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LIFE / Food & Drink / WINE WAYS
May 25, 2000

Winding down the vine along Austria's Danube

Can't you just see yourself, on a ship cruising the Danube from one charming Austrian wine town to another, sipping their world-class wines while wondering how you ever got so lucky? This is a possible dream, the more so because the Danube and many wine towns it connects -- Krems, Spitz, etc. -- are...
BUSINESS
May 25, 2000

ISP subscribers soar 44.6% in '99

The number of subscribers to Internet service providers in Japan soared 44.6 percent from a year earlier to 16.88 million as of March 31, a private research institute said Wednesday.
COMMENTARY / World
May 25, 2000

Japan's national security policy ignores public sentiment

The impression that one gets when looking at the evolution of Japan's security policy in recent years is that the Japanese public has consented to steps taken by Tokyo. After all, that is the fundamental expectation that democracies nurture. Following this reasoning, Tokyo should be developing a security...
LIFE / Food & Drink / NIHONSHU
May 25, 2000

Strong traditions flow through Iwate sake

Talk about a late bloomer. From its location in the northeastern corner of Honshu, Iwate Prefecture exerts a tremendous influence on the sake world. Yet, sake was not even produced there on any real scale until well after 1678, long after Nada, Itami and Kyoto were well into their sake-brewing heyday....
CULTURE / Art
May 25, 2000

Draw the bow, ride and speak the truth

You could argue that in this age, we look to movies to preserve our traditions. But it begs the chicken and egg question: Where does the filmmaker go to authenticate the details?
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
May 25, 2000

On a culinary cruise in Akasaka

We have numerous restaurants which bear the name of their chefs, owners or svengalis. But Denis Allemand is perhaps the first to proudly boast the name of the man responsible for its interior design -- whose main work in Japan up to now has been producing deli-diners in airport departure lobbies for...
COMMENTARY
May 25, 2000

One currency, 11 masters

LONDON -- Many commentators seem genuinely surprised at the miserable performance of the euro. How, they ask, can it be that the new currency for most of Western Europe, which was billed to be the rival of the dollar and the world's alternative reserve currency, is now trading against the dollar at 25...
EDITORIALS
May 24, 2000

Caught in a legal nightmare

The belief that the law should be applied fairly to all, regardless of nationality, received a setback last week from Japan's judiciary. That is the reaction of people of good will to the rejection by the Tokyo High Court of the appeal filed over its earlier decision to allow continued police detention...
JAPAN
May 24, 2000

Constitution divisive: survey

Politicians are split almost evenly on revising the Constitution, according to a survey on six controversial issues that was released Tuesday.
JAPAN
May 24, 2000

Bill OK'd to limit high-interest lenders

A plenary session of the Lower House on Tuesday approved a bill to regulate money-lending businesses being run by so-called daily usurers.
JAPAN
May 24, 2000

Opposition plans no-confidence motion

Four opposition parties agreed Tuesday to form a united front and submit a no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori's Cabinet in the near future.
JAPAN
May 24, 2000

Dead boy's parents' campaign ends in conviction of trucker

A trucker was convicted Tuesday of killing an 8-year-old boy in a 1997 traffic accident and handed a suspended sentence in a case that prosecutors initially dropped for "a lack of witnesses" and later reopened under public pressure.
JAPAN
May 24, 2000

Home care givers face dwindling wages

When the new state-run nursing-care insurance system was launched in April, many of its planners predicted it would lead to better working conditions and salaries for home helpers.
JAPAN
May 24, 2000

Modern society, sexual equality partners: Norway ombudsman

A Norwegian ombudsman on gender equality says utilizing the power of women is "the key to the development of a modern society."
BUSINESS
May 24, 2000

Yen hamstrung by fund flows out of stocks

After briefly testing the 110 yen level earlier this month, the dollar has given up much of its recent gains and is now hovering around 107 yen.
BUSINESS
May 24, 2000

Four banks returned to profitability in 1999

Four major banks that released their fiscal 1999 earning reports Tuesday returned to the black after at least a year of losses.
COMMUNITY
May 24, 2000

Plutocrat's quiet country place preserved

Tonogayato Garden is located in Kokubunji, about 25 km from Tokyo Station. The garden is now owned by the Tokyo Metropolitan Parks Department but was originally owned by the Iwasaki family, of Mitsubishi fame.
LIFE / Digital / CYBERIA
May 24, 2000

Shopping with the herd

We track the tickers of global auctions. We flock to comparative shopping sites seeking the deal of the century. We sign up for sweepstakes galore and even occasionally invite vendors into our in-boxes to inform us of their latest discounts.
BUSINESS
May 24, 2000

Commission favors tax based on size

The Tax Commission on Tuesday effectively selected a size-based local business tax system to be introduced nationwide. The commission is an advisory panel to the prime minister.
JAPAN
May 24, 2000

Video violence begets real thing

When a 14-year-old Kobe boy shocked the nation three years ago by killing an elementary school boy and placing his severed head in front of a school gate, Masatoshi Taguchi said he was afraid similar crimes would follow.
BUSINESS
May 24, 2000

Think tanks favor Japan-South Korea free-trade bloc

State-run institutions from Japan and South Korea said Tuesday they favor forming a comprehensive mutual free-trade agreement aimed at improving competitiveness and market access.
COMMUNITY / How-tos / GETTING THINGS DONE
May 24, 2000

Contrasts everywhere

We all know generalizations are dangerous, we shouldn't make them, but we do, especially when there is considerable evidence to support them. Japanese conformity is an example, though we must acknowledge that there is much to suggest a contrasting, imaginative individuality. For example, five perfectly...
LIFE / Food & Drink / KISSA KULTUR
May 24, 2000

Fresh or aged, the coffee is kicking at Satei Hato

On a nondescript side street, a short walk from Shibuya Station's jangling cell phones and glaring white lipstick, Satei Hato first catches your eye with the dramatic vases and fresh flowers that grace its entrance. Intrigued, you discover a space much larger than you anticipated, filled with the warmth...
BUSINESS
May 24, 2000

Idemitsu Kosan considers going public

In a move heralding a major shift in its corporate philosophy, Idemitsu Kosan Co., a major oil distributor, said Tuesday it will consider going public.
BUSINESS
May 24, 2000

JR East posts triple rise in net profit

East Japan Railway Co. (JR East) said Tuesday its group net profit in fiscal 1999 leaped threefold from the previous year, following two consecutive years of setbacks.

Longform

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