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	<title>The Japan Times &#187; Tomoko Otake</title>
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	<link>http://www.japantimes.co.jp</link>
	<description>News on Japan, Business News, Opinion, Sports, Entertainment and More</description>
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		<title>Households to take hit from tax hike</title>
		<link>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2013/10/02/business/households-to-take-hit-from-tax-hike/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=households-to-take-hit-from-tax-hike</link>
		<comments>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2013/10/02/business/households-to-take-hit-from-tax-hike/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 02 Oct 2013 14:30:52 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Tomoko Otake</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[consumption tax]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[households]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[The consumption tax increase next April will hit every household in Japan hard, with many people's financial future hanging on whether their wages rise enough to offset the impact of the hike, experts say.  ]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<title>IT startup barters its way into niche</title>
		<link>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2013/10/02/business/it-startup-barters-its-way-into-niche/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=it-startup-barters-its-way-into-niche</link>
		<comments>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2013/10/02/business/it-startup-barters-its-way-into-niche/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 02 Oct 2013 12:52:11 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Tomoko Otake</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[free lunch]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[startups]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[At around noon on a recent weekday, the Roppongi branch of Shamrock by Abbot Choice, a Tokyo-based Irish-style pub chain, had a bustling lunchtime crowd. Koichiro Tawa reached for a menu and ordered a hamburger special &#8212; with melting cheese, a green salad and mashed potatoes, along with a separate plate of rice. It&#8217;s a [...]]]></description>
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		<item>
		<title>The &#8216;whole&#8217; brown-bread challenge in Japan</title>
		<link>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2013/09/23/lifestyle/the-whole-brown-bread-challenge-in-japan/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=the-whole-brown-bread-challenge-in-japan</link>
		<comments>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2013/09/23/lifestyle/the-whole-brown-bread-challenge-in-japan/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 23 Sep 2013 14:00:15 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Tomoko Otake</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[health]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[nutrition]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[Whole-wheat and whole-grain products are hard to find in Japan, where most bakeries and supermarkets sell white bread products only. Of the three major bread manufacturers in Japan, only Shikishima Baking Co.&#8217;s Pasco brand offers loaves of bread and &#8220;English&#8221; muffins made from whole-wheat flour &#8212; it&#8217;s called the Mugino Megumi (The Blessings of Wheat) [...]]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Internet NPO links kids worldwide</title>
		<link>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2013/09/21/digital/internet-npo-links-kids-worldwide/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=internet-npo-links-kids-worldwide</link>
		<comments>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2013/09/21/digital/internet-npo-links-kids-worldwide/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 21 Sep 2013 14:12:20 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Tomoko Otake</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[children]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Pangaea]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://awsadmin.japantimes.co.jp/?post_type=life&#038;p=457847</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Earlier this month, when the nation&#8217;s Olympic bid ambassador Christel Takigawa referred to &#8220;omotenashi&#8221; (the spirit of Japanese-style hospitality) in her speech to the International Olympic Committee, the term quickly turned into a buzzword in Japan. Now that Tokyo&#8217;s preparations for the 2020 Summer Olympics are in full swing, one of its urgent tasks, it [...]]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Festival brings old films out of storage</title>
		<link>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2013/09/19/events/festival-brings-old-films-out-of-storage/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=festival-brings-old-films-out-of-storage</link>
		<comments>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2013/09/19/events/festival-brings-old-films-out-of-storage/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 19 Sep 2013 13:00:51 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Tomoko Otake</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Kuchita Teoshiguruma]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Life]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Okuradashi Film Festival]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://awsadmin.japantimes.co.jp/?post_type=culture&#038;p=457187</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Every year, nearly 100 of the films produced in Japan are said to &#8220;go into storage.&#8221; Such films &#8212; even those featuring big-name actors &#8212; are never screened at theaters, or they disappear after a very short run with no budget prepared by producers for turning them into DVDs. The annual Okuradashi Film Festival, which [...]]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<item>
		<title>Rescuing gadgets from the  golden age of &#8216;Made in Japan&#8217;</title>
		<link>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2013/09/14/general/rescuing-gadgets-from-the-golden-age-of-made-in-japan/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=rescuing-gadgets-from-the-golden-age-of-made-in-japan</link>
