Search - category

 
 
Reader Mail
May 29, 2008

Some Buddhists prefer a fairy tale

After reading William Johnston's May 25 letter, I'd just like to set the record straight and say not all Buddhists think rationalism is a bad thing, and not all Buddhists believe in some fairy tale where Asia is a Shangri-La full of enlightened beings.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design / ON: DESIGN
May 27, 2008

Toothpaste tube chandeliers, eco-seats and other design highlights

A toothy light
LIFE / Language
May 27, 2008

Mastery of kanji takes time to build, just like Rome

If you want yuyujiteki no seikatsu wo suru, to live the life of Riley, in Japan, then you should learn as many four-kanji expresssions as you can. (Yuyujiteki implies living in unsurpassed comfort for the rest of your days, an admirable goal if there ever was one.)
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
May 27, 2008

Law bends over backward to allow 'fuzoku'

Some desires money can't gratify, but for appetites of the flesh, there are ways in Japan to legally sate one's carnal cravings.
EDITORIALS
May 24, 2008

A 'full-scale' gray society

A government white paper on the graying of the population says Japan has become a "full-scale gray society." As of Oct. 1, people aged 75 or over numbered a record 12.7 million — up 540,000 from a year earlier — and accounted for a record 9.9 percent of the nation's population, a 0.4 point increase...
BUSINESS
May 22, 2008

Nonlife insurers lashed by steep profit hits

Four of Japan's six major nonlife insurance companies saw their group net profits plunge in business 2007 as the U.S. subprime loan crisis and the subsequent fall in global stock prices pushed down profits from their investments, the firms said Wednesday.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
May 16, 2008

'Goodbye Bafana'

A good politician — as opposed to a dramatic revolutionary — is hard to find, but Nelson Mandela could safely be called one of the best living examples of that rare and precious category.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Apr 29, 2008

Luxury fashion finds a friend

Collaborations have become such a widespread fashion marketing tactic in the last 20 years that some in style circles have dubbed the practice "the C word."
EDITORIALS
Apr 27, 2008

Ruling restricts free speech

The Supreme Court's Second Petit Bench on April 11 found three antiwar activists guilty of trespassing when they entered a housing compound of the Self-Defense Forces in Tachikawa, Tokyo, in January and February 2004 to distribute leaflets urging SDF personnel and their family members to oppose the deployment...
JAPAN
Apr 24, 2008

Mainstream embraces street dance

Jumping to a heavy rap music soundtrack, Taisuke Nonaka kicked out his legs and launched into a one-handed helicopterlike body spin that had the crowd and the judges whooping and waving their fists in appreciation.
BASKETBALL
Apr 21, 2008

Fukuoka books place in bj-league semis

TAKAMATSU — Sometime between early March and mid-April, the Rizing Fukuoka began to resemble a playoff-caliber basketball team.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film / SHORT TAKES
Apr 18, 2008

"Mongol"

"Mongol"
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / WILD WATCH
Apr 16, 2008

Omissions and risky commissions

For several years now I have been at work on a new book — to be titled "Field Guide to the Birds of East Asia" — that is due to be published later this year. You may think it would be an easy matter to put together such a tome; after all, ornithologists and birdwatchers have been studying birds for...
JAPAN
Apr 10, 2008

Panel mulls strategies to export Japan culture, arts

Bolster government support for the booming arts of "manga" and "anime," or lay the groundwork for new cultural exports to emerge.
EDITORIALS
Apr 7, 2008

The secrets of the sea

The investigative unit of the Ground Self-Defense Force has sent up a paper on an Air Self-Defense Force officer to the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office, accusing him of passing a "defense-related secret" to a Yomiuri Shimbun reporter in connection with a 2005 newspaper article. The unit acted...
Reader Mail
Apr 6, 2008

Can't take alien article seriously

In the April 1 edition of The Japan Times, there is the Zeit Gist article by John Spiri titled " 'Half-alien' group foresees disaster, Japan UFO landing." Doesn't this article also belong in the joke category for April Fool's Day? kaz borkowski
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / ON THE ROAD
Apr 6, 2008

Japan's most jam-packed year at the track

Atitan in the field of car manufacturing, Japan has also long been a magnet for international-level motor racing.
COMMENTARY
Mar 29, 2008

Flaws in criminal justice

LONDON — The criminal justice systems in Britain and Japan have flaws, but there are worse systems.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / LIQUID CULTURE
Mar 28, 2008

Vodka: not so plain and simple

Vodka is often described as the world's most versatile spirit, which is a nice way of saying that it doesn't taste of much. Globally, it outsells every other spirit, but outside of Eastern Europe, nobody drinks it for its flavor.
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Mar 21, 2008

Shinsuke: A sip of sake in shitamachi

Slowly but surely word is getting out to the rest of the world: Japanese restaurants don't have to be formal, exquisite and jaw-droppingly pricey. Quite the opposite, in fact: Eating out in Tokyo can be casual, friendly, affordable and fun.

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