Japan and Saudi Arabia to Deepen Entertainment Cooperation

Japan and Saudi Arabia moved to strengthen cooperation in the entertainment sector as officials and industry representatives gathered in Tokyo on December 2nd for a bilateral forum that highlighted new avenues for cultural exchange, including competitive gaming among high school students.

Universal Studios Japan launched its annual Christmas event on November 19th, offering visitors a lineup of character greetings, seasonal foods, and a large-scale nighttime show designed to highlight the spirit of the holiday season.

Today we cover some happy news from the kabuki world, and look back at the history of an important modern kabuki family! (Kabuki In-Depth)

With the release of his second studio single, Space Race, we get another glimpse into the shining star of Little Mick, and what makes him tick.

Christmas stalls and German winter dishes have filled Odori Park since November 21st, as the annual “Munich Christmas Market in Sapporo” opened in celebration of the long-standing sister-city relationship between Sapporo and Munich.

A new local production in Kitanakagusuku Village is shining a light on the little-known life of Taro Higa, the Nisei from Hawaii who led efforts after the war to send pigs to Okinawa, even as his contributions have long remained overshadowed and largely forgotten.

The annual “Kichirei Kaomise Kogyo” Kabuki program, a long-established event that signals the arrival of the year’s end in Kyoto, is set to begin shortly, and Minami-za in Kyoto’s Higashiyama Ward held its traditional “maneki-age” ritual on November 26th, raising wooden signboards bearing the names of the performers.

Arashi will hold the opening concerts of its final nationwide dome tour in Sapporo in March 2026, sending hotel bookings soaring across the city and raising concerns that the spike in accommodation prices will affect university entrance examinees arriving for crucial tests on March 12th.