		<comments>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2013/09/14/general/rescuing-gadgets-from-the-golden-age-of-made-in-japan/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 14 Sep 2013 14:30:17 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Tomoko Otake</dc:creator>
		
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://awsadmin.japantimes.co.jp/?post_type=life&#038;p=454779</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Piles of old electronic gadgetry, most of it out of order, clutter Junichi Matsuzaki&#8217;s &#8220;studio&#8221; on the first floor of an aging public apartment building in Adachi Ward in northeastern Tokyo. To visitors the outdated technology may look like junk, but to the 53-year-old self-proclaimed consumer electronics collector, it&#8217;s treasure. Filling up the 80-sq.-meter space [...]]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Anatomy app gives users a better understanding of the human body</title>
		<link>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2013/09/10/digital/anatomy-app-gives-users-a-better-understanding-of-the-human-body/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=anatomy-app-gives-users-a-better-understanding-of-the-human-body</link>
		<comments>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2013/09/10/digital/anatomy-app-gives-users-a-better-understanding-of-the-human-body/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 10 Sep 2013 13:55:24 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Tomoko Otake</dc:creator>
		
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://awsadmin.japantimes.co.jp/?post_type=life&#038;p=453428</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Back in highschool, I was in the middle of basketball practice, when I suddenly felt an acute pain in my knee. I had no idea what had happened to me. After visits to several different clinics, none of which could identify the problem, I finally found an orthopedist who accurately guessed the cause of my [...]]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Renovating business and hope in Onomichi</title>
		<link>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2013/09/09/lifestyle/renovating-business-and-hope-in-onomichi/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=renovating-business-and-hope-in-onomichi</link>
		<comments>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2013/09/09/lifestyle/renovating-business-and-hope-in-onomichi/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 09 Sep 2013 14:00:16 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Tomoko Otake</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Discovery Link Setouchi]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hiroshima]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Onomichi]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Setouchi Minato no yado]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://awsadmin.japantimes.co.jp/?post_type=life&#038;p=452853</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The city of Onomichi in the southeastern part of Hiroshima Prefecture, which looks out to the Seto Inland Sea, has a rich and long tradition as a hub of trade. During the Edo Period (1603-1867), it prospered as a key docking point for domestic ships peddling goods, and from the early 20th century it grew [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2013/09/09/lifestyle/renovating-business-and-hope-in-onomichi/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Pumpkins to go on show for Cinderella festival</title>
		<link>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2013/09/05/events/pumpkins-to-go-on-show-for-cinderella-festival/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=pumpkins-to-go-on-show-for-cinderella-festival</link>
		<comments>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2013/09/05/events/pumpkins-to-go-on-show-for-cinderella-festival/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 05 Sep 2013 13:50:28 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Tomoko Otake</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Cinderella Dream Festival]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[pumpkins]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Saroma]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Yume Matsuri]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://awsadmin.japantimes.co.jp/?post_type=culture&#038;p=451407</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[It&#8217;s more than a month before Halloween, but you can get in the spooky spirit at the Cinderella Yume Matsuri (Cinderella Dream Festival), where you&#8217;ll get a rare chance to gawk at hundreds of pumpkins of various sizes and carved into different characters. The annual festival held in Saroma, a farming town of 6,000 people [...]]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Asakusa gets ready to party Brazilian style</title>
		<link>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2013/08/29/events/asakusa-gets-ready-to-party-brazilian-style/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=asakusa-gets-ready-to-party-brazilian-style</link>
		<comments>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2013/08/29/events/asakusa-gets-ready-to-party-brazilian-style/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 29 Aug 2013 13:45:36 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Tomoko Otake</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Asakusa Samba Carnival]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Carnival]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Samba]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sensoji Temple]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://awsadmin.japantimes.co.jp/?post_type=culture&#038;p=435300</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Tokyo&#8217;s Asakusa neighborhood is one of the capital&#8217;s top tourist destinations. Sensoji Temple and the shopping arcade nearby offer visitors a glimpse into traditional Japan. This coming weekend, though, the area will be full of Brazilian energy and the passionate rhythm and music of samba. Now in its 32nd year, the Asakusa Samba Carnival, modeled [...]]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Image-flip for male rhythmic gymnasts</title>
		<link>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2013/08/17/general/image-flip-for-male-rhythmic-gymnasts/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=image-flip-for-male-rhythmic-gymnasts</link>
