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Japan Times

ENVIRONMENT / ANIMAL TRACKER

Dec 9, 2004

Long-tailed tit

By Rowan Hooper

* Japanese name: Enaga * Scientific name: Aegithalos caudatus * Description:The long-tailed tit is a small, fluffy, pinkish bird; it would be the Bridget Jones of the bird world if only it were better fed. The flanks and shoulders are pink-brown; the eyes red; the wings black; and the tail, which is...

Japan Times

ENVIRONMENT / OLD NIC'S NOTEBOOK

Dec 2, 2004

Apres le deluge

By C.W. Nicol

As I write this it is 4 in the afternoon of a mid-November day, a fine, clear, crisp day, with the sun now gone down behind Iizuna mountain to leave the massive bulk of Kurohime looming black against a sky of blazing silver, its peak lightly brushed by misty cloud.

ENVIRONMENT / OUR PLANET EARTH

Nov 25, 2004

Now may be the time to finesse U.S. 'bully'

By Stephen Hesse

Beneath the buzz of news last week, it was easy to overlook one important story -- as much of the media did. On Thursday, the Russian Federation submitted to the United Nations its ratification of the Kyoto Protocol, beginning a 90-day countdown to the protocol's entry into force. As a result, on Feb....

Japan Times

ENVIRONMENT / ANIMAL TRACKER

Nov 25, 2004

By Rowan Hooper

* Japanese name: Herasagi * Scientific name: Platalea leucorodia * Description: Spoonbills are tall white birds with long legs, similar to egrets, but fatter. The legs vary from pink-gray to black. They have a defining characteristic: a long black bill that forms a spoon shape at the end. The body...

Japan Times

ENVIRONMENT / ANIMAL TRACKER

Nov 11, 2004

By Rowan Hooper

* Japanese name: Aosagi * Scientific name: Ardea cinerea * Description: Gray herons, the largest of herons, grow to be almost 1 meter tall, with a wingspan of 2 meters. Despite their Japanese name (which means "blue heron"), these birds are more gray than blue, with a white neck and a black underside....

Japan Times

ENVIRONMENT / OLD NIC'S NOTEBOOK

Nov 4, 2004

Captivity conundrum over spared bear

By C.W. Nicol

In August 1985, I was in Tokyo awaiting the birth of my youngest daughter. One evening, I got a telephone call from Yoshio Kazama, my friend and next-door neighbor in Kurohime -- the beautiful corner of Nagano Prefecture where I live.

ENVIRONMENT / OUR PLANET EARTH

Oct 28, 2004

Where the candidates stand on your environment

By Stephen Hesse

When it comes to politics, I'm a one-issue voter, and the environment is my litmus test. More often than not, if a politician is responsive to environmental concerns, then he or she is likely to support other policies I care about.

Japan Times

ENVIRONMENT / WILD WATCH

Oct 21, 2004

On the woodland trail of sprites and fungal delight

By Mark Brazil

Common sounds in the hill forests of northern Japan these days are the thin "tsiping" calls of Black-faced Buntings elusively flitting through the dwarf bamboo, as enormous numbers of them head south to milder climes.

Japan Times

ENVIRONMENT / ANIMAL TRACKER

Oct 14, 2004

By Rowan Hooper

* Japanese name: Misosazai * Scientific name: Troglodytes troglodytes * Description: The wren is tiny, the smallest Japanese bird, only 10 cm long. It has brown upperparts and gray-brown underparts. There is a white stripe above the eye. (The Japanese name refers not to its brown color and thus similarity...

Japan Times

ENVIRONMENT / OLD NIC'S NOTEBOOK

Oct 7, 2004

A 'theme park' that's an eco-friendly dream

By C.W. Nicol

I recentl went down to Nagasaki Prefecture to spend time with a dear old friend, Takekuni Ikeda, who lives on a little wooded peninsula jutting into Omura Bay. He's an incredible man.

Japan Times

ENVIRONMENT / ANIMAL TRACKER

Sep 23, 2004

By Rowan Hooper

* Japanese name: Segurokamome * Scientific name: Larus argentatus * Description: Herring gulls are large, noisy, boisterous birds. They are white with light gray backs, black wingtips and pink legs that have webbed feet. A key identifying mark is the red spot on the lower tip of their yellow bills....

ENVIRONMENT / OUR PLANET EARTH

Sep 23, 2004

Good stuff, people and advice on how to tailor your consumption

By Stephen Hesse

It's back-to-school time again, and whether you are going back, sending your child off, or just getting swept up in the streams of backpack-wielding kids, change is in the air. Time for new books, new people and new gossip, and time to clear the desk even if only for a place to rest your head.

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.

Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Mount Fuji is considered one of Japan's most iconic symbols and is a major draw for tourists. It's still a mountain, though, and potential hikers need to properly prepare for any climb.

What it takes to save lives on Mount Fuji

By Alex K.T. Martin

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Ishii Iron Works remakes self for workers, new energy

Ishii Iron Works remakes self for workers, new energy

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