Search - life

 
 
CULTURE / Music / JAZZ NOTES
Feb 17, 2015

In praise of Michiyo Yagi: Keeping the koto contemporary

Koto player Michiyo Yagi is a national treasure like no other. Why she isn't the most famous musician in all of Japan blows my feeble mind.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 17, 2015

How two small rocks stop Japan and South Korea from getting along

They were once a source of fortune for Japanese fishermen hunting sea lions and abalone, but now the pair of remote rocks in the Sea of Japan are preventing Japan and South Korea from getting along.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 16, 2015

Abe affirms bid to revise Constitution

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has confirmed his administration aims to revise the Constitution, saying in the Diet that amending the pacifist charter is one of his party's most sought-after goals.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 16, 2015

Your toothpaste is destroying Asia's rainforests

You probably had some palm oil today, which is found in roughly half of the products sold in modern supermarkets. It is the cause of one of the world's biggest environmental catastrophes, the decimation of Southeast Asia's rainforests.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 16, 2015

New Ukrainian peace deal is wrapped in a time bomb

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko will find it hard to spin the second Minsk cease-fire deal as his victory. At least Western leaders will still treat him as an ally.
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Feb 15, 2015

Nationality no barrier for spouses seeking protection from violence

An American resident writes: 'My husband hasn't done much physically yet, but he has threatened to kill me on one occasion. Is it possible to file a restraining order?'
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / ADOPT ME!
Feb 15, 2015

Bringing down the house: cats Neetan and Hacho

Feline buddies Neetan and Hacho complement each other to perfection and form a pair it would be sad to see split up.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 15, 2015

Kerry's international order challenges disorder

U.S. Secretary of State John F. Kerry disagrees with cynics who say the international order is unraveling. He sees the world working together as hard as ever to end the Ebola pandemic, reduce nuclear proliferation, achieve an accord on climate change and curb strife in Africa and the Mideast.
ASIA PACIFIC
Feb 15, 2015

'Nut rage' prompts South Korea to consider law against 'high-handed' conduct

Resentment has mounted so much in South Korea against what has come to be known as "gabjil," high-handedness by the rich and powerful, that parliamentarians are proposing legislation to punish some of the worst abuses.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Feb 14, 2015

Carp catcher Aizawa expected to have bigger role this season

Keep your eye this coming season in Japanese baseball on catcher Tsubasa Aizawa of the Hiroshima Carp. The 27-year-old, eight-year veteran appears ready to take over as the first-string catcher on a team poised to challenge for the Central League pennant under new manager Koichi Ogata.
LIFE / Style & Design / ON: FASHION
Feb 13, 2015

Valentines specials and ways to treat yourself

Valentine's is all about the man
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Feb 13, 2015

China offers to mediate in stalled Afghan Taliban peace talks

China offered to mediate in stalled efforts to engage the Afghan Taliban in peace negotiations, reflecting its desire to play a more active role in a region it sees as part of its sphere of influence.
JAPAN
Feb 12, 2015

Syria-bound photographer fears passport confiscation sets dangerous precedent

A freelance photographer who was prevented from going to Syria when the Foreign Ministry confiscated his passport in the wake of the Islamic State hostage crisis this month expressed concern Thursday his case will set a precedent that will undermine freedom of the press in Japan.
JAPAN
Feb 12, 2015

Takahama reactors clear NRA safety checks

Two reactors in Fukui Prefecture are declared safe by the Nuclear Regulation Authority, bringing a second nuclear power plant closer to restart.
Japan Times
MORE SPORTS / TYSON-DOUGLAS SHOCKER REVISITED
Feb 12, 2015

Ringside reporters recall date with destiny

Fifth in a series
Japan Times
MORE SPORTS / MAN ABOUT SPORTS
Feb 12, 2015

Tyson-Douglas anniversary brings back mixed emotions

For MAS, it was the best — and worst — of times.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Feb 12, 2015

'New-wave Artists 2015: From the Public Entry Exhibition'

Feb. 19-March 15
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 12, 2015

Obama's lovefest with Modi

There are questions about how deep the relationship is between India and the U.S., as opposed to that between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Barack Obama.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Feb 12, 2015

Chief of U.S. Naval Forces Japan forced out in bribery scandal

The commander of U.S. Naval Forces Japan has been censured for "poor judgment and a failure of leadership" after a foreign ports contractor was found to have wined and dined senior officers to secure business.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Feb 11, 2015

The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: 'a compelling and ambitious five-hour love story'

'The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby" is a sprawling, three-part love story opening on Valentine's Day that wraps itself around the senses like a thick curtain. Director Ned Benson is trying to do something radically different as he takes us through a single love story told from three different perspectives:...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Feb 11, 2015

American Sniper: 'a refusal to deal with the complexity of war'

Just about every Iraq war movie to date has bombed at the box office, and there's a reason for that: Like the war itself, most of those movies were bummers. Even "The Hurt Locker," which did well at the Oscars, had a lukewarm reception at the box office. But along comes director Clint Eastwood with "American...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Feb 11, 2015

Bokutachi no Kazoku (Our Family)

Director: Yuya Ishii Language: Japanese (subtitled in English)
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Feb 11, 2015

Double bill seeks out unknowns

Like many others in Japan’s rising performing-artist generation, 34-year-old Ney Hasegawa says he first felt the lure of the stage when he went to see shōgekijō (small-scale youth theater) plays while he was in high school. After that, he started taking an interest in dance, too, and when he formed...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Feb 11, 2015

Couples beware as Kayoko Shiraishi returns in intriguing style

Actress Kayoko Shiraishi is famed for her portrayals of male and female characters of all ages almost as if she were possessed by their souls.
Japan Times
WORLD
Feb 11, 2015

Parents of slain Islamic State hostage confirm U.S. woman's death

U.S. aid worker Kayla Mueller, held hostage by Islamic State militants for 18 months, is dead, her family said on Tuesday, but the circumstances were unclear and President Barack Obama vowed to hunt down the culprits.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Feb 10, 2015

Don't mistake the politics of The White Noise Supremacists

If the name The White Noise Supremacists caused you to do a double take, you wouldn't be the first.
JAPAN
Feb 10, 2015

Thousands sign petition for free speech amid climate of self-censorship

Journalists, academics, authors, filmmakers, musicians and members of the public put their names on an online petition supporting freedom of expression amid concern about self-censorship by media, lawmakers and society over the recent hostage crisis and the government's handling of it.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / A TASTE OF HOME
Feb 10, 2015

Singapore food fling provides 'messy and satisfying' feast

It's Friday night and I'm staring death in the face. The face in question happens to belong to a red snapper, and it's peeking out from the dark depths of powerful tamarind broth shimmering with crimson chili oil.

Longform

Tetsuzo Shiraishi, speaking at The Center of the Tokyo Raids and War Damage, uses a thermos to explain how he experienced the U.S. firebombing of March 1945, when he was just 7 years old.
From ashes to high-rises: A survivor’s account of Tokyo’s postwar past