Barbara Bayer - The Japan Times

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Barbara Bayer

For Barbara Bayer's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:

Japan Times

COMMUNITY / Our Lives

Jun 15, 2013

Soul singer has handle on the ups, considerable downs of creative life

When vocalist Herb Kendrick, better known simply by his nickname "Q," takes the stage next week in Tokyo, he will be appearing onstage for the first time in nearly a year. The gig at What the Dickens in Ebisu is being billed as the singer's comeback. Not only is it a comeback, it's nothing short of a miracle.

Japan Times

COMMUNITY / Our Lives

Jul 28, 2012

Small lives changed through the power of a photo

For over five years now, The Japan Times has run a weekly photo box featuring a cat or dog in need of a home, as well as success stories of animals that have been adopted.

Japan Times

COMMUNITY

Apr 21, 2012

Incredible images capture surreal disaster zone

Twisted wreckage thrown against the pastoral countryside, surreal scenes of the elements of everyday horribly juxtaposed, a world exploded yet eerily calm in its chaos. The photos are at once deeply disturbing and uncomfortably captivating. Rich colors, uncanny detail and stunning skies brought out by high dynamic range imaging techniques draw the eye in ever further. These are the work of American Toby Marshall, some 24 photos that created a stir while on display recently at the OAG House (German Culture Center) in Tokyo.

Japan Times

COMMUNITY

Mar 3, 2012

'Alternative labor' helps Ishinomaki rebuild

Jamie El-Banna, 27, is a self-professed "cynical Londoner" who says he's "not a nice guy" and admits he is known to many as something of a party animal interested mostly in getting drunk. But a look at his recent track record reveals he's now spent over nine months volunteering in tsunami-ravaged Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture (quite a distance from his Osaka apartment), that three of those months were spent living in a tent, that he's the founder of an accredited NPO and, along with being a respected figure in Ishinomaki, is known to thousands of others in and outside Japan.

Japan Times

COMMUNITY

Jun 4, 2011

Animal shelter in Niigata helps Tohoku pets, owners

When the March 11 earthquake hit Japan, Niigata resident Isabella Gallaon-Aoki "missed it completely." Ironic, in that she would soon find herself in the very bowels of the disaster area, and travel there some 20 times over the next two months.

Japan Times

COMMUNITY

Apr 30, 2011

Japan's oldest boxer keeps dreams of championship alive

"Champions aren't made in gyms. Champions are made from something they have deep inside them: A desire, a dream, a vision . . . . They have to have the skill and the will. But the will must be stronger than the skill."

Japan Times

COMMUNITY

Jan 1, 2011

Wheelchair pioneer out to change public perceptions

"You can't keep a good man down" is the darkly applicable phrase that springs to mind when listening to Yasuhiro "Mark" Yamazaki. The energy, conviction, sense of mission and utter absence of self-pity in this soft-spoken man is humbling.

COMMUNITY

Dec 11, 2010

Mover, shaker aids Goa's poorest kids

Stephen Young has always felt "driven to see the world" and left London at the age of 17 to do just that. He loves music, celebrates life and love and sees value, use, and often great potential in the world's outcasts, whether they be unwanted appliances in Tokyo or street children in the slums of Goa.

Japan Times

COMMUNITY

Aug 21, 2010

Voice of the times bridges cultures for seven decades

Most of us would probably be happy to have a handful of memories to reminisce over in our later years, episodes from our youth we could run past our friends while hoping their eyes don't glaze over. Ichiro Urushibara, a British citizen who has spent 69 years in Japan, has enough memories and amusing anecdotes to entertain people for hours and keep them coming back for more.

Japan Times

COMMUNITY

Jul 17, 2010

Briton looks through lens with an eye to change

Japan-based photographer and activist El-Branden Brazil quotes Tibet's exiled spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama: "If you think you're too small to make a difference, sleep in the room with a mosquito."

Japan Times

COMMUNITY / THE ZEIT GIST

Jul 13, 2010

One more time — with Charisma

My first reaction on hearing that "Charisma Man" was attempting a comeback was to ask, "Can it even work today?" Would the strip come across as funny, or just endearingly nostalgic? Worse, could it be completely misinterpreted and considered amateurishly silly, a gross exaggeration aimed at getting a couple laughs from people new to Japan?

Japan Times

COMMUNITY

Apr 24, 2010

American expat finds Sierra Leone heritage

To some in Japan, the word "expat" is often associated with negative images — isolation, language and culture barriers, and a general lack of interaction, connection, acceptance and/or understanding. For California native Francesca Conate, however, the life of the expatriate means opportunity — the opportunity to open one's arms wide to whatever experiences one chooses to embrace.

Japan Times

COMMUNITY

Mar 27, 2010

Embracing the bicultural identity

Leslie Lorimer defied definition in Japan from the time she was a young child, when her blond hair, blue eyes and fluent Japanese proved a startling mix.

Japan Times

COMMUNITY

Feb 13, 2010

Computer whiz turns 'strangeness' into asset

From his early days in Japan as a destitute student sleeping in train station stairwells to living in a 3-mat room that cost him ¥10,000 a month, Richard Northcott went on to head a mobile software company that now enjoys sales of $2 million a year.

Japan Times

MORE SPORTS

Dec 28, 2009

Dream Journey powers to Arima Kinen victory

FUNABASHI, Chiba Pref. — Tears of both joy and pain marked the 54th running of the Arima Kinen Sunday at Nakayama Racecourse.

Japan Times

COMMUNITY

Oct 31, 2009

Dressage instructor knows how to get best out of horses, riders

In the rarefied atmosphere of Japan's equestrian competitive world, Gool Wadia is a highly respected name. She is the "eye and mouth" on the ground, the person behind, specifically, some of Japan's best dressage riders as they endeavor to improve their riding, their horses and raise their marks in competition.

Japan Times

COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHO'S WHO

Jun 30, 2009

Hard work, honesty, ability to adapt seen as fundament of success

Satbhag "Paul" Warraich, president of the Moti chain, is, like his restaurants, somewhat of a Tokyo icon.

MORE SPORTS

Jun 24, 2009

Top stallion Agnes Tachyon dies

Japan's racing industry was shocked by the news Tuesday of the death of its leading sire, Agnes Tachyon, found dead in his stall at Shadai Stallion Station in Hokkaido's Abira-cho on Monday afternoon.

MORE SPORTS

Jun 8, 2009

Vodka wins Yasuda

"I didn't think she could catch them in time," said the trainer. "I was scared," admitted the jockey. But, once again, Vodka left the stands reeling as she showed just what a fine grain she is. Weaving her way out of a death trap in the stretch, she knocked back her second win of the Yasuda Memorial in two years straight, capturing the race at Fuchu on Sunday by three-quarters of a length over Deep Sky.

Japan Times

MORE SPORTS

Jun 1, 2009

Logi Universe triumphs in Derby, avenges loss

Disappointing as the favorite in the Satsukisho, Logi Universe was able to salvage his reputation in the Japan Derby just over a month later answering fans' somewhat lesser expectations with a four-length win over fifth pick Reach the Crown.

From easily navigable train stations to the helpfulness of its municipal staff, Tokyo has earned high praise for its commitment to accessibility for disabled travelers.

[Rebroadcast] Japan is doing better on accessibility than you may think

Historically, kabuki was considered the entertainment of the merchant and peasant classes, a far cry from how it is regarded today.

For Japan's oldest kabuki theater, the show must go on

By Lance Henderstein

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Prize winner Maki Imoto catches light with glass

Prize winner Maki Imoto catches light with glass

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