Search - beauty

 
 
EDITORIALS
Dec 24, 2001

Polishing the diamond trade

Money is the fuel of conflict. Without it, there is no way to sustain a military. In many poor countries, the sale of natural resources is the only means of financing an insurgency. In recent years, there has been increasing concern about the sale of illegal stones, "conflict diamonds," which have financed...
COMMUNITY
Dec 23, 2001

Jewelry collectors: guardians of a glittering past

At first glance, the visitor would hardly guess that the austere-looking building nestled in the beautiful, green mountains of Nasu Kogen, Tochigi Prefecture, is the Akiba Museum of Antique Jewellery -- Japan's first private museum specializing in European antique jewelry.
COMMUNITY
Dec 23, 2001

Everlasting allure of gems shines on

Gems are among the most gorgeous examples of nature at work, even though the jewels we admire get a helping hand not afforded to phenomena like sunsets and snow-capped peaks.
COMMUNITY
Dec 23, 2001

'God of diamonds' a cut above the rest

Few guests at first notice the seven small stones, shimmering icily in the corner of this Ginza reception hall. The little shards catch a beam of light for the briefest instant, before flicking it gaily away.
JAPAN / WEEKEND WISDOM
Dec 23, 2001

Classmates opened interpreter's eyes to East Europe states

For 14-year-old Mari Yonehara, each of her classmates was a window on the world. Far from their homelands, the students at her school in Prague, in what was then Czechoslovakia, had multinational backgrounds and were patriotic. But despite her five-year stay in the city and her near-perfect grasp of...
CULTURE / Film
Dec 19, 2001

A familiar face in the mirror

Vanilla SkyRating: * * * Director: Cameron Crowe Running time: 135 minutes Language: English Now showing
CULTURE / Art
Dec 19, 2001

How-to secrets of Japan's greatest artistic export

First of two parts There can be few readers of The Japan Times who have not browsed a secondhand bookshop in Japan, hoping to discover an unrecognized gem of a woodblock print. Although the subjects they depict are far removed from the reality of contemporary Japan, ukiyo-e still charm us today. Western...
JAPAN
Dec 17, 2001

Museum weaves tale of Tokyo's role in history of dyed-goods

Even for Tokyoites, it may come as a surprise that the dyeing industry once flourished in the capital -- just as it did in the ancient cities of Kyoto and Kanazawa.
BUSINESS
Dec 17, 2001

Discount chains thrive amid Ginza's chic boutiques

With the end of the year just around the corner, Christmas shoppers visiting Tokyo's posh Ginza commercial district may find a new aspect to the area this winter.
LIFE / Digital / TANGLED WEBS
Dec 13, 2001

Multiple eyebrows raised over Microsoft settlement

Since Microsoft Corp. and the U.S. Justice Department submitted their proposed settlement agreement, legal experts have been scratching their heads over how incredibly favorable it is toward Microsoft.
CULTURE / Stage
Dec 12, 2001

Going full circle for sex and romance

Love is in the air at the Benisan Pit theater in Tokyo's Koto Ward. There, downtown by the Sumida River, Theatre Project Tokyo is staging its latest production, "The Blue Room," based on Viennese playwright Arthur Schnitzler's "Reigen."
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHEN EAST MARRIES WEST
Dec 9, 2001

Sharing your daze with a studyholic

My wife takes a scalpel to her schedule and carves up blocks of time. First to go are the hours she spends teaching Japanese, the hours she rides the commuter train, and then the additional hours and hours she uses for preparation.
LIFE / Food & Drink / BEST BAR NONE
Dec 9, 2001

Everything goes . . .

One night recently, after a rampage through Kabukicho, my friend Peter suggested a nightcap at a nearby kyaba-kura (cabaret club). But one, he said, with a difference -- namely, all the girls who work there are "new-halfs," or transsexuals. There was no need to blush or blink -- I had already been to...
COMMENTARY
Dec 8, 2001

Look of Japan belies reality

LONDON -- A recent, short visit to Japan made me doubt whether there was much sense of an economic crisis threatening Japan's future and how far the recession has affected ordinary people.
LIFE / Lifestyle / JET STREAM
Dec 7, 2001

