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Daniel Krieger
For Daniel Krieger's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Oct 10, 2014
Making noise about keeping the decibels down
Yoshimichi Nakajima was waiting for the train one day at his local station in Tokyo when he politely asked the station attendant to lower the volume on his microphone. He was told that would be "difficult," so Nakajima lent a hand by grabbing the mic and throwing it onto the track. He then recounted all of this to the station master, who was speechless. Nakajima, a rare breed of Japanese anti-noise crusader, has also taken a speaker from a liquor store and tossed it outside as well as seized a megaphone from a police officer.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Jun 12, 2012
Single fathers unite to voice their concerns about benefits in Japan
A group of dads and their small kids gathered around for a step-by-step demonstration of how to make perfect French toast. Then they got busy cracking eggs and beating them, cutting the bread into small squares that they dipped in the egg and then dropped into a hot skillet to watch sizzle as a buttery scent wafted through the room. Finally, they sliced up some banana and strawberry and topped the whole thing off with whipped cream. Voila!
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
May 15, 2012
The women who get go
On a chilly Sunday afternoon in January in downtown Osaka, a group of young Japanese women in kimono were drinking green tea and eating chocolate cake while excitedly chattering away. The topic was their respective rankings in the ancient Asian mind sport of go. Later, when the talk died down, six of them formed three pairs who sat facing one another at small tables lined up in rows. And then — silence. The only sounds were soft classical music playing in the background, punctuated by the clinking of polished black and white stones when one of the women dipped her hand into a bowl to pick one up and place it on the board with a gentle tap.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Mar 3, 2011
The busy lives of Japan's super furry creatures
When first-time visitors arrive in Japan, a few things they may notice right off the bat include the juxtaposition of the high-tech and the ancient, the unfailing politeness of locals, and a curious fixation with cuteness — to wit, all the cute mascots that promote regions, historic sites, local specialties and events, the police, you name it.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Feb 16, 2011
In Japan the language of rabu is English
Words pertaining to love, romance and sex inhabit a region of the Japanese language fraught with peril.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Nov 25, 2010
Mozart's growing influence on food
Although the claim that listening to Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's complicated scores can boost your IQ has been debunked, its effect on bananas has yet to be disputed. So in July, the Hyogo Prefecture-based fruit company Toyoka Chuo Seika shipped out its first batch of "Mozart Bananas" to supermarkets in the area.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Aug 26, 2010
All for the love of Tajima cows
When you hear the term, "Kobe beef," a few things are likely to come to mind: the velvety, fatty richness of the meat, the extraordinarily high price of a steak and the lavish lifestyle of the cattle. The pampering these cows receive is renowned and the image of beer-chugging bovines has been seared into the popular imagination.

Longform

High-end tourism is becoming more about the kinds of experiences that Japan's lesser-known places can provide.
Can Japan lure the jet-set class off the beaten path?