		<comments>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2013/08/17/general/image-flip-for-male-rhythmic-gymnasts/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 17 Aug 2013 14:16:30 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Tomoko Otake</dc:creator>
		
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://awsadmin.japantimes.co.jp/?post_type=life&#038;p=430764</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Smirks and snickering tend to greet any mention of &#8220;men&#8217;s rhythmic gymnastics,&#8221; as the phrase conjures up images of chaps in tights prancing around swinging ribbons or clutching squeezy balls to their chests like the sport&#8217;s female exponents. That couldn&#8217;t be further from the truth. In fact, men&#8217;s rhythmic gymnastics is a fantastic event involving [...]]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>African group drums up a party</title>
		<link>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2013/08/08/events/african-group-drums-up-a-party/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=african-group-drums-up-a-party</link>
		<comments>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2013/08/08/events/african-group-drums-up-a-party/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 08 Aug 2013 14:02:40 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Tomoko Otake</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[African drumming]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[African drums]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[drumming]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Drumstruck]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Warren Lieberman]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://awsadmin.japantimes.co.jp/?post_type=culture&#038;p=425904</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The African drumming theater is back, providing people with a fun and entertaining way of letting off some steam and experiencing a new culture. &#8220;Drumstruck,&#8221; a Johannesburg-born musical, is an interactive experience where each member of the audience will be provided with a 61-cm-tall drum to play and make music alongside 11 South and West [...]]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<title>Koki Mitani adds comedy to bunraku</title>
		<link>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2013/08/07/stage/koki-mitani-adds-comedy-to-bunraku/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=koki-mitani-adds-comedy-to-bunraku</link>
		<comments>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2013/08/07/stage/koki-mitani-adds-comedy-to-bunraku/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 07 Aug 2013 14:30:50 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Tomoko Otake</dc:creator>
		
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://awsadmin.japantimes.co.jp/?post_type=culture&#038;p=425432</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Koki Mitani is Japan&#8217;s top comedy writer, having written a number of stage plays, TV dramas and films. He also loves working with puppets, and has put together a serialized puppet drama for public broadcaster NHK. Despite a love of puppets, however, it was only about 10 years ago when he first saw a performance [...]]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Cautionary tales from one not afraid to risk all</title>
		<link>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2013/08/03/people/cautionary-tales-from-one-not-afraid-to-risk-all/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=cautionary-tales-from-one-not-afraid-to-risk-all</link>
		<comments>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2013/08/03/people/cautionary-tales-from-one-not-afraid-to-risk-all/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 03 Aug 2013 14:15:12 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Tomoko Otake</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Toyohiro Akiyama]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://awsadmin.japantimes.co.jp/?post_type=life&#038;p=423002</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[In December 1990, journalist Toyohiro Akiyama made headlines the world over when he blasted off aboard a Soviet rocket to become the very first &#8220;space correspondent&#8221; in history. The Soyuz capsule with the 47-year-old Tokyo Broadcasting System reporter strapped inside later docked with the Mir space station as part of an unprecedented &#036;10 million (&#165;1.5 [...]]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<item>
		<title>Hentai animation night at YCAM</title>
		<link>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2013/07/25/events/hentai-animation-night-at-ycam/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=hentai-animation-night-at-ycam</link>
		<comments>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2013/07/25/events/hentai-animation-night-at-ycam/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 25 Jul 2013 14:02:01 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Tomoko Otake</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[animation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Calf]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Nobuaki Doi]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[short films]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[shorts]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Yamaguchi Center for Arts and Media]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://awsadmin.japantimes.co.jp/?post_type=culture&#038;p=418555</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The word &#8220;hentai&#8221; has two meanings in Japanese, referring both to &#8220;metamorphosis&#8221; and &#8220;abnormality/perversion.&#8221; On Saturday, Yamaguchi Center for Arts and Media will screen a series of 13 hentai films &#8212; covering the wackiest, weirdest animated shorts in which the characters also undergo various kinds of metamorphosis. Gracing the screen all night at the edgy [...]]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<title>On the trail of bear hunters&#8217; heritage</title>
		<link>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2013/07/20/environment/on-the-trail-of-bear-hunters-heritage/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=on-the-trail-of-bear-hunters-heritage</link>
