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Japan Times
Features
Jun 13, 2004

Front-line fighters

Squeezed between stacks of files and computer equipment in a two-room apartment in Tokyo's Takadanobaba area, Chizuko Ikegami and several volunteers are manning the phones. Round the clock, day in, day out, PLACE Tokyo receives calls from people desperately seeking advice after being diagnosed with...
Features
Jun 13, 2004

Shaking off 'shame'

In a civilized society, people should not be scared to talk about their ailments -- especially when the illness may have been contracted from medical product infected with a potentially fatal virus.
COMMENTARY
Jun 13, 2004

Freedom to end up different

MANILA -- Ideological fuzziness has become a hallmark of politics. Instead of accentuating ideological positions, politicians deliberately demonstrate vagueness. This, their advisers argue, prevents the politicians from alienating strategic interest groups crucial for victory in elections.
SOCCER / PREMIER REPORT
Jun 12, 2004

France-England match an early treat for Euro 2004 fans

LONDON -- Hopefully, France's record over the last 12 months will have been kept a secret from England as the teams prepare to meet in Lisbon on Sunday.
SPORTS / SPORTS SCOPE
Jun 11, 2004

Verdict in O.J. criminal trial still a divisive issue

I have been waiting a long time to write this column.
ENVIRONMENT / OUR PLANET EARTH
Jun 10, 2004

Kicking up a storm over climate change

For those who cannot decide whether to see "The Day After Tomorrow," I sympathize. This recent Hollywood thriller that offers an apocalyptic portrayal of global climate change has me at odds with myself. I am torn between the desire to wallow in mindless hyperbole, and the fear of seeing an audience...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jun 9, 2004

A camp experience to remember

The summer Todd Graff turned 14, his parents saw an ad in The New York Times about a summer camp called Stage Door Manor. Unlike other camps, this one taught the kids to act and perform in musicals, and since Graff had always loved to sing, his parents (both musicians) encouraged him with enthusiasm....
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jun 9, 2004

I was a teenage thespian freak

Camp Rating: * * * 1/2 (out of 5) Director: Todd Graff Running time: 111 minutes Language: English Currently showing [See Japan Times movie listings] Being a teenager is difficult, but when you're a teenager aspiring to be a music star, that difficulty gets multiplied by 10. So goes...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jun 9, 2004

Where still waters run deep

Hejar Rating: * * * 1/2 (out of 5) Director: Handan Ipekci Running time: 120 minutes Language: Turkish, Kurdish Opens June 12 at Tokyo-to Shashin Bijitsukan in Ebisu [See Japan Times movie listings] Turkish director Handan Ipekci's "Hejar" is a small, quiet film, about a small, quiet...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jun 9, 2004

Honey, honey, ah, sugar, sugar

Cutie Honey Rating: * * * * (out of 5) Director: Hideaki Anno Running time: 93 minutes Language: Japanese Currently showing [See Japan Times movie listings] Doesn't everybody need a break once in a while? The answer is evidently yes for Hideaki Anno, best known abroad for his meditative...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Jun 9, 2004

An Ebizo XI is born

The Kabukiza in Ginza has been drawing crowds of Kabuki lovers to its special performances in May and June to celebrate the birth of Ichikawa Ebizo XI. The "newborn" is, in fact, 26 years old -- the tall, handsome tachiyaku (male lead) Ichikawa Shinnosuke, son of Ichikawa Danjuro XII (who last year starred...
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / A GAIJIN'S TALE
Jun 8, 2004

I know rain

I know rain. I'm from Seattle. Japan knows rain, too. They cope with it well.
COMMENTARY / WASHINGTON UPDATE
Jun 7, 2004

Frustrating times for left and right alike

WASHINGTON -- It is frustrating being a fan of one of the two main contenders for U.S. president. I find the level of disgruntlement at an all-time high among both Republicans and Democrats.
BASEBALL / MLB
Jun 6, 2004

Godzilla rips 10th homer

NEW YORK -- Hideki Matsui homered in the fifth inning to record double digits in home runs for his second straight season and the New York Yankees went deep six times to beat the Texas Rangers 7-6 on Friday.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / CLOSE-UP
Jun 6, 2004

