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P/CLOUDY
NTT DoCoMo Inc., despite being Japan’s biggest mobile phone carrier, has been struggling against tough smartphone competition from KDDI Corp. and Softbank Corp., which is leading in that area. But one edge that the cellphone behemoth — it has more than 60 million subscribers ...
Throughout most of Japan, June is the rainy season. While all that rainfall is great for rice paddies so that we can have delicious new harvest rice in the fall, it makes it a rather dull month for seasonal produce: The summer’s bounty of ...
If you don’t get into the ring once or twice, then you’re a coward, Geoffrey Ima says as he describes people’s attitudes toward boxing in his hometown in Uganda. Ima has been in the ring hundreds of times and came to love boxing so ...
Claude Regy says the team at the Shizuoka Performing Arts Center (SPAC) threw him the “best birthday party ever” when he arrived in Japan just days after the actual May 1 occasion. The 90-year-old French director is hoping for an even better birthday gift, ...
The 27-year-old defender says he was ready for a change of scenery after helping Sanfrecce Hiroshima win theJ. League title last season.
Jonathan Gaspar Teacher, 28 (American) You need to be aware that the Japanese have different expectations of you than people back home, and learning the language is so important. I came here five years ago but have been learning Japanese for nine years. Joy ...
Barney Day Musician, 33 (English) If you’re in Tokyo and you want to hear music, go to Koenji, the home of J-punk and small bars that feel like home. It’s close to Shinjuku. Tom Coulton (English/Japanese) Photographer/writer, 29 Take the Enoshima Electric Railway (Enoden). ...
Shiho WatanabeHousewife, 26 (Japanese)The best moment was Christian Ronaldo’s goal against North Korea. The way the ball bounced along his back before landing right at his foot, it was like God had helped him. Piota KucharskiStudent, 18 (Polish/American)My favorite memory was at Shibuya Crossing ...
Gareth Pughe, 56EditorIt is either doomed to failure and there will be another election within the year, or it will break the mold for British politics, and that would be a good thing. Daniel Clark, 25Soccer coachI would’ve preferred a true majority decision, not ...
Saki Kuroda, 24 Schoolteacher (Japanese nonsmoker) Yes, It should be banned. Smoking is not only bad for the smoker’s health, but also for nonsmokers through passive smoking. In public people should think about others. Alex Wright, 23 Teacher (American nonsmoker) I don’t smoke. However, ...
Glen Doran Tour guide, 39 (Australian) This will be my first hanami (cherry blossom viewing), actually. I hope it will be memorable. I heard that Japan can be a very different, open and drunken place during hanami. I’m looking forward to it! Ayumi Ozawa ...
Sachiko Yamada Writer, 33 (Japanese) I was in the USA from 1997 to 2003, and one thing I missed was the service. In Japan the customer is always right, but in the States the shop staff often take the higher ground with their customers. ...
Nelson Baloian Professor, 47 (Chilean) As Asashoryu was at the peak of his sumo career, and was a love/hate figure, he now has a chance to really spice up the world of MMA (mixed martial arts) here in Japan. Erina Sakai Artist, 31 (Japanese) ...
Yuuki Shiroma, 25 Singer (Japanese) I would hope that Japan stops being so reliant on technology and being the world leader in this field. Society seems stressed. People need to slow down and enjoy the present. Mikiko Kato, 25 Musician (Japanese) The “businessmen’s generation” ...
Rowan MacGillivary, 35 (Australian) It is hard to say whether any trial is completely fair, but I think — or at least hope — that the spotlight on this case will keep things transparent. Yuri Sato, 30 Japanese teacher The lay judges will of ...
Mika Shiobara (Japanese) Housewife, 27 The police made a big mistake when they cornered him at his flat and he got away. It’s amazing that it took more than two years for them to catch up with him. Paul Briganza (Canadian) Web consultant, 36 ...
Masahi Hanada, trader, 27 and Natsuko Suzuki, office worker, 24 We love going to outdoor baths in winter. Sitting in hot water with the cold winter weather all around you is very relaxing. Jimmy Smith Charity manager, 23 (U.K.) I want to see the ...