In this issue
Edition: Asia
Edition: Asia
Vol. 168, No. 11
COVER
Let There Be Light
(Cover Story)
400,000 years after the big bang, the cosmos went black. Here's what happened next
ASIA
Japan's Mystery of Majesty
A succession crisis has led to debate on the monarchy--and the shadowy agency behind it
Royal Roots
A brief guide to 2,666 years of imperial history
The Riddle of the Hobbit
A feud flares over an ancient skull that may or may not have belonged to a new species of human
GLOBAL ADVISER
West Meets Tranquil East
(TIME Traveler)
Elegant international hotel group Aman hunkers down in Jackson Hole
L'andana Con Brio (Diversions)
High class hijinks at Tuscany's hunting lodge-turned-resort
On a New High Note (After Dark)
Historic jazz club gets a $4 million facelift
NOTEBOOK
Japan: Still Shrinking
Despite an uptick in the birthrate, the country is still heading for demographic disaster
Milestones
Verbatim
Letters
The Mess in the Middle East

Me and Orson Welles: Zac Efron Takes the Stage
Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
Obama's Half Brother, a Kenyan American in China
The Princess and the Frog: Big Fun on the Bayou
Sex, Please, We're British: London's Erotica Expo
A Brief History of White House State Dinners
Airline Bag Fees: As High as the Cost of a Seat?
Can the A380 Bring the Party Back to the Skies?
Junior Eurovision: Schoolyard Crushes with Glitter
Who Will Inherit Joel Stein's Kid?