — but reimagined them with a bold, punk attitude. Jackets worthy of Venetian nobility were paired with rugged workwear and raw denim, creating looks that felt both grand and streetwise. The music followed the same energy, starting with a traditional piano piece breaking down into a thumping city beat. Classic style was pulled apart and rebuilt right on the runway. Some outfits showed off sharp, careful tailoring, but the order quickly fell away — seams went crooked, sashes trailed loose, wild patterns took over. Even the ties broke free, knotted multiple times in ways that broke from tradition. Despite the wild mix of styles, the show was more than just patchwork. Watanabe was making a statement about taste itself — a constant tug-of-war between old ideas and breaking the rules. Familiar touches — a monk's robe, the rooftops of Florence — were turned into clever fashion puzzles. Throughout the collection, Watanabe's eye for detail and contradiction remained. He's known for boldly mixing sharp tailoring with street style, blending Japanese tradition with punk energy. This season, he sharpened that approach into clothes that were both smart and full of electricity, pieces that challenged the idea of what it means to dress well. By the end, the dandy wasn't just a gentleman —he was sharper, braver, both thinker and rebel.
The Star
an hour ago
- Politics
- The Star
Japan executes ‘Twitter killer'
The country executed a man dubbed the 'Twitter killer', who murdered and dismembered nine people he met online, in the nation's first enactment of the death penalty since 2022. Takahiro Shiraishi (pic), 34, was hanged for killing his young victims, all but one of whom were women, after contacting them on the social media platform now called X. He had targeted users who posted about taking their own life, telling them he could help them in their plans, or even die alongside them. Justice Minister Keisuke Suzuki said Shiraishi's crimes, carried out in 2017, included 'robbery, rape, murder ... destruction of a corpse and abandonment of a corpse'. 'Nine victims were beaten and strangled, killed, robbed and then mutilated with parts of their bodies concealed in boxes, and parts discarded in a garbage dump,' Suzuki told reporters in Tokyo. Shiraishi acted to satisfy 'his own sexual and financial desires' and the murders 'caused great shock and anxiety to society', Suzuki said. Japan and the United States are the only two G7 countries to still use capital punishment, and there is strong support for the practice among the Japanese public, surveys show. Shiraishi was sentenced to death in 2020 for the murders of his nine victims, aged between 15 and 26. After luring them to his small home near the capital, he stashed parts of their bodies around the apartment in coolers and toolboxes sprinkled with cat litter in a bid to hide the evidence. His lawyers had argued that Shiraishi should receive a prison sentence rather than be executed because his victims had expressed suicidal thoughts and so had consented to die. But a judge dismissed that argument, calling Shiraishi's crimes 'cunning and cruel', reports said. 'The dignity of the victims was trampled upon,' the judge had said, adding that Shiraishi had preyed upon people who were 'mentally fragile'. The grisly murders were discovered in autumn 2017 by police investigating the disappearance of a 23-year-old woman who had reportedly tweeted about wanting to kill herself. Her brother gained access to her Twitter account and eventually led police to Shiraishi's residence, where investigators found dismembered body parts. Executions are always done by hanging in Japan, where around 100 death row prisoners are waiting for their sentences to be carried out. Nearly half are seeking a retrial, Suzuki said yesterday. Japanese law stipulates that executions must be carried out within six months of a verdict after appeals are exhausted. In reality, however, most inmates are left on tenterhooks in solitary confinement for years, and sometimes decades. There is widespread criticism of the system and the government's lack of transparency over the practice. In 2022, Tomohiro Kato was hanged for an attack that killed seven people in 2008, when he rammed a rented two-tonne truck into a crowd in Tokyo and went on a stabbing spree. The high-profile executions of the guru Shoko Asahara and 12 former members of the Aum Shinrikyo doomsday cult took place in 2018. Aum Shinrikyo orchestrated the 1995 sarin gas attacks on Tokyo's subway system, killing 14 people and sickening thousands more. — AFP
an hour ago
- Entertainment
