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Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Dec 25, 2009

Mexico Music Festival 2010

Yuriko Kuronuma, a renowned Japanese violinist based in Mexico, never gives up.
Japan Times
CULTURE
Dec 25, 2009

Legendary, dirty samurai gets makeover

Singer and actor Masaharu Fukuyama hit the nail on the head when he said that Sakamoto Ryoma is the kind of person onto whom anyone can project themselves.
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Dec 25, 2009

Kids in Osaka get a taste of holidays past

Traditional New Year celebrations for families will be held at a museum in Osaka's Kita Ward from Jan. 3-11.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WORDS TO LIVE BY
Dec 24, 2009

Web designer Peter Brune

Peter Brune, 45, is a Web designer and photographer who has been a Japanese resident for 10 years. Born and raised in East Berlin, Brune was a world traveler even before he set foot outside the walls of his home: Absorbed in books and glued to the television and radio, he was constantly crossing borders...
COMMENTARY
Dec 24, 2009

No winners emerge from COP15 conference

If the climate change conference in Copenhagen failed to meet the expectations of both developed and developing countries, it did make one thing clear: The United States remains the most powerful developed country and China is acknowledged as a leading representative of the developing countries, though...
JAPAN
Dec 22, 2009

Hatoyama one out of two on policy vows

Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama decided Monday to stick with one of his key policy pledges but to abandon another, saying the government will not set an income cap on the child-care allowance but will maintain the current gasoline tax rate.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
Dec 21, 2009

Trends in Japan 2009: drinks

Let us raise a glass to the tippling trends of 2009: to cheap booze, less calories, more nostalgia and supposedly responsible drinking.
Japan Times
JAPAN / READERS' FUND
Dec 21, 2009

Refugees struggle to survive funding cuts

Last in a series
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Dec 20, 2009

Alexandria's library: A phoenix amid the tea fields of Uji

Recalling the glorious Heian Period in Japan's history from 794 to 1185 at once conjures up images of a world of courtiers, 12-layered kimono, elegant poetry competitions beside winding streams — and secret trysts in scented chambers.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Dec 20, 2009

Mark Schreiber: Best books of 2009

Arimasa Osawa's hard-boiled tale follows police and gangsters in a race to track down a Taiwanese super-assassin who has been leaving bodies all over Shinjuku. This, the second in the "Shinjuku Shark" saga to appear in English, was originally published as "Dokuzaru" in 1991, when the bubble economy had...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Dec 20, 2009

Jeff Kingston: Best books of 2009

Maybe not a comfortable read for the holidays, but this is a poignant reminder about the human consequences of aerial bombing. The authors in this collection of essays demonstrate that such bombing does not win wars but does devastate, and it is civilians who suffer disproportionately. It appears that...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Dec 18, 2009

Looking for personal definition

Art is always a collaboration between the artist and the viewer. Whatever the artist paints, sculpts or photographs is just so much dead matter until it comes alive in the mind of the viewer.
JAPAN
Dec 18, 2009

Hatoyama backpedals on pledges

Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama indicated Thursday he may abandon key election pledges made by his Democratic Party of Japan, citing the need for "flexibility" in politics.
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Dec 18, 2009

Children can enjoy Santa Claus opera on Christmas Eve

Yokohama Minato Mirai Hall will hold an opera for small children (5 years and older) to commemorate 150 years since the opening of Yokohama's port.
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Dec 18, 2009

Kids sing holiday classics

When a concert bills itself as being "from age 0," you can be sure it'll be a family affair.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Dec 18, 2009

The beauty of subtle deceit

More than in any other country where the lacquer tree grows, the art of working with its hard-drying sap has excelled here in Japan. Two leading exponents were Ogawa Haritsu (1663-1747) and Shibata Zeshin (1807-1891), who both stand out not only for their inventive sense of design in decorating three-dimensional...
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Dec 18, 2009

Christmas market in Osaka serves festive German treats

Sipping on hot wine and nibbling on gingerbread, the German Christmas Market in Osaka gives you a taste of how holidays are traditionally spent in Germany.
BASKETBALL / NBA / NBA REPORT
Dec 16, 2009

Donaghy's claims don't stand up to scrutiny

NEW YORK — Originally, Tim Donaghy says he bet on 13 NBA games he refereed. Presently, the contention is 47, all but 10 resulting in wins by the point spread, or by picking the over-under.
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Dec 15, 2009

Old condos finally attract interest

Buying an old condo can be a risky but since many can be had at rock-bottom prices these days, they might be worth the investment.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Dec 15, 2009

To gargle or not to gargle?

The Web site for the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) contains a pandemic influenza storybook filled with personal reflections from survivors, family members and friends. One of the accounts tells the story of Art McLaughlin, who lived about 25 km east of Chicago during...
COMMENTARY
Dec 15, 2009

Underwriting a global reforestation program

SINGAPORE — Where does Southeast Asia rank in greenhouse-gas emissions, a key focal point of the international climate change negotiations?
JAPAN
Dec 15, 2009

Cop who couldn't hold it nabbed

A police officer has been arrested for allegedly urinating from a Tokyo train platform, the Metropolitan Police Department said Monday.
Reader Mail
Dec 13, 2009

Helpful 'ambassador' appreciated

Regarding the Nov. 15 article "Opening a 'window' to Japan": It's refreshing to see that Japan has such helpful personnel as Yuka Tsujimura at the Narita Airport Tourist Information Center. Especially in a recession, when people travel less, it is more important that the first impression be pleasant...
Reader Mail
Dec 13, 2009

Food self-sufficiency comes first

I agree with Takamitsu Sawa's remarks in his Dec. 7 article, "Agriculture must be rebuilt ahead of oil's 'noble' limits." Japan's industrialization in the 1960s had a crucial flaw: Mild areas where farmers could cultivate crops year-round were industrialized while farming continued in areas that had...
Reader Mail
Dec 13, 2009

Senseless idling of engines

Regarding the Dec. 2 article "Polls' built-in bias may skew climate views": I was dumbfounded by the assertion in the article that Japanese are among the world's most educated when it comes to the realities of climate change. From my observation, Japanese appear to be among the world's most uneducated...
JAPAN
Dec 12, 2009

Emperor will meet China's Xi Tuesday

Emperor Akihito will meet Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping on Tuesday, waiving a customary rule that he be notified a month in advance of such visits, the Imperial Household Agency said.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHEN EAST MARRIES WEST
Dec 12, 2009

The most annoying Japanese word

Several weeks ago a poll from the Marist Institute of Public Opinion — one that was slingshot quickly across the Internet — listed "whatever" as the most annoying of all English words.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Dec 11, 2009

Mono

Considered one of Asia's top postrock acts since their 2001 "Under the Pipal Tree" debut and now a decade into their career, Tokyo's Mono are listed alongside the global leaders in their genre. Taking full advantage of their continually growing stature, the instrumental quartet invited a 28-member chamber...

Longform

Sumadori Bar on Shibuya Ward's main Center Gai street targets young customers who prefer low-alcohol drinks or abstain altogether.
Rethinking that second drink: Japan’s Gen Z gets ‘sober curious’