Tony Mcnicol - The Japan Times

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Tony Mcnicol

For Tony Mcnicol's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:

Japan Times

COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST

Oct 21, 2008

Access all areas: camping trip offers no-holds-barred insight into disability

It is the early hours of the morning and I'm sat out in the open air. My eyes are closed and my hand is clutched tightly around a car of lukewarm beer. Frankly, I'm feeling a little disorientated.

Japan Times

COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST

Dec 25, 2007

Who? Me? Otaku?

"Otaku" culture is spreading over the globe. Perhaps we are all otaku now? My wife tells me I'm an otaku — should I be worried? If you haven't encountered the word, here is Wikipedia's definition: "a derisive Japanese term used to refer to people with obsessive interests, particularly 'anime' and 'manga' (comics)."

Japan Times

COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST

Jun 19, 2007

Second Life, second lingo

There probably aren't many English teachers in Japan who go to work carrying a samurai sword, dressed in battle armor, with a large Stars and Stripes strapped to their back. But happily for Chris Flesuras, in 3-D virtual world Second Life little is impossible.

Japan Times

COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST

May 15, 2007

Citizen-journalism Web sites struggle to attract reporters

Most people would probably consider park benches an unusual target for journalistic scrutiny, but Yumiko Hayakawa was determined to get to the bottom of the matter. She interviewed over 100 people, spoke to park officials, gave out a questionnaire and took photos in parks around Tokyo.

Japan Times

COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST

May 1, 2007

Mixi vs. MySpace -- a fight for your bytes

Since she started using the mixi Web site last summer, Yuki Nikitaki has linked up with a network of friends all over the world, including in Japan, and in Greece where she grew up.

Japan Times

COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST

Jan 16, 2007

Mixed results with foreign influx

At first glance there is little sign that Nishi-Kasai is different to any other Tokyo suburb. It's a neat, if unremarkable, commuter town. Like similar areas, it grew rapidly in the 1950s and 1960s with an influx of migrant workers from the countryside.

Japan Times

COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST

Dec 12, 2006

Students spread their wings

Ever since Japan opened its doors to the West, English has been zealously studied in Japan's high schools, night schools, universities and companies.

Japan Times

COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST

Nov 14, 2006

Beneath the surface

A converted bean storehouse in a Kyoto back-street is the unusual venue for an innovative introduction to traditional Japanese culture. During just one busy day, participants in the Origin Arts Program can try their hand at the ancient martial art of "Waraku," tea ceremony, calligraphy and Noh theater.

Japan Times

COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST

Oct 25, 2005

Japan sees beginning of change

Writer Alex Kerr first came to Japan in 1964, since when he has worked as a translator, art dealer and in real estate during the "bubble" economy.

COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST

Jun 14, 2005

Cyber war grips Asia

If comments on bulletin boards were bullets and hacking attacks real skirmishes then East Asia would probably be a war zone now.

Japan Times

COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST

Apr 26, 2005

The show's over

Marietta was with some Filipino friends in their local station when they were approached by a group of men they didn't know. One took her arm, and asked to see her alien registration card and passport. His badge showed he was from the Immigration Office. "Now they are checking everybody," she says.

Japan Times

COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST

Mar 22, 2005

Fresh foreign angles

Japan has been a magnet for foreign writers and journalists since opening to the West.

Japan Times

COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST

Mar 1, 2005

Past the pain and language barriers

Even for a sumo wrestler, Kaido Hoovelson looks big. The 20-year-old Estonian, who goes by the ring name of "Baruto," stands 197-cm tall, making him one of sumo's tallest wrestlers.

COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST

Jan 11, 2005

Gaijin in cyberspace

It's a pretty lively gathering. A group of eikaiwa teachers are noisily denouncing their employers, while nearby a pair of leery Charisma Men are swapping tales of sexual conquests, and next to them some language students are loudly debating the Yasukuni Shrine.

COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST

Nov 23, 2004

What would you do if you were sacked for "clicking your pen too much in class," or for "talking to yourself during your break" . . . or how about for "only eating the topping on your rice during lunch?"

Japan Times

COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST

Aug 31, 2004

'I want to clear my name and the name of my country'

One morning Islam Mohamed Himu woke up to find the Japanese media camped outside his home, and plainclothes police officers banging on his front door.

Japan Times

COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST

Aug 3, 2004

Japan diet risks on rise

When Hiroyuki Suematsu left medical school in the early 1960s eating disorders were still rare in Japan. During his own childhood after the Pacific war binge eating would have been almost unthinkable.

COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST

Jul 6, 2004

Barely managing

In a country with few real careers for women, a job in an energetic internationally-oriented service industry would surely be a dream come true for many.

Japan Times

COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST

Jun 1, 2004

'No sex please, you're teachers'

"I feel offended that anyone would tell me who I can or can't hang out with," says Brendan (not his real name), one of 6,000 foreign language instructors employed by Nova Corp. in Japan.

Japan Times

COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST

Apr 27, 2004

Does comic relief hurt kids?

'Cuteness, eroticism, and violence are the essence of Japanese pop culture," says Ichiya Nakamura, executive director of the Stanford Japan Center and ex-government policy maker.

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

Historically, kabuki was considered the entertainment of the merchant and peasant classes, a far cry from how it is regarded today.

For Japan's oldest kabuki theater, the show must go on

By Lance Henderstein

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Prize winner Maki Imoto catches light with glass

Prize winner Maki Imoto catches light with glass

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