Payal Kapadia - The Japan Times

Today's print edition

Subscribe for more access

Meta

Payal Kapadia

For Payal Kapadia's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:

Japan Times

LIFE / Lifestyle / ON THE BOOK TRAIL

Apr 17, 2003

"The Sands of Time," "Smile, Crocodile, Smile"

"The Sands of Time," Michael Hoeye, Penguin Putnam Books; 2002; 277 pp. Once in a rare while, there comes a book in which the characters outlive the story. It was certainly not easy to say goodbye to Hermux Tantamoq, the dignified little hero of Michael Hoeye's terrific debut novel, "Time Stops for No Mouse."

Japan Times

LIFE / Lifestyle / ON THE BOOK TRAIL

Apr 3, 2003

"Going for Stone," "Through the Night"

"Going for Stone," Philip Gross, Oxford University Press; 2002; 224 pp. It seems there's only one thing more terrifying than anything you could dream up -- the world you actually live in. Nick is a teenager who hasn't seen much of that world while growing up, but he's in for a shock when he leaves home. He has no money, nowhere to go -- and nowhere to return to after falling out with his mother's boyfriend. Now he must discover the freedom, but also the terror, of being on his own.

Japan Times

LIFE / Lifestyle / ON THE BOOK TRAIL

Mar 20, 2003

"Coraline," "Frankenstella and the Video Shop Monster"

"Coraline," Neil Gaiman, Bloomsbury; 2002; 171 pp. "We are small, we are many We are many, we are small We were here before you rose, We will be here when you fall."

Japan Times

LIFE / Lifestyle / ON THE BOOK TRAIL

Mar 6, 2003

"Dealing with Dragons," "The Last Castaways"

"Dealing with Dragons," Patricia C. Wrede, Magic Carpet; 2002; 228 pp.

Japan Times

LIFE / Lifestyle / ON THE BOOK TRAIL

Feb 17, 2003

"Holes," "Love That Dog"

"Holes," Louis Sachar, Bloomsbury; 2000; 233 pp. It's hard to say why life is so downright unfair to some children. Take Stanley Yelnats: He gets bullied at school and is ignored by his teachers. And then one day, he gets hit on the head by a pair of sneakers that seems to fall out of the sky. He doesn't know that they've been stolen from a baseball star, but because the cops find him with the sneakers, he gets arrested for theft and sent off to Camp Green Lake.

Japan Times

LIFE / Lifestyle / ON THE BOOK TRAIL

Feb 3, 2003

"The Wish List," "Winnie's Magic Wand"

"The Wish List," Eoin Colfer, Puffin Books; 2002; 200 pp. If you couldn't get enough of Eoin Colfer's Artemis Fowl series, put this book on your wish list.

LIFE / Lifestyle / ON THE BOOK TRAIL

Jan 6, 2003

"Human Body Revealed," "The DK Guide to the Human Body," "Eyewitness Pirate," " 'Slowly, Slowly, Slowly,' Said the Sloth"

"Human Body Revealed," Sue Davidson & Ben Morgan, Dorling Kindersley Limited; 2002; 38 pp. "The DK Guide to the Human Body," Richard Walker, Dorling Kindersley Limited; 2002; 64 pp. "Eyewitness Pirate," Richard Platt & Tina Chambers, Dorling Kindersley Limited; 2002; 72 pp. Ever wanted to look up your nose to see what you'd find? Or strained in front of a mirror to see the back of your throat? Or wondered what your food looks like when it gets to your stomach?

Japan Times

LIFE / Lifestyle / ON THE BOOK TRAIL

Dec 23, 2002

"The World of Peter Rabbit"

A hundred years ago, a naughty little rabbit sneaked its way into a farmer's garden -- and into the imagination of generations of children across the world.

Japan Times

LIFE / Language

Nov 22, 2002

A taste of theater with a twist

There's about to be a hanging at Tokyo's Hibiya High School -- and the auditorium is packed with students who've come to see it.

Japan Times

LIFE / Lifestyle / ON THE BOOK TRAIL

Nov 22, 2002

"Noughts and Crosses," "Krazy Kow Saves the World -- Well, Almost"

"Noughts and Crosses," Malorie Blackman, Corgi Publishing; 2002; 445 pp. Children's writers often conjure up imaginary worlds in their fiction; and making those worlds convincing is no easy job. Perhaps there's one thing that's harder, though -- writing a compelling story that makes us think about our own world.

Japan Times

LIFE / Lifestyle / ON THE BOOK TRAIL

Nov 8, 2002

"Short and Scary!," "Notso Hotso"

"Short and Scary!" Louise Cooper, Oxford University Press; 2002; 96 pp.

Japan Times

CULTURE / Art

Nov 6, 2002

A message of tolerance set in stone

History is never short on irony. The Indian subcontinent, now one of the world's most unstable nuclear hotbeds, once cradled a religion founded on nonviolence. And what is today a breeding ground for sectarian fundamentalism was the birthplace of a rich artistic heritage that drew deeply on the tolerant values of Buddhism.

Japan Times

LIFE / Lifestyle / ON THE BOOK TRAIL

Oct 25, 2002

"The Thief Lord," "The Witch Trade"

"The Thief Lord," Cornelia Funke, The Chicken House; 2002; 345 pp. "Who does this child belong to?"

Japan Times

LIFE / Lifestyle / ON THE BOOK TRAIL

Oct 11, 2002

"Time Stops For No Mouse," "Hairy Bill"

"Time Stops For No Mouse," Michael Hoeye, Puffin Books; 2002; 262 pp. It's a mouse's world.

Japan Times

LIFE / Lifestyle / ON THE BOOK TRAIL

Sep 27, 2002

"Artemis Fowl: The Arctic Incident," "Jake's Tower"

"Artemis Fowl: The Arctic Incident," Eoin Colfer, Puffin Books; 2002; 288 pp. The risk with sequels is that they don't always live up to the expectations generated by the first book. But this story is clearly an exception.

LIFE / Lifestyle / ON THE BOOK TRAIL

Sep 13, 2002

"Artemis Fowl," "Egg Drop"

"Artemis Fowl," Eoin Colfer, Puffin Books; 2002; 282 pp. "Stay back, human. You don't know what you are dealing with."

Japan Times

CULTURE / Art

Jul 31, 2002

Modern Paintings of Mongolia: taking great steppes

Dividing his massive empire between his sons, Genghis Khan's grand legacy to the eldest was all the land from the Aral Sea westward "as far as the hooves of Mongol horses have reached."

Japan Times

LIFE / Language

May 10, 2002

No molds barred

These fuzzy fellas aren't cute at all. In fact, they often grow to stink. If you're not careful, they'll attack your food faster than the class glutton. What are they? Mold spores.

LIFE / Language

May 3, 2002

Never too young to start making a difference

You don't have to wait until you're grown up to be counted. In fact, if you're between 10 and 12 years old, you're the perfect age to take part in the International Children's Conference on the Environment. And to start thinking of how to preserve and improve the world that you are living in.

LIFE / Language

Apr 26, 2002

How Greek myths live on in English expressions

You'd think Greek myths might have lost their relevance by now, almost 3,000 years after they were first written down. But they are so full of vibrant stories and characters that people still often allude to them in their daily lives, and many references from them have become part of the English language.

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

Prize winner Maki Imoto catches light with glass

Prize winner Maki Imoto catches light with glass

SPECIAL SUPPLEMENTS

SUPPLEMENTS BINDER

international-reports