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Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Oct 31, 2016

Why you won't learn natural Japanese from dubbed foreign TV

It seems that in Japanese dubbing there is always something found rather than lost in translation — something that wasn't in the English original and is not part of regular Japanese either.
Japan Times
JAPAN / CHUBU CONNECTION
Oct 31, 2016

Led by Shabani, gorillas challenge koalas for popularity title at Nagoya zoo

Expectations are running high that Shabani, a male gorilla famed for his "good looks," may win the prize for most popular animal at Higashiyama Zoo and Botanical Gardens in Nagoya.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / BACKSTREET STORIES
Oct 29, 2016

Living on prayer and paper in Otsuka

Hoping to catch the earliest blush of autumnal colors, I seek out the Important Cultural Property of Gokokuji, a prominent temple located in Tokyo's Bunkyo Ward. A satellite map shows it embraced by a forest of trees. I suspect a cemetery might lurk below the leaf canopy, but in late October who would...
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Oct 29, 2016

Could nuclear advocacy be Abe's undoing?

Voters have elected anti-nuclear governors in Kagoshima and Niigata prefectures in recent months. These elections can be considered referenda on nuclear power because that issue was the main focus of debate in both campaigns. The results have put Prime Minister Shinzo Abe — and his plans to rev up...
ASIA PACIFIC
Oct 26, 2016

Firm that helped build South China Sea islands wins Philippine contract

A Chinese state-owned firm that helped build man-made islands in a disputed area of the South China Sea has clinched a big-ticket infrastructure deal with the Philippines, a rival claimant to the strategic waters, amid Manila's newfound detente with Beijing, a report has said.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Oct 25, 2016

Will Abe's new approach to ties with Russia pay off?

Anticipation is building that a breakthrough could finally be achieved in the territorial dispute between Japan and Russia. But is it merely wishful thinking?
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 25, 2016

Bollywood jingoism rebounds against India

In its long-running battle with neighboring Pakistan, India's in danger once again of shooting itself in the foot.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 25, 2016

Toyota joined in top three by Buick in annual Consumer Reports automotive ranking

Toyota Motor Corp.'s Lexus and Toyota brands held their lead atop Consumer Reports' annual reliability rankings, while General Motors Co.'s 117-year-old line became the first from the U.S. to win one of the list's top three places.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy / ANALYSIS
Oct 25, 2016

Why gutting NAFTA is unlikely to create U.S. jobs

Both U.S. presidential candidates routinely criticize free-trade deals they blame for the loss of American jobs.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Crime & Legal / ANALYSIS
Oct 25, 2016

Probe finds Duterte deploying questionable data in ongoing violent crackdown on drug addicts

President Rodrigo Duterte ended a recent speech in Manila with a now-familiar claim: Two policemen are dying every day in his violent battle to rid the country of illegal drugs.
Japan Times
JAPAN / CHUBU CONNECTION
Oct 24, 2016

Nobel laureates raise prestige of Nagoya chemistry medals

The annual Nagoya Medal of Organic Chemistry is gaining wider prominence now that it has been recognized that two of the three recipients of this year's Nobel Prize in chemistry were previous winners of the award.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Oct 23, 2016

The Fujii sisters carry on their mother's percussion legacy as Utari

Sisters Haruka and Rika Fujii are keenly aware of their musical lineage; their mother, Mutsuko, is a pioneer when it comes to the marimba.
CULTURE / Music
Oct 23, 2016

Guests shine on Utada's return album

Utada Hikaru "Fantome" (Universal Music Japan)
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / ON: GAMES
Oct 22, 2016

PlayStation adds more power to the PS4

More power to the PS4
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 21, 2016

Nintendo releases video of new game crossover product Switch

Nintendo on Thursday released the name and a video image of its yet-to-be launched video game product.
JAPAN / Society
Oct 21, 2016

Lower House committee passes bill to shake up Japan's foreign trainee program

The bill is intended to shake up a state-sponsored foreign traineeship program slammed by critics as akin to modern slavery.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 21, 2016

Odakyu plans to debut new luxurious Romancecar on Hakone run in 2018

Odakyu Electric Railway Co. has unveiled a new design for its signature Romancecar limited express train connecting Tokyo with the hot-spring resort of Hakone in Kanagawa Prefecture.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Oct 20, 2016

Tokyo International Film Festival welcomes audiences to the animated world of Mamoru Hosoda

The Tokyo International Film Festival, whose 29th edition unspools from Oct. 25 to Nov. 3, offers something for everyone — from golden oldies in the Japanese Classics section to films for kids in the new Youth section. However, as Japan's biggest film festival, as well as one of the most important...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Oct 19, 2016

TIFF takes viewers beyond the comfort zone

While sifting through the movies submitted for this year's Tokyo International Film Festival (TIFF), competition programming director Yoshihiko Yatabe says he noticed a recurring theme.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Oct 19, 2016

Japan's eclectic collection of choice

The Tokyo International Film Festival offers a great once-in-a-year opportunity to see new and classic Japanese films with English subtitles. The sheer quantity on offer — more than 50 titles in the main sections alone — can be overwhelming, though. Here are samples from my own must-see list.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Oct 18, 2016

Koike, IOC chief agree to cooperate on cutting cost of Olympics

International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach and Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike say they will hammer out ways to keep the 2020 Games' price tag low.
Japan Times
Figure Skating / ICE TIME
Oct 18, 2016

Uno favored to take title at Skate America

Shoma Uno, the bronze medalist at last year's Grand Prix Final, will make his GP season debut at Skate America in Hoffman Estates, Illinois, this week where he will take on a field headed by rising Chinese star Jin Boyang.
Japan Times
JAPAN / CHUBU CONNECTION
Oct 17, 2016

Tokai breweries rush to fill surprising demand for 'amazake'

Amid the increasing popularity of amazake, a traditional sweet non- or low-alcohol sake made from fermented rice, breweries and retailers in the Tokai region are boosting production and sales ahead of winter, when demand surges.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Oct 16, 2016

'Future R&B' trackmaker starRo makes a case for 'Monday'

Shinya Mizoguchi used to loathe the start of the week. "Everybody hates Monday. It's not a positive day of the week," he says via Skype from his home in Los Angeles. His perspective changed over the past year, however, when he quit his job as a project manager at a tech company to focus solely on his...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KONBINI WATCH
Oct 14, 2016

The Pumpkin Cream Puff joins Japan's mountain of Halloween-themed treats

With Halloween just around the corner, convenience stores are filling up with pumpkin-flavored treats. Seven-Eleven has rolled out several holiday-appropriate snacks this month, including its Pumpkin Cream Puff (¥135). It features a black cocoa exterior with pumpkin paste and whipped cream waiting...
LIFE / Travel / HOTELS & RESTAURANTS
Oct 13, 2016

Spooky sweets and cocktail treats; Halloween hotel haunting; refined elegance in the heart of Kyoto

Spooky sweets and cocktail treats
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Oct 13, 2016

Shugo Tokumaru gets his friends involved on new album 'Toss'

A couple of months ago, Shugo Tokumaru released a video on YouTube that showed him preparing an elaborate meal from an unlikely set of ingredients. In it, he took a selection of toy instruments — a ukulele, a recorder