		<comments>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2013/07/20/environment/on-the-trail-of-bear-hunters-heritage/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 20 Jul 2013 14:24:02 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Tomoko Otake</dc:creator>
		
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://awsadmin.japantimes.co.jp/?post_type=life&#038;p=412663</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Takashi Yoshikawa is no easy man to figure out. Trim and well tanned, the 63-year-old owns a small ryokan (traditional inn) nestled in the foothills of the beautiful Shirakami Mountains which straddle 130,000 hectares of Aomori and Akita prefectures, and whose 17,000 hectares of beech forests were listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site 20 [...]]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<title>Experiments in the wild</title>
		<link>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2013/07/11/arts/experiments-in-the-wild/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=experiments-in-the-wild</link>
		<comments>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2013/07/11/arts/experiments-in-the-wild/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 11 Jul 2013 14:08:39 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Tomoko Otake</dc:creator>
		
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		<description><![CDATA[Ten years ago, when a new cultural facility opened in the western Japan city of Yamaguchi, its founders sought to fulfill a role quite different from those museums in the countryside. Unlike many public museums in rural Japan that function as touring venues for exhibitions that have already shown in the major cities, or which [...]]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<title>Abe wants to gut public protections: expert</title>
		<link>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2013/06/29/national/abe-wants-to-gut-public-protections-expert/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=abe-wants-to-gut-public-protections-expert</link>
		<comments>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2013/06/29/national/abe-wants-to-gut-public-protections-expert/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 28 Jun 2013 15:05:49 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Tomoko Otake</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Article 96]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[constitution]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Yoichi Higuchi]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://awsadmin.japantimes.co.jp/?post_type=news&#038;p=396922</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[If the Liberal Democratic Party succeeds in rewriting the Constitution, it would severely scale back fundamental human rights and strip the public of various civil liberties, a prominent constitutional scholar warns. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, while focusing for now on his economic policies, looks set on pushing his pet project of constitutional reform once next [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2013/06/29/national/abe-wants-to-gut-public-protections-expert/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>The neglected stars of Norwegian design</title>
		<link>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2013/06/25/style/the-neglected-stars-of-norwegian-design/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=the-neglected-stars-of-norwegian-design</link>
		<comments>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2013/06/25/style/the-neglected-stars-of-norwegian-design/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 24 Jun 2013 15:06:54 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Tomoko Otake</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Fuglen]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Norway]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Norwegian Icons]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://awsadmin.japantimes.co.jp/?post_type=life&#038;p=390191</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[What do you think of as a typical example of Scandinavian design? The massively copied 1950s bentwood chair series &#8220;Seven Chairs&#8221; by Danish architect Arne Jacobsen? The vividly colored Unikko poppy patterns by the Finnish textile company Marimekko? Or the ready-to-assemble furniture available at the originally Swedish (now Dutch) Ikea? Whatever your pick is, one [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2013/06/25/style/the-neglected-stars-of-norwegian-design/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>June blooms decorate Japan</title>
		<link>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2013/06/21/events/june-blooms-decorate-japan/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=june-blooms-decorate-japan</link>
		<comments>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2013/06/21/events/june-blooms-decorate-japan/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 20 Jun 2013 15:02:44 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Tomoko Otake</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Gansenji]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[hydrangeas]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Katahara]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sanzenin]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Yatadera]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[While the ongoing rainy season means staying indoors to some people, for others, it is a chance to get out and enjoy the beautiful tapestry of ajisai (hydrangeas), whose colors vary from white to blue to pink to purple &#8212; and all shades in between. Sakura (cherry blossoms) may get the glory, but there are [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2013/06/21/events/june-blooms-decorate-japan/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Family-crest master fears he&#8217;s one of a dying breed</title>
		<link>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2013/06/16/general/family-crest-master-fears-hes-one-of-a-dying-breed/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=family-crest-master-fears-hes-one-of-a-dying-breed</link>