Taking centerstage without clamming up

On his first visit to Urato Junior High School a year and a half ago, David Goldberg was awestruck. He was glad that he had followed his predecessor's advice to take a camera along. On the early morning 30-minute ferry ride from Shiogama City in Miyagi Prefecture to the island of Nonoshima, Goldberg...
COMMUNITY
Dec 6, 2001

Theme park operator laughs in face of yakuza, Mickey Mouse

While yakuza gangs and Mickey Mouse may be intimidating for her colleagues, Hatsue Takai merely brushes them aside.
CULTURE / Music
Dec 5, 2001

Hot rock for Genghis Khan

"I want to create a wadaiko dance collaboration with Michael Jackson."
CULTURE / Art
Dec 5, 2001

Paper-cutting artists breathe new life into an ancient craft

You can get a glimpse of the beauty of kiri-e (cut-paper pictures) created by members of the Zenkoku Kiri-e Dokokai (National Association of Kiri-e) at an exhibition running till Dec. 8 at the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Space in Ikebukuro.
CULTURE / Art
Dec 5, 2001

Attack of the coneheads

Picture, if you will, a typical Saturday afternoon in Shinjuku. Throngs of people scurry to and fro, delivery trucks troll by belching fumes, while scooters dart in and out of traffic. This time, though, something's up.
LIFE / Travel / NATURE TRAVEL
Dec 4, 2001

Getting high on Bolivia's peaks

It's impossible not to notice the altitude here in La Paz, capital of Bolivia. There are such a lot of mountains around, for one thing. And they're all so high!
SPORTS / SPORTS SCOPE
Nov 29, 2001

Japanese fans headed for a World Cup headache

The crosstown trip from my office in central Tokyo to National Stadium is a breeze. On Tuesday night it took 35 minutes, and I arrived in time to see the Toyota Cup kick off.
Japan Times
Events
Nov 27, 2001

Kyoto locals slam fall traffic jams

KYOTO -- The Arashiyama area, situated in the northwestern part of this ancient city, is famous for its colored leaves at this time of the year and the many temples that serve as sightseeing spots for enjoying the natural beauty.
COMMUNITY
Nov 25, 2001

Key insight spells riches for Hollywood nail care magnate

All it took for a small dental supply business to become the world's largest independent manufacturer of nail products was one man's realization that some of his biggest buyers of dental acrylics weren't dentists at all they were manicurists.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Nov 25, 2001

High style for high rollers

Over the last few years, most mainstream fashion -- in London, Paris, New York or wherever -- has tended toward a softer, more casual look, and taking inspiration from various genres like streetwear has become the norm.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / CHANNEL SURF
Nov 25, 2001

Only the garbage knows

One of the things all single-episode TV mysteries have in common besides being single-episode TV mysteries is ridiculous titles. The title of this week's "Monday Mystery Theatre" (TBS, 9 p.m.) is "Obasan Kaicho Murasaki no Hanzai Seiso Nikki: Gomi wa Koroshi wo Shitte Iru," which translates as "Middle-aged...
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Nov 25, 2001

Failed chemistry experiments in the media lab

Two weeks ago, a friend faxed me an article from the weekly news magazine Aera about a new advertising trend called "collaboration CF," which is the selling of two different companies' products in one TV commercial. I had already read about collaborations two days earlier in advertising critic Yukichi...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Nov 25, 2001

Japan's designers show they're going places

Sitting under the glare of the runway lights for three weeks of fashion shows, watching model after model sashaying up and down the catwalk, isn't such a bad way to spend time. It's kind of like traveling.
ENVIRONMENT / OUR PLANET EARTH
Nov 22, 2001

Singing the praises of glorious mud flats

How's this for a writer with a bee in his shorts?: "Upon ratifying the Ramsar Convention, Japan agreed to 'promote the conservation of wetlands and waterfowl by establishing nature reserves in wetlands . . . and providing adequately for their wardening' [Article 4]. So far, Japan has made no effort to...
CULTURE / Film
Nov 21, 2001

When marketing hits the target, that's amore

Reisei to Jonetsu no Aida Rating: * * Director: Isamu Nakae Running time: 124 minutes Language: Japanese Now showing

Longform

A sinkhole in Yashio, which emerged in January, was triggered by a ruptured, aging sewer pipe. Authorities worry that similar sections of infrastructure across the country are also at risk of corrosion.
That sinking feeling: Japan’s aging sewers are an infrastructure time bomb