Yuko Naito - The Japan Times

April 30, 2024

Today's print edition

Home Delivery

Subscribe for more access

Meta

Yuko Naito

For Yuko Naito's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:

COMMUNITY

Aug 10, 2000

Have lifestyle, don't need kids

Kazumi Kato has been married for 15 years. When she got married at the age of 22, she planned to have a baby once she turned 26 or 27. But when she reached that age, she still did not feel like becoming a mother, and decided to wait until she was 30. When she turned 30, however, she still did not feel ready and postponed the decision to 35.

COMMUNITY

Aug 7, 2000

Dieters take lesson from diabetics

In the health-food section of many major department stores, large quantities of boil-bag diabetic meals have become a familiar sight. Recently the meals have been selling well, but sales are being boosted not by diabetes sufferers, but by healthy women in their 20s and 30s who want to lose weight.

COMMUNITY

Jul 17, 2000

No breakfast needed, say health heretics

Many people worship breakfast. They believe it is the most important meal of the day, and that skipping it causes various problems, such as fatigue, inefficiency at work and poor academic achievement in children.

BUSINESS

Jun 22, 2000

Japanese women: the new faces of small business

Most people would assume that to start a business you need plenty of time and money, or at least experience working in a relevant field. But an increasing number of Japanese women are proving this assumption wrong by setting up their own companies based on little more than a good idea and the will to succeed.

ENVIRONMENT

May 29, 2000

Japan getting into some very deep water

"Deep seawater" is a magic word that seems to make consumers believe any product made with it will be healthier and of higher quality.

COMMUNITY

May 25, 2000

More and more men are getting left on the shelf

"When I come home from work in the evening, my room is dark, and in winter it's cold. At these times I always wish I had a wife waiting for me, with a hot meal," says Yoshiharu Mitamura (not his real name), a 36-year-old photographer.

COMMUNITY

Apr 26, 2000

Anne Frank exhibit offers family relics

Read by millions of people of all ages since it was first published in 1947, Anne Frank's diary is famous all around the world.

COMMUNITY

Apr 13, 2000

Home is where the condo is

Mari Ishiyama, a 38-year-old secretary at a foreign bank, had been looking for an apartment for several years, but always struck out when it came to the final lottery (a standard real-estate practice to decide who can purchase a unit in a building when there are too many prospective buyers). "My friends told me I was probably not destined to own a condo, and I almost gave up," she says.

COMMUNITY

Mar 19, 2000

Well Hello, Kitty! You look swell, Kitty!

Occupation: internationally known idol Age: 25 Born: Nov. 1, 1974, in the suburbs of London Family: Anthony and Margaret (grandparents); George and Mary White (parents); Mimmy (twin sister) Hobbies: Collects teddy bears. Love life: Has been going out with her childhood friend Daniel Star since last year.

CULTURE / Art

Mar 18, 2000

Japanese legend's sweetest hero

Kintaro was the childhood name of Heian Period samurai Sakata no Kintoki, who was said to have defeated a bear in sumo wrestling as a child. Toy representations of Kintaro riding a bear have come to symbolize strong and healthy boys, and are often displayed on Children's Day, May 5 (formerly Boys' Day).

CULTURE / Art

Feb 12, 2000

Banging the pot for tradition

Copper cookware has several merits that other materials lack. Since copper conducts heat rapidly, it takes less time to cook. Professional chefs usually use a copper frying pan when making tempura because the oil heats evenly without hot spots. It is also believed that, due to the metal's sterilizing properties, food cooked in copper containers lasts longer. Some even say hot water boiled in a copper kettle tastes better.

COMMUNITY

Feb 10, 2000

Psychic knowledge to a degree

Housewife Utako Ando (not her real name), 41, has been interested in fortunetelling for a long time. One day, a fortuneteller told her that her home would be robbed, and when she came back from vacation she found the prediction had come true. "That really surprised me," she says. "I believe fortunetellers can make accurate predictions -- probably more than 80 percent of the time." Ando recently began studying astrology and tarot at Tarim, a fortunetelling school in Harajuku. There are four other students, in their 20s to 40s, in the Thursday tarot class she is taking.

CULTURE / Art

Jan 22, 2000

Traditional dyers fit to be tied

These days, kasuri, indigo kimono with splashes of sober white patterns, can only be seen in TV samurai dramas, yet until the beginning of the 20th century they were the most popular and common of daily clothing.

CULTURE / Art / ARTS AND ARTISANS

Dec 18, 1999

Thickly lacquered with tradition

As foreign merchants once linked products and countries (china from China, for example), the term "japanning" first appeared in a 1688 text by John Stalker and George Parker that described the superiority of Japanese lacquerware. However, the technique of applying lacquer on various objects as a protective and decorative varnish is not unique to Japan. Lacquerware has long been manufactured in many regions of East and Southeast Asia. Even so, lacquerware is considered Japan's representative art craft, due to the high artistic standards and great variety of shapes and techniques.

CULTURE / Art / ARTS AND ARTISANS

Dec 4, 1999

Drumming up business for 300 years

The first musical instruments humans ever invented were believed to be those of percussion. The oldest drum, discovered in Moravia, dates back to 6000 B.C.

CULTURE / Art

Nov 13, 1999

An ode to nature -- her beauty and her treasures

For many artists and craftsmen, nature is a great source of inspiration. For Toyama-based sunago craftsman Tatsuo Nagaoka, the beautiful scenery he encounters while hiking in the mountains is also his inspiration to create new work. His subjects range from a sea of clouds viewed from a mountain peak to butterflies flying over a flower garden.

CULTURE / Art

Oct 14, 1999

It's a grill, it's a mini-kiln, it's a shichirin!

Pottery making is one of the most popular hobbies in Japan. Thousands of amateur potters reach the semiprofessional level, but they seldom fire their works by themselves. Unless they have their own kiln, they have to ask pottery schools or professionals to fire their pieces -- a service for which they must pay.

CULTURE / Art

Aug 28, 1999

Getting past the glitter in daily life

In Japan heavily forested mountains cover over 70 percent of all the land, and the Japanese have taken advantage of wood since ancient times.

CULTURE / Art

Aug 14, 1999

Forging ahead into the new millennium

Summer in Japan is notorious for being hot, humid and unpleasant. If you are a blacksmith, however, even the summer air is probably refreshing.

CULTURE / Art / ARTS AND ARTISANS

Jul 17, 1999

You can judge a book by its cover

Centuries ago in Europe, books were regarded as status symbols. Before printing became widespread in the 15th century, books had been luxuries only the privileged could afford. Having books meant the owners were not only wealthy, but also literate.

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

Students ‘study abroad’ on island of Suo Oshima

SPECIAL SUPPLEMENTS

author

Meta

Podcast

Longform

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

SPECIAL SUPPLEMENTS

SUPPLEMENTS BINDER

In your social network

In your inbox

In your social network

In your inbox