Kenzo brings mischief back to Paris' iconic Maxim's with a riot of color and clash
PARIS -- Few Paris addresses conjure myth quite like Maxim's, the gilded Belle Époque haunt where artists and aristocrats once jostled for a seat at dinner, and a place immortalized in Cole Porter's lyrics and classic Hollywood films as the very symbol of Parisian chic. On Friday night, at Paris Fashion Week the renowned restaurant-turned-nightclub became the improbable stage for Kenzo's latest co-ed show — a riot of pop color, celebrity and cultural collision served tableside. Guests perched around white tablecloths as Nigo, the first Japanese designer to helm Kenzo since the late, great Kenzo Takada, set out to prove the house can still surprise. What unfolded was a knowingly playful mash-up of preppy classics and off-kilter eveningwear: eye-popping pink dresses loosely gathered and knotted, each one tossed with a Left Bank silk scarf; a slinky tuxedo jacket paired with a blaring urban-printed tee in wild color, topped with a cartoon bunny in intentional clash. Think cocktail hour by way of Shibuya street style. Tongue-in-cheek references ran rampant — a circus master's striped waistcoat here, sheeny tiger-motif pants there, all nodding to Kenzo's signature mix of high craft and subcultural wink. If the goal was to recapture the house's historic sense of fun, Nigo went all in. While the creativity on display was undeniable, the sheer abundance of ideas sometimes made it hard for a single vision to shine through. With so many bold references and layers echoing recent seasons' spirit of collaboration and eclecticism, the collection sometimes felt more like a lively collage than a focused statement. Still, there were moments where the craftsmanship and playful accessories truly stood out, offering glimpses of the distinct Kenzo spirit that Nigo has made his own. Since joining Kenzo, Nigo has brought a fresh spirit of collaboration and cross-cultural exchange, most visibly in his headline-grabbing work with Pharrell Williams at Louis Vuitton and his frequent partnerships with artists from across the globe. That outward-looking energy has helped pull Kenzo back into the pop-culture conversation, blending the house's playful legacy with new momentum. As part of the LVMH stable, Kenzo now enjoys the reach and resources of the world's largest luxury group, giving Nigo freedom to experiment, push boundaries and reawaken the brand's irreverent roots. It was a night that nodded to both past and future. After a string of worn years under the previous design duo, Kenzo seems determined to shake off old dust and reclaim its seat at Paris' most storied table. The show at Maxim's — equal parts fashion circus and cultural memory — was a reminder that Paris style is best served with a wink, a clash and more than a little mischief.
The Mainichi
an hour ago
- Health
- The Mainichi
Japanese diet may help in fight against depression, study shows
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- The rate of depressive symptoms was lower among working-age people who consume a Japanese-style diet including rice, miso soup and fish, the first study of its kind recently showed. The Japan Institute for Health Security assessed the benefits of a traditional "Japanese-style diet" comprising of soy products, cooked vegetables, mushrooms, fish, seaweed, and green tea, along with a modified version that added fruit, fresh vegetables and dairy products. While there are few studies on the Japanese diet's impact on mental health, such assessments of the Mediterranean diet -- which consists of vegetables, whole grains, olive oil and fish -- and depression have previously been conducted, the institute said. "Further research is required, but we hope the evidence shown among Japanese people can be used for public health measures in workplaces and areas concerning the prevention of depression," it said in a press release. The self-reported study was conducted among 12,499 employees from five companies, of whom 88 percent were male with an average age of 42.5 years. A total of 30.9 percent of the cohort exhibited depressive symptoms, but those who followed a typical Japanese diet were found to be less likely to do so. The researchers made efforts to isolate other potential factors that could influence the results. The institute said certain foods in the diet could be linked to improved well-being. Seaweed, soy products and the folic acid in vegetables assist in releasing neurotransmitters such as serotonin and dopamine, while oily fish rich in omega-3 fatty acids has anti-inflammatory effects.
