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Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Sep 8, 2009

U.S. ambassador serves a role most vital

The U.S. ambassadors chosen for Japan have long reflected Washington's dedication to Tokyo, as each successive nominee has drawn Tokyo government and media speculation of how bilateral ties will evolve.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Sep 5, 2009

Flying octopuses of thanks

"Amy-san!" yells one of the neighborhood obaachan while standing in my genkan holding out a plate of warm shrimp tempura. "Thank you so much for helping my husband the other day."
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / NPB NOTEBOOK
Sep 4, 2009

Wakui making a run at Sawamura Award

A tired shoulder has sidelined Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters pitcher Yu Darvish since Aug. 22, following his worst outing of the season against the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Sep 4, 2009

Denzel holds the lead

"I think it's hard to generalize," says actor Denzel Washington about movie remakes. He and John Travolta — as the villain — costar in a remake of the 1974 "The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3," which starred Walter Matthau and was much noted for its powerful score by David Shire. Comparisons between the...
BUSINESS
Aug 29, 2009

Cross-shareholding needs IASB revamp: expert

Japanese companies should be barred from recording income from the sale of cross-shareholdings, said Tatsumi Yamada, a member of the International Accounting Standards Board.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / NPB NOTEBOOK
Jul 31, 2009

Slugger Morino's tear keeps Dragons in Central League race

A few seasons ago, Chunichi Dragons third baseman Masahiko Morino earned the nickname "Mr. Three Run" for his uncanny penchant for hitting three-run homers.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jul 31, 2009

'Yamagata Scream'

Japanese horror movies, under the label J-Horror, were once quite the international thing. Hollywood remade the shockers "Ring" (1998) and "Juon" ("The Grudge," 2002), while foreign video labels snapped up rights to the originals. All that is now a distant memory, though. Fantastic film festivals in...
COMMENTARY / World / SENTAKU MAGAZINE
Jul 27, 2009

Mettle of 'thoroughbreds'

What does Prime Minister Taro Aso have in common with his immediate predecessors — Junichiro Koizumi, Shinzo Abe and Yasuo Fukuda? Each is either a son or a grandson of a well-known politician of the past.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / JAPAN TIMES BLOGROLL
Jul 27, 2009

How to Japonese

The blog How To Japonese should appeal to anyone studying intermediate and advanced Japanese, but don't expect structured step-by-step courses. Launched in 2008 by Daniel Morales, a New Orleanian who first came to Japan in 2002 and currently works as a translation coordinator in Tokyo, the blog pretty...
CULTURE / Books
Jul 26, 2009

The quirky terrain of an otaku mind

"Otaku" is one of those Japanese words that has no precise equivalent in English. "Geek" translates the knowledgeability as well as the social ineptness of the stereotypical otaku, but not quite his (and, more rarely, her) intense interest in what so-called serious adults regard as trivial pursuits:...
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Jul 19, 2009

Explaining a hold and a tale about 'Smokey' catching for the Carp

Checking out what is on the minds of fans and readers of the column this week as we go through the e-mail inbox, and Josh Barnett in Kobe wants to know, "What is a 'hold' and what does a pitcher need to do to be awarded one?"
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Jul 10, 2009

Rebranding the Aussie image

What with wildfires, drought, the economic downturn and competition from overseas, Australian winemakers are now facing a crisis that's taken on Biblical proportions. What have they done to incur such divine wrath?
Reader Mail
Jul 9, 2009

Foreigners viewed as nuisance

If there is anything that makes me more determined to improve my Japanese, it is to fight racist claptrap like that (reported in the article "Visa overstayers given too many breaks: rightist"). Instead of being considered a benefit to the country, foreigners are seen as nothing short of a nuisance that...
COMMENTARY
Jul 9, 2009

Spread of democracy stalls

Has the global spread of democracy run out of steam? For long, but especially since the end of the Cold War, democracy and free markets were touted as the twin answers to most ills. But while free-market tenets have come under strain in the present international financial crisis, with the very countries...
BUSINESS
Jul 8, 2009

Sony set to start selling 'netbooks'

Sony Corp., forecasting its first back-to-back annual losses in half a century, said Tuesday it will start selling "netbook" personal computers next month in an attempt to benefit from rising demand for the cheaper, scaled-down machines.
Japan Times
LIFE
Jun 28, 2009

Chiang Mai: Thailand's beguiling Rose of the North

It is a great time to visit Thailand. The political crisis has abated, the airport is open, everything is a bargain and tourists are few and far between. What more could a traveler ask for?
JAPAN
Jun 21, 2009

Married Princeton biologists win Kyoto Prize

A husband-and-wife team of biologists from Princeton University are among the winners of this year's Kyoto Prizes for their decades of research on evolution in the Galapagos Islands and will share an award of $515,000.
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Jun 21, 2009

Secrets to studying Japanese film

In its field I cannot imagine a research guide more needed. For whole decades scholars have struggled simply to locate sources, even to find out what there were. Now, however, the skill and stamina of Mark Nornes and Aaron Gerow have resulted in a reference work that both illuminates and defines this...
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / HOOP SCOOP
Jun 21, 2009

Injured Baker in limbo over cash dispute with Apache

First in a two-part series

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