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Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
May 30, 2014

Photo series charts the family unit in changing Japan

Family photos in Japan, especially ones taken for formal occasions such as shichi-go-san (seven-five-three) ceremonies, are often as stiffly posed as 19th-century tintypes, with Mom, Dad and Junior never cracking a smile.
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
May 30, 2014

Let the kids jump around in Osaka

Jumping around on an outdoor bouncy castle is a summer rite of passage that no kid should be denied, but with Japan's rainy season kicking in, it's not something that can be planned so easily. Fuwa Fuwa kids adventure 2014 in Osaka, though, offers inflatable entertainment indoors, so you can still get...
LIFE / Travel / TRAVEL INSIDER
May 27, 2014

Luxury flying; Haneda to San Francisco; AirAsia boosts security

Luxury flying
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
May 25, 2014

Learning Japanese by singing along

Several years before I was taught to read and sing the traditional song 「さくら、さくら」("Sakura, sakura") in introductory Japanese class, I recall driving my father's 1963 Ford Galaxie and humming along to the melody of Kyu Sakamoto's "Sukiyaki Song," broadcast over WFAY AM radio in North...
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / OUR PLANET EARTH
May 24, 2014

Youth seek new ideas to solve old problems

Young researchers today are in a pickle. Most of them have assumed that peer-reviewed science is fundamentally accepted until new, equally legitimate research proves those findings wrong. However, that was before politicians became self-declared experts on everything under the sun, from science to religion....
Events / Events In Tokyo
May 22, 2014

Island breaks in the city

Even if you don't have time to leave the city, there's nothing to stop you taking an island break this weekend. Tokyo Island Fair Shimajiman 2014 is presenting the lifestyle of Japan's islands Oshima, Toshima, Niijima, Shikinejima, Kouzushima Miyakejima, Mikurajima, Hachijojima, Aogashima and Ogasawara...
CULTURE / Entertainment news
May 21, 2014

Sequel eyed after 'Godzilla' crushes box-office rivals

Legendary Entertainment LLC is primed to commission a sequel to "Godzilla" following the film's roaringly successful debut at the box office, according to a source with knowledge of the situation.
JAPAN
May 17, 2014

Casino bill 'tough to pass' in current Diet session

The government will find it difficult to pass a casino legalization bill before the Diet's current session closes, a ruling coalition lawmaker predicts.
Japan Times
WORLD
May 16, 2014

Crude oil pipeline breaks, floods Los Angeles neighborhood

A faulty valve at a petroleum pipeline pump station ruptured early on Thursday in an industrial corner of Los Angeles, spewing crude oil 40 feet (12 meters) into the air, onto the roof of a strip club next door, and leaving at least four people sick from the fumes.
Japan Times
Events / Events In Tokyo
May 15, 2014

Eat, drink and be merry at Manpaku festival

A healthy appetite is all you'll need to take to the Manpaku festival at the Green Culture Zone of the Showa Kinen Park (Tachikawa Park) in Tachikawa, western Tokyo. "Manpaku" is a play on the words "manpuku" ("enjoy food to the fullest) and "mankitsu hakurankai," which roughly translates to "enjoying...
Japan Times
MULTIMEDIA
May 15, 2014

'Arcana'

Director: Yoshitaka YamaguchiLanguage: Japanese (subtitled in English)
Japan Times
Events / Events In Tokyo
May 15, 2014

Design Festa vol. 39 celebrates 20 years of original creativity

With so many designer goods now manufactured in large numbers, sometimes we forget that "design" stems from creativity and originality.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
May 14, 2014

'The Big Fellah' IRA drama entertains as it also elucidates

Written by English playwright Richard Bean, and premiered in London in 2010, "The Big Fellah" spans 30 years in the lives of U.S. supporters of the Irish Republican Army as that movement fought to sever Northern Ireland's ties to the United Kingdom and unify the island of Ireland.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
May 9, 2014

Labor shortage cutting across all industries

Reliance on part-timers has left many companies struggling to fill positions.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
May 8, 2014

