Linda Inoki - The Japan Times

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Linda Inoki

For Linda Inoki's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:

Japan Times

ENVIRONMENT / GARDEN PATHS

Sep 25, 2003

Lush 'theme park' of the shoguns

Four hundred years ago, Edo was little more than a fishing village in the large domain of Tokugawa Ieyasu. But then, in 1603, the new shogun made this quiet spot his power base, and over the next two centuries Edo became one of the greatest cities in the world. Remarkably, the Koishikawa Korakuen garden, which dates from 1629, survives to this day from that bygone era.

Japan Times

ENVIRONMENT / GARDEN PATHS

Aug 28, 2003

All manor of delights

Gentle hills dotted with sheep and ancient villages set beside flowing streams: Scenes such as these attracted William Morris and other members of the Arts and Crafts movement to the Cotswolds in the late 19th century.

Japan Times

ENVIRONMENT / GARDEN PATHS

Jun 26, 2003

A rare and rocky treat

The most remarkable gardens often combine nature and symbolism: Think of the Alhambra Palace in Granada with its cool water and bowers of jasmine offering a preview of the Islamic paradise. In Europe, symbolic gardens sometimes testified to a monarch's power -- the most extreme example being at Versailles, just outside Paris, embodying the "divine right" to rule of France's Bourbon kings.

Japan Times

COMMUNITY

May 25, 2003

Art that's sweet enough to eat

In early summer, they might evoke dewy irises and swirling water. In autumn, plume grass trembling in the wind. Quite obviously, Japanese sweets are more than a mouthful of sweetness: They evoke the poetry and beauty of life itself.

Japan Times

ENVIRONMENT / GARDEN PATHS

May 22, 2003

Seasonal spectaculars

In the last week or so, roses have been taking the first of their twice-yearly turns to brighten the streets of Tokyo. Potted roses in narrow sidewalk gardens and shrub roses arching over railway fences have suddenly burst into glorious colors.

Japan Times

ENVIRONMENT / GARDEN PATHS

Apr 24, 2003

Yokohama's green bower

In spring it is delightful to see, as the poet William Wordsworth described it, "the budding twigs put out their fan to catch the breezy air."

Japan Times

ENVIRONMENT / GARDEN PATHS

Mar 27, 2003

A garden is born

After a cool March, the first warm days of spring are working their magic, and people are eagerly waiting for cherry trees to fill with blossoms.

Japan Times

ENVIRONMENT / GARDEN PATHS

Feb 27, 2003

Plants of blooming passion

On a gray February day, gardeners may be looking at colorful seed catalogs or even holiday brochures, dreaming of a trip to a tropical island. But this week it's time to leave your armchair gardening, because the tropics have come to Tokyo. The Japan Grand Prix International Orchid Festival offers a dazzling display of flowers, from showy tropical beauties arranged in great cascades of color to tiny wildflowers nestled in moss.

Japan Times

ENVIRONMENT / GARDEN PATHS

Jan 23, 2003

The bare essentials

This column is the first in a series of articles to take us strolling along some garden paths. Hopefully, along the way, we will come across some good ideas for our own patch of greenery, whether that is a garden, containers on a balcony, or just a few potted plants on the kitchen window.

COMMUNITY

May 26, 2002

Art and life in a bowl

Like a gossamer web, drifting in mist, the threads that link Japan's traditional arts can be hard to grasp. Yet some links become visible as soon as a keen observer points them out.

Japan Times

CULTURE / Art

Apr 24, 2002

Fashion's painful pursuit of beauty

When did French women first coin the phrase, "Il faut suffrir pour être belle (One must suffer to be beautiful)"? Judging by the historic costumes and illustrations on display at the Bunka Gakuen Costume Museum, it could have been any time in the last three centuries. Here are fashions that demand (literally) breath-taking girdles, ankle-grabbing skirts, plunging necklines and an endless variety of sartorial strategies to attract attention.

Japan Times

CULTURE / Art

Mar 29, 2002

Where sea meets sky

Although Brittany is part of France, it was, for many centuries, a wild and windswept country of Celts, where people preserved their own language, customs and faith.

Japan Times

COMMUNITY

Mar 24, 2002

A greener shade of gray

Ever since Adam and Eve were banished from the Garden of Eden, people have been trying to climb back over the fence, because, whatever the attractions of city living, there is nothing like a garden to refresh both body and soul.

Japan Times

CULTURE / Art

Mar 6, 2002

Of life's mystery and joy

He lived through the best and worst of times. His life spanned a century of tremendous change, as Japan's focus shifted from rural to industrial, from East to West, from peace to war. He experienced poverty and success, respect and recrimination. He was Taikan Yokoyama (1868-1958), one of Japan's most important 20th-century artists, and his lifework is now the subject of an exhibition at the Tokyo National Museum.

Japan Times

CULTURE / Art

Feb 20, 2002

From 'kimono as canvas' to modest couture

What is so fascinating about royal dress? Clearly, in the case of Diana, Princess of Wales, her fame and glamour set the style for millions of people worldwide. But for countless centuries, the dress of the ruling classes has been about far more than just setting a trend: It has confirmed the high status of the wearer and even symbolized the ruler's connection with heavenly power. In England, for example, one 16th-century portrait shows Queen Elizabeth I wearing an extravagant dress, embroidered with ears and eyes, symbolizing her role as divinely-appointed guardian of the nation.

Japan Times

CULTURE / Art

Jan 23, 2002

Royal treatment for a princely collection

The queen of the Princes Czartoryski Museum in Krakow is undoubtedly the "Lady With an Ermine," one of the few surviving portraits by Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519).

COMMUNITY

Jan 13, 2002

Stories for sale at today's Antique Jamboree

It's not just the thrill of a bargain hunt or the search for something unique. Surely, the increasing popularity of antiques is also because every item tells a story. Who, for example, wore that exquisite cameo necklace, dripping with finest gold? Why did an unknown doll-maker never finish painting her creation's delicate face?

Japan Times

CULTURE / Art

Jan 9, 2002

Back from the brink

The German poet Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832) said that people not drawing on 3,000 years of tradition are living on the edge of extinction. How, then, did Japanese craftsmen recover from the trauma of World War II, when their proud traditions, seemingly tainted by recent history, were thrown into question?

Japan Times

CULTURE / Art

Dec 26, 2001

Primary sources breathe life into history

Onl the dates are fixed. Otherwise, history is a hotbed of debate -- and original documents, from edicts to secret diaries, contain a sea of information that historians trawl at their peril.

JAPAN

Dec 22, 2001

Delegates hit Japan for inaction

People at the frontline of the war against child prostitution and pornography describe it as "every country's dirtiest and darkest secret."

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

When trying to trace your lineage in Japan, the "koseki" is the most important form of document you'll encounter.

Climbing the branches of a Japanese family tree

By Alex K.T. Martin

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Leading Japan’s sustainability from Tokyo

Leading Japan’s sustainability from Tokyo

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