Asako Murakami - The Japan Times

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Asako Murakami

For Asako Murakami's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:

Events

Jan 8, 2002

Therapist uses dance to access link between body and mind

KYOTO -- With opera music playing in the background, around 30 middle-aged and elderly women perform a series of stretches led by instructor Mariko Takayasu.

ENVIRONMENT

Dec 9, 2001

Sustainability begins at home

OSAKA -- As an official of the Yasu Town Government in Shiga Prefecture, Yoshitaka Endo knew it would be easy to draw up a plan of action for improving the local environment. But from experience, he also knew such a plan would not work unless the townspeople viewed it as their own. So he called on local residents to form a group comprised of people from various sectors to study environmental policies.

JAPAN

Dec 8, 2001

Women in business eye support base

KYOTO -- Business leaders from 11 countries agreed Friday to create a network to help women entrepreneurs around the world.

Japan Times

Events

Nov 27, 2001

Kyoto locals slam fall traffic jams

KYOTO -- The Arashiyama area, situated in the northwestern part of this ancient city, is famous for its colored leaves at this time of the year and the many temples that serve as sightseeing spots for enjoying the natural beauty.

Japan Times

COMMUNITY

Nov 25, 2001

'Prince of Knitting' spins a good yarn

KYOTO -- Being male and knitting for a living has earned Mitsuharu Hirose the reputation of being somewhat "strange." Parading about on television in women's knit tops and makeup probably played a part as well. But that doesn't needle Hirose one little bit.

JAPAN

Nov 18, 2001

Children must make own mistakes, own victories: designer

KISHIWADA, Osaka Pref. -- Although she is a fashion designer, people more commonly ask Ayako Koshino's advice on raising children.

JAPAN

Oct 31, 2001

Australophile to receive award

KOBE -- When Mineko Furusawa visited Brisbane in 1965, she never thought she would end up devoting the rest of her life to fostering better Japan-Australia relations.

JAPAN / STAGING A COMEBACK

Oct 18, 2001

Japan moves to compete on greener side of the street

Gone are the days when Japanese businesses felt a healthy environment was a concept that could only be achieved at the expense of economic growth.

Events

Oct 2, 2001

Cancer patient promotes artistic expression's force

NARA -- When she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1999, Yuko Kozono, 40, found people's reactions somewhat familiar.

Events

Sep 18, 2001

Kobe airport foes marshall forces

KOBE -- Although construction began on controversial Kobe airport two years ago, citizens opposed to the facility continue pursuing all avenues to try to stop it, including new public disclosure laws and the upcoming mayoral election.

Japan Times

COMMUNITY

Sep 2, 2001

The growth of green cuisine

A decade ago, it was difficult for vegetarians in Japan to eat out, but now there are far more restaurants to meet their needs -- and those of anyone else who enjoys tasty, low-fat and nutritious food.

JAPAN / WEEKEND WISDOM

Aug 12, 2001

Copying Kyoto is way to revitalize Japan, fashion critic says

KYOTO -- If Japan wants to revitalize the sluggish economy and turn its prospects around, there are plenty of indications that Kyoto's way of life as well as its way of doing business are the answer, according to Hiromi Ichida, a fashion critic who has lived in the ancient capital for more than half a century.

JAPAN

Aug 4, 2001

A-bomb survivor spreads peace message

HIGASHI-HIROSHIMA, Hiroshima Pref. -- When a doctor told Hitoshi Takayama in 1962 that a lump removed from his abdomen was malignant, the then 32-year-old thought he would share the fate of the 200,000 whose lives were lost in the atomic bombing of Hiroshima.

COMMUNITY

Jul 1, 2001

Hotfoot it to a temple of cool

KYOTO -- Summer here is especially hot. But a half-hour train ride from the city center takes you to the cool, mountainous town of Kibune. Centered around the Kibune Shrine along a 5-km stretch of the Kibune River (which flows into the Kamo River), restaurants, inns and shops set out their wares.

BUSINESS

Jun 22, 2001

KVH Telecom to launch Osaka service

OSAKA -- KVH Telecom Co., a Tokyo-based provider of broadband communications services, announced Thursday the launch of its services here, and President and CEO Rakesh Bhasin said he is confident about his firm's first operation outside Tokyo.

JAPAN

Jun 19, 2001

Counselors struggle with Ikeda trauma

OSAKA — The June 8 slaying of eight children at Osaka Kyoiku University Ikeda Elementary School shocked the nation.

Events

Jun 12, 2001

Kobe friendship center to help local Brazilians learn Japanese

KOBE — Kobe Foreigners Friendship Center, a nonprofit organization assisting foreign residents, has compiled textbooks and CDs for Brazilians wanting to learn conversational Japanese.

COMMUNITY

Jun 10, 2001

Eco-reformists tackle 'sick-house syndrome'

KYOTO -- From the outside, Junko Shimomura's condominium looks much like the hundreds of other apartments in the highrises that line the Kamo River in Kyoto's Ukyo Ward. But the interior -- with the living room's mukunoki wooden floor sealed with natural paulownia-tree oil and the terra-cotta tiles on the floor below the window -- has an ambience far more inviting than that offered by the average Japanese condominium.

JAPAN

Jun 3, 2001

'Miyadaiku' carpenter laments loss of traditional knowledge

HOFU, Yamaguchi Pref. — Shoji Matsuura communicates with the dead.

COMMUNITY

May 20, 2001

Osaka's great, but hold on to your purse

OSAKA -- Osaka produces some of Japan's best comedians, tastiest food and most enterprising businesspeople. But who should really be taking the credit for keeping the prefecture at No. 1 over the past 25 years are its purse-snatchers.

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

Later this month, author Shogo Imamura will open Honmaru, a bookstore that allows other businesses to rent its shelves. It's part of a wave of ideas Japanese booksellers are trying to compete with online spaces.

The story isn't over for Japan's bookstores

By Alex K.T. Martin

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

A young restaurant leads the way in Karuizawa

A young restaurant leads the way in Karuizawa

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