		<comments>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2013/06/16/general/family-crest-master-fears-hes-one-of-a-dying-breed/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 15 Jun 2013 15:05:02 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Tomoko Otake</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Family crests]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[kamon]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Shoryu Hatoba]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://awsadmin.japantimes.co.jp/?post_type=life&#038;p=384020</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Dressed in a black kimono and wearing a pair of eye-catching black, triple-framed spectacles, Shoryu Hatoba straightens his back as he sits on the tatami floor of his quaint studio in Ueno, central Tokyo, holding a pair of bamboo compasses fitted with a brush dipped in ink in place of a pencil. Then he focuses [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2013/06/16/general/family-crest-master-fears-hes-one-of-a-dying-breed/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Yokohama to celebrate French culture</title>
		<link>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2013/06/07/events/yokohama-to-celebrate-french-culture/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=yokohama-to-celebrate-french-culture</link>
		<comments>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2013/06/07/events/yokohama-to-celebrate-french-culture/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 06 Jun 2013 15:05:08 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Tomoko Otake</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Institut Francais]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Kanagawa Arts Theater]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Laurent Chetouane]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[M!M]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Month of France]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://awsadmin.japantimes.co.jp/?post_type=culture&#038;p=377348</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Interested in France? Head to Yokohama. The Institut Francais Yokohama, the Yokohama branch of the French government-sponsored culture and language centers, is turning Yokohama into all things French through July 15 for its annual Month of France in Yokohama. Started in 2005, the six-week-long festivities, which mark the role the port city has played in [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2013/06/07/events/yokohama-to-celebrate-french-culture/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Language no barrier to multimedia Jon Kabira</title>
		<link>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2013/06/02/people/language-no-barrier-to-multi-media-jon-kabira/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=language-no-barrier-to-multi-media-jon-kabira</link>
		<comments>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2013/06/02/people/language-no-barrier-to-multi-media-jon-kabira/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 01 Jun 2013 15:05:54 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Tomoko Otake</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Jon Kabira]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://awsadmin.japantimes.co.jp/?post_type=life&#038;p=374754</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[With a long rousing cry of “Goooooooood Mooooorning Tooookyoooooooooooo!” Jon Kabira launches into his weekly radio show “JK Radio — Tokyo United” every Friday at 6 a.m. on J-Wave.]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2013/06/02/people/language-no-barrier-to-multi-media-jon-kabira/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Electric fireflies to light up river</title>
		<link>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2013/05/24/events/electric-fireflies-to-light-up-river/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=electric-fireflies-to-light-up-river</link>
		<comments>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2013/05/24/events/electric-fireflies-to-light-up-river/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 23 May 2013 15:10:14 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Tomoko Otake</dc:creator>
		
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://awsadmin.japantimes.co.jp/?post_type=culture&#038;p=368947</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The Tokyo Hotaru Festival is back for a second round. This participatory art installation involves 100,000 blue LED light bulbs that will be floated down Tokyo&#8217;s Sumida River. It&#8217;s sponsored by a consortium of parties including the Sumida and Taito ward offices, local tourism bureaus, the Tokyo Chamber of Commerce and the Tokyo University of [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2013/05/24/events/electric-fireflies-to-light-up-river/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Learning to live with your death</title>
		<link>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2013/05/19/general/learning-to-live-with-your-death/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=learning-to-live-with-your-death</link>
		<comments>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2013/05/19/general/learning-to-live-with-your-death/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 18 May 2013 15:06:55 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Tomoko Otake</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Buddhism]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[death]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[religion]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://awsadmin.japantimes.co.jp/?post_type=life&#038;p=366448</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[It can be a big challenge, even a burden, to strategize your life and prioritize your goals — and then stick to them.]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2013/05/19/general/learning-to-live-with-your-death/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Walkathon will feature more than fitness</title>
		<link>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2013/05/17/events/walkathon-will-feature-more-than-fitness/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=walkathon-will-feature-more-than-fitness</link>
		<comments>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2013/05/17/events/walkathon-will-feature-more-than-fitness/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 16 May 2013 15:01:19 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Tomoko Otake</dc:creator>
		