'Gomennasai (Ring of Curse)'

Director: Mari Asato
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
May 8, 2014

Entertainment takes to the streets of Ibaraki

Street performances, known as daidōgei in Japan, are usually performed at random, so to see many shows all at once is a rare opportunity. The Hitachi Kokusai Daidogei in Ibaraki has invited 30 artists from Japan, France, China and England for a wide variety of performances, all taking place this weekend....
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
May 7, 2014

SoftBank tops archrival Docomo for first time on record profit

Amid growing smartphone sales and a raft of acquisitions, SoftBank Corp. has announced that its group operating profit hit a record ¥1.08 trillion, and its net profit an all-time high of ¥527 billion in fiscal 2013, surpassing rival NTT Docomo Inc. for the first time.
Japan Times
WORLD / Society
May 4, 2014

How consumerism turns babies into monsters

If you have been planning a shopping trip with the kids, you might not want to read any further, because teaching your children consumerism is helping to turn them into selfish, immoral creatures without a streak of empathy, according to a new study.
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
May 3, 2014

Avoiding the crowds during Golden Week

Let's be sensible: During Golden Week, why on earth would any sane person choose to drive to a destination on the expressway only to spend a good part of their holiday ensnared in a 35-km-long traffic jam? Doing their part to ease the congestion, domestic magazines are offering some imaginative alternatives...
EDITORIALS
May 3, 2014

Nightclub beats rap on dancing

In a prod toward a modern legal view of sexual morals, an Osaka nightclub owner beats a charge, based on a 1948 law, of allowing patrons in his club to dance without a special permit for dancing.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle / CHILD'S PLAY
May 2, 2014

Conquering every parent's dread: a toddler trip to the hairdresser

It is perhaps one of the biggest challenges of parenthood. No, not teaching a child to how read, share toys or have good manners, but the task of trying to get a child to sit still — in particular when getting their hair cut.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
May 1, 2014

Sony reports loss 18% bigger than forecast

Sony Corp., the maker of Xperia smartphones and PlayStation consoles, posted a loss 18 percent larger than forecast as the company cut earnings for the third time in the past year amid slumping consumer electronics sales.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
May 1, 2014

A golden time to dine outdoors

Now is the golden season in Tokyo: balmy days, mellow temperatures, low humidity and no mosquitoes. There's nothing better than a nice, leisurely (and maybe even boozy) lunch outside — dinner, too, as long as you bring a warm jacket or throw.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy / FOCUS
Apr 30, 2014

To boost economy, recruiting stay-at-home dads

Manabu Tsukagoshi, a Tokyo-based consultant, took a month of paternity leave after his second child was born. That prompted his wife, a homemaker, to get a full-time job in the financial industry.
JAPAN / Media / NET NEWS WATCH
Apr 28, 2014

AKB48 may be the pop the economy needs: ex-chief cabinet secretary Edano

In Yukio Edano's essay “Popular Songs Change with the Times; Yasushi Akimoto, the AKB strategy and the Japanese Economy,” the Democratic Party of Japan Lower House member of Japan argued that AKB48's business strategy “could be effective for the economy in general.”
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Apr 27, 2014

New Mexico dig uncovers 'E.T.' video games buried after 1980s flop

Documentary filmmakers digging in a New Mexico landfill on Saturday unearthed hundreds of "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial" cartridges. The game was considered by some to be the worst video game ever made; it was blamed for contributing to the downfall of the video game industry in the 1980s.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / BACKSTREET STORIES
Apr 26, 2014

Spring greening in Koganei

It’s time to bask in sunshine, birdsong, and blossom-filled breezes. Koganei Park, situated at the center of the Tokyo metropolis, looks like the ideal spot for such a “spring-gasm.” The JR Chuo express train whisks me from Yotsuya to Musashi-Koganei in less than 30 minutes, and I alight with glee....

Longform

Dangami House is a 180-year-old former samurai residence of the Kato clan, who ruled over Ozu, Ehime Prefecture, until the Meiji Restoration.
A house, a legacy and the quiet work of restoration in rural Japan