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COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Oct 20, 2007

Getting to the bottom of the mystery of the moving pier

I was sitting in the back of my pickup truck talking to Mrs. Amano at the ferry port. My husband was driving and I was sitting in the back. As we passed the ferry terminal, Mrs. Amano flagged us down.
CULTURE / Music
Oct 19, 2007

Radiohead "In Rainbows"

With a "revolutionary" distribution system whereby fans can pay whatever they like for a download of the album (or pay $80 and wait nearly two months for the physical CD and vinyl box set), Radiohead have got the industry talking (and mostly what they're saying is "Huh?"). Having submitted my download...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Oct 17, 2007

Japanese seniors keep lock on Everest

Yuichiro Miura has an unusual routine for a man who just turned 75.
LIFE / Digital / IGADGET
Oct 17, 2007

From Big Brother marketing tools to powered Kitty-chan collectibles

Looks alone might not determine a person's character, but for marketing they are at least a good start. NEC certainly believes in the power of appearances, with its new FieldAnalyst camera. The device, in essence, judges passersby on the basis of their looks, determining their gender and approximate...
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / WILD WATCH
Oct 17, 2007

Individual variations and a sense of identity

I have recently returned to Japan from five astonishing weeks in the neotropics. Exploring and observing the riches of Brazil's Atlantic rain forest and Pantanal (the world's biggest wetland area) has left me overwhelmed by their biodiversity.
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Oct 16, 2007

From ants to antiques

Insect infestations A concerned reader writes: "We live in a traditional Japanese house, and have noticed with some alarm that the step into our "genkan" (hallway) is being eaten away. The wood is crumbling into dust from the inside and spreading. Any idea what might be the problem?"
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Oct 14, 2007

Obscure family drama, prefecture identities, national food issues

Idol-actress Aya Ueto does a serious number on her image in the new drama series "Abarenbo Mama" (Rowdy Mama; Fuji, Tuesday, 9 p.m.). Ueto plays Ayu, a tomboy from the countryside who speaks like a man and lacks feminine wiles. However, she falls for hairdresser Tetsu (Yo Oizumi), who's 12 years her...
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Oct 13, 2007

Mammograms — with a little bit of sunshine

My neighbor Kazu-chan came over to my house for dinner the other night and while she was here said, "Amy, zannen. The hospital boat was just at the island next door giving free mammograms to women." We will have to go all the way to the mainland to get ours.
BUSINESS
Oct 13, 2007

JAL exceeds early retirement goals

Japan Airlines Corp., Asia's most indebted carrier, said 180 managers more than expected will take early retirement by the end of next month as the carrier cuts labor costs in its quest to return to profit.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Oct 12, 2007

Keller Williams

If you believe sampling is a fraud perpetrated by people who lack musical chops, Keller Williams might just prove you wrong.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Oct 12, 2007

Cleansing your mind with a little creativity

Nasu Kogen is proudly promoted as a vacation spot of the Imperial family. Judging by the numerous pamphlets at the station's welcome center, the area, about an hour and a half north of Tokyo, certainly wants to offer something for the whole family — but not necessarily the royals.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 8, 2007

Japan's Antiterrorism Special Measures Law and confusion over U.N. authority

Once again there is political debate over military-related legislation under the shadow of Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution, and once again it has revealed confusion over the international law and constitutional issues involved. The debate is over the extension of the Antiterrorism Special Measures...
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Oct 7, 2007

Pivotal seasons for Alex Ramirez & Marc Kroon

Neither of their teams made the Central League Climax Series, but the 2007 season has been a pivotal one for Yakult Swallows slugger Alex Ramirez and Yokohama BayStars reliever Marc Kroon. The contracts of both expire at the end of the current dragging out season, and there is doubt whether either club...
Japan Times
Reference / Special Presentations / WITNESS TO WAR
Oct 5, 2007

Veteran navy officer keeps an open mind

As the public still debates the Imperial navy's activities during the war, many veteran sailors say that at the time, at least, they saw their objective as liberating Asia from Western colonial rule.
EDITORIALS
Oct 2, 2007

New experiences for Japan Post

A difficult path lies ahead the Japan Post group companies' 10-year privatization process, which started Oct. 1. They have to make profits to survive but not at the expense of services. This is especially critical for the postal service, which has earned the people's trust over the past 130 years through...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Sep 25, 2007

Is it all over for Nova?

"The dark clouds that have been hanging heavily over us will be cast aside," reads the English translation of Nova Corp. CEO Nozomu Sahashi's memo faxed to staff Friday. "I said previously 'the darkest time is before the dawn,' and finally the first light of dawn can be seen."
COMMENTARY
Sep 21, 2007

China revisits a contradiction

HONG KONG — More than 25 years ago, China's paramount ruler Deng Xiaoping criticized excessive concentration of power within the Communist Party as the cause of grave problems, including the precipitation of the Cultural Revolution.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Sep 21, 2007

Back to Roma

Gypsies are one of music's great cross-pollinators.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Sep 20, 2007

Butoh flowers of life and decay

There is a muscular eloquence to Junichi Kakizaki's constructions. He describes himself as a floral artist — not an ikebana (flower arrangement) master — and has won awards for his interpretation of the traditional Japanese art form. He considers his works to be contemporary art — either installations...
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / WILD WATCH
Sep 19, 2007

Serendipity twice over

On a calm evening, I looked out from my balcony toward the mountains to the west, beyond Sapporo. Those distant peaks stretched in an apparently unbroken chain, from the gently sloping flanks of volcanic Mount Tarumae at the southernmost end, rising and falling northward in a bold, time-weathered horizon...
Japan Times
Reference / SO WHAT THE HECK IS THAT
Sep 18, 2007

'Fierce scowl' stickers

Dear Alice,
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Sep 18, 2007

Plane wrong?

Max Phillips Jr. wrote in after getting a nasty shock from his local travel agency.
BUSINESS
Sep 17, 2007

'IClones' steal market share as Apple bides time in Asia

SANCHUNG, Taipei
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHEN EAST MARRIES WEST
Sep 15, 2007

The fading pitter-patter of little feet

The flip-side of Japan's ever-aging population is that there are increasingly fewer kids. Record-low statistics from 2005 put the birthrate at 1.26 children per woman, a count that somehow sounds painful — but the real hurt is the one being put on Japanese society.

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