As the cultural capital of Japan, traditional arts are actively cultivated in the city.

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Even the biggest firms, such as America's Electronic Arts and Japan's Square, are still shakier than most other media investments.

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Aoyama, who died in 1993 at the age of 80, was awarded the 1992 Order of Cultural Merit, Japan's highest honor in the arts, for his mastery of sho and commitment to promoting and preserving the calligraphic arts for future generations.

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Other projects for the Culture District include a performing arts centre designed by Zaha Hadid, a Baghdad-born British woman, and a maritime museum by Japan's Tadao Ando.

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