Search - u_times

 
 
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Feb 17, 2013

Vibrant novel offers rich pleasures

UNEXPECTED LESSONS IN LOVE, by Bernardine Bishop. John Murray, 2013, 378 pp., £16.99 (hardcover)
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media
Feb 17, 2013

Bringing the love of short films to a local audience

If there was a birthday cake for the Brillia Short Shorts Theater, it would probably be an elegant, minimalist affair — no excessive decorations, nothing too calorific and five slim candles giving off a modest orange glow. One of just four movie theaters in and around Tokyo dedicated to short films,...
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / WILD WATCH
Feb 17, 2013

Dancing Demoiselles of the desert

In a dry, dusty, desert landscape, the clamoring of cranes seems so surprising. I am used to the great winter assembly of more than 10,000 cranes in Kyushu at Izumi, where they congregate on winter-fallow rice fields; and I regularly frequent the winter gatherings of Red-crowned Cranes in snowy eastern...
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Feb 17, 2013

Warm memories of an Aizu winterlude

It starts to snow soon after the train leaves Koriyama, and further inland at Aizu Wakamatsu the snow is knee deep. My hosts, Nobuyuki and Mikiko, are waiting at the station. I'm relieved to see they've brought boots for me.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art / WEEK 3
Feb 17, 2013

Art disaster turns out to have a silver lining

A dozen paintings hang from the white walls of a gallery at the Museum of Modern Art in Hayama, Kanagawa Prefecture. Mostly prewar works by artists involved in the Proletarian movement, who focused on depictions of factory and farm laborers, the paintings are like many others on display at the museum...
JAPAN
Feb 16, 2013

Tojo's granddaughter, Yuko, dies at 73

Yuko Tojo, the granddaughter of executed Class-A war criminal Prime Minister Hideki Tojo, dies of interstitial pneumonia at age 73.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT
Feb 16, 2013

Environmental sea disaster threatens world's future

An environmental catastrophe with greater economic impact than the global financial crash is occurring on the high seas, according to former British foreign secretary David Miliband.
Japan Times
TENNIS
Feb 15, 2013

Azarenka makes short work of Swiss Oprandi

Top seed and defending champion Victoria Azarenka scored a convincing 6-2, 6-3 victory over Switzerland's Romina Oprandi on Wednesday to move into the third round of the Qatar Total Open.
BASKETBALL
Feb 15, 2013

Defensive hustle, intensity keys to Murry's success

An individual's all-around game can flourish when attention to details and a commitment to defense are ever-present.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / A TASTE OF HOME
Feb 15, 2013

Tokyo has California-style burritos all wrapped up

Nothing gives me greater pleasure, as a California native, than to discover a new burrito shop. I'm not talking about the kind of burritos served on a plate in a restaurant.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Feb 15, 2013

'Zero Dark Thirty'

'Money shot' is a term that originally came from the pornographic-movie industry, referring to, ahem, a male actor fulfilling his contractual obligations.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Feb 15, 2013

'A Good Day to Die Hard'

I know what you're thinking. You're thinking that if you had to see yet another 20th-century action star, alive and well and kicking ass for the benefit of the over-40s crowd — and that star is Bruce Willis, whom you can remember as having a full head of hair (brunette) and a terrible taste in suits...
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Feb 14, 2013

Japan still paying for war sins through international copyrights

If you're a copyright holder, you have a special reason to be happy if your work is sold in Japan.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Feb 14, 2013

Colo brings tribes together in Osaka

It's December and small flocks of young, creative-looking types are making their way to a shipyard in Osaka's Namura district. Tucked among an expanse of otherwise drab warehouses there is Creative Center Osaka, and tonight is "Hot Docks 2," an art and music spectacle.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Feb 14, 2013

Pianist Yazawa looks to the past to find security in the future

Pianist Tomoko Yazawa always thinks about her music with the future in mind. However, for her latest album, "Playing in the Dark," she made a rare diversion into the past — specifically, France at the end of the 19th century.
CULTURE / Music / JAZZ NOTES
Feb 14, 2013

Jazz acts must embrace some new standards

Drop by your local jazz club and on an average night there's a fair chance the band will at some point play a rendition of "Autumn Leaves," "My Favorite Things" or " 'Round Midnight" — or maybe all three. You might hear an inspired rendition of a time-honored classic, but more likely you'll have to...
Reader Mail
Feb 14, 2013

Resolving conflict in the schools

Regarding the Feb. 11 AFP article "Violent coaching rooted in militarism": There has been a bit of discussion on the "culture of bullying" in schools and sports but not much deep thought about how to create a healthy and nurturing atmosphere to replace it.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 14, 2013

Protecting rights as a means to enhance development

Japanese manufacturers are generally shying away from applying for patents in ASEAN countries for reasons such as the "immatureness" of the judicial system in intellectual property (IP) trials and the low level of technology assessment by local IP authorities, said a representative of the Japan Intellectual...
Reader Mail
Feb 14, 2013

Pregnancy test precedes vaccine

I think a warning, with some education about the rubella vaccine, should have been printed for those reading the Feb. 8 front-page article "Rubella outbreak spreading quickly."
Reader Mail
Feb 14, 2013

Loath to see return of old drills

The Feb. 3 editorial "Entrance exam change needed" reminded me of Japan's continuous failure to educate its young citizens. The problem of college entrance exams is directly tied to how the system itself is structured.
Reader Mail
Feb 14, 2013

Partnership deserves scrutiny

Keeping the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) in the spotlight, as Reiji Yoshida has done with his Feb. 6 article, "Abe to meet Obama with hands tied," is a fine idea.
Reader Mail
Feb 14, 2013

Japan Inc. a dubious liberator

Jeff Kingston's Feb. 10 Timeout article "Gold Rush: Japan Inc. flocks to Myanmar" reads more like an advertisement written on behalf of the Foreign Ministry rather than a piece of critical-minded journalism from a renowned university professor.
MORE SPORTS / MAN ABOUT SPORTS
Feb 13, 2013

Baseball needs to rethink Hall of Fame voting

Mike Piazza, the former Los Angeles Dodger and New York Met great, hit more home runs (427) than any other catcher in MLB history.
Rugby
Feb 13, 2013

Horie on track for Super 15 debut

Shota Horie is set to become the first Japanese ever to play in the Super 15, after he was named Tuesday in the Melbourne Rebels' match-day 22 for their first-round game with the Western Force on Friday.

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’