Shinya Tasaki: Sommelier supreme

Shinya Tasaki was a teenager when he made his first solo trip to France in 1977. Even back then, he was so eager to learn about French food and wine that he visited as many wineries as he could -- only to be turned away from most. But his determination kept him from giving up -- and now nobody will turn...
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Jun 5, 2004

Glitzy city jars journeyer to 'real' Japan

"We are having a gale all night and a beauty too. The waves are lashing about us at a desperate rate, even against my window at times away up on the upper deck, but they can't drive us off our course. I go to bed at night, I fully expect to find myself on the floor in the morning. Please have a cradle...
COMMENTARY
Jun 5, 2004

Badawi: A kinder Mahathir?

KUALA LUMPUR -- Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi is proving to be a kinder, gentler, but no less candid, thoughtful and thought-provoking version of his mercurial predecessor.
EDITORIALS
Jun 4, 2004

Bumpy road ahead for Kanebo

Kanebo Ltd., once an icon of Japanese industry, faces a grim future as it begins to restructure under the direction of a government-run corporate bailout agency. The cosmetics business is already in the hands of a new independent company owned by the agency. The latest revival plan, unveiled earlier...
BASEBALL / MLB
Jun 3, 2004

Godzilla draws first blood

NEW YORK -- Hideki Matsui got the ball rolling with a two-run homer, Jorge Posada chipped in with his own two-run shot and Derek Jeter added a pair of solo home runs as the New York Yankees beat the Baltimore Orioles 8-7 Tuesday night.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / OLD NIC'S NOTEBOOK
Jun 3, 2004

Our woodland's magic is a joy to behold

A very kind Japanese man who has served for more than 30 years in children's homes told me recently that 70 percent of the youngsters in his care nowadays have been abused or seriously neglected by their parents. Early in his career, he said, such abuse was very rare indeed. And, he assured me sadly,...
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jun 3, 2004

Foreigners dominate used-vehicle export trade in Japan

KOSHIGAYA, Saitama Pref. -- There is a bleep, pictures of cars pop up on two big screens, and meters show prices rising.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jun 2, 2004

Just a tinkle on the keys to heaven

Tengoku no Honya - koibi Rating: * * 1/2 (out of 5) Director: Tetsuo Shinohara Running time: 111 minutes Language: Japanese Opens June 5 [See Japan Times movie listings] Ever since "Ghost" -- that 1990 Jerry Zucker weeper better known now as the sexiest ceramics-instructional film ever...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art / NEW ART SEEN
Jun 2, 2004

The challenge of not knowing your place

It is a shame that Ilya Kabakov was not feeling well enough to make the trip to Tokyo for the opening last Friday of his Mori Art Museum exhibition, "Where Is Our Place?" I met the New York-based Kabakov and his wife, Emilia, years ago when they were involved with the now-defunct Satani Gallery in Ginza,...
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Jun 1, 2004

More on bilingualism and cricket

Background English Referring to Kanagawa Rod's contribution on bilingualism (Lifelines: May 18), John Edward Philips recommends "an even better source of background English, if you can afford it."
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Jun 1, 2004

'No sex please, you're teachers'

"I feel offended that anyone would tell me who I can or can't hang out with," says Brendan (not his real name), one of 6,000 foreign language instructors employed by Nova Corp. in Japan.
JAPAN
May 31, 2004

Recruit workers allegedly hid stock gains

Dozens of former and current employees of Recruit Co., a major information service firm, have been accused of failing to declare billions of yen in profits from selling their holdings of the company's unlisted shares, sources close to the case said Sunday.
JAPAN
May 31, 2004

Recruit workers allegedly hid stock gains

Dozens of former and current employees of Recruit Co., a major information service firm, have been accused of failing to declare billions of yen in profits from selling their holdings of the company's unlisted shares, sources close to the case said Sunday.
COMMENTARY / World
May 31, 2004

Elites out of touch on Iraq

CLAREMONT, California -- America's ability to play a positive role in the world, especially with regard to supporting its allies and friends, depends significantly on achieving its wartime aims in Iraq. While it is common to speak of the United States as the world's only remaining superpower, at best...

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