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://awsadmin.japantimes.co.jp/?post_type=culture&#038;p=365458</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Here&#8217;s your chance to make a difference while staying fit and having fun. The Nagoya Walkathon &#8212; International Charity Festival will be held at Moricoro Park in the city of Nagakute, a suburb of Nagoya, this Sunday. Started in 1992 and sponsored by the American Chamber of Commerce and the Nagoya International School, the yearly [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2013/05/17/events/walkathon-will-feature-more-than-fitness/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Outlook is rosy at 15th annual garden show</title>
		<link>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2013/05/10/events/outlook-is-rosy-at-15th-annual-garden-show/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=outlook-is-rosy-at-15th-annual-garden-show</link>
		<comments>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2013/05/10/events/outlook-is-rosy-at-15th-annual-garden-show/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 09 May 2013 15:05:50 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Tomoko Otake</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Erutgrul]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[flower]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[rose]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Roses & Gardening Show]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Tokorozawa]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Turkey]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://awsadmin.japantimes.co.jp/?post_type=culture&#038;p=360364</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[It&#8217;s that time of the year when things get rosy for flower lovers in Japan. The International Roses &#38; Gardening Show, held annually at the Seibu Dome in Saitama Prefecture, will mark the 15th anniversary of its launch this year. To commemorate the occasion, the organizers of the popular show, which boasts 200,000 visitors every [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2013/05/10/events/outlook-is-rosy-at-15th-annual-garden-show/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Rice planters put on a show for famed event</title>
		<link>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2013/05/10/events/rice-planters-put-on-a-show-for-famed-event/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=rice-planters-put-on-a-show-for-famed-event</link>
		<comments>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2013/05/10/events/rice-planters-put-on-a-show-for-famed-event/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 09 May 2013 15:01:50 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Tomoko Otake</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[cultural heritage]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hiroshima]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[kagura]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[rice planting]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[shishimai]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[UNESCO]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://awsadmin.japantimes.co.jp/?post_type=culture&#038;p=360380</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[An annual rice-planting festival known as the Mibu no Hana Taue Matsuri will be held Saturday in Hiroshima, giving visitors a peek into the centuries-old popular ritual that was added to the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list in 2011. In the agricultural ritual, which has a history that dates back to the Kamakura Period (1185-1333), [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2013/05/10/events/rice-planters-put-on-a-show-for-famed-event/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Dai Tamesue: Japan&#8217;s &#8216;samurai hurdler&#8217; keeps rising to new challenges</title>
		<link>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2013/05/05/people/japans-samurai-hurdler-keeps-rising-to-new-challenges/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=japans-samurai-hurdler-keeps-rising-to-new-challenges</link>
		<comments>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2013/05/05/people/japans-samurai-hurdler-keeps-rising-to-new-challenges/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 04 May 2013 15:20:56 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Tomoko Otake</dc:creator>
		
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://awsadmin.japantimes.co.jp/?post_type=life&#038;p=357476</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[ Though word-class track athlete Dai Tamesue may have hung up his spikes, he has plenty of insights to share on how sports can play a bigger role in society.]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2013/05/05/people/japans-samurai-hurdler-keeps-rising-to-new-challenges/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>It&#8217;s not too late for hanami</title>
		<link>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2013/05/03/events/its-not-too-late-for-hanami/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=its-not-too-late-for-hanami</link>
		<comments>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2013/05/03/events/its-not-too-late-for-hanami/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 02 May 2013 15:01:36 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Tomoko Otake</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[cherry blossom]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hanami]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hirosaki]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[sakura]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://awsadmin.japantimes.co.jp/?post_type=culture&#038;p=357260</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[This year&#8217;s sakura (cherry blossoms) took many people by surprise &#8212; especially in the Kanto region. Unusually warm weather in March hastened the peak of the blossoms by a couple of weeks, and by early April, when all the parties by and under the sakura trees were to take place, the beautiful pink petals were [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2013/05/03/events/its-not-too-late-for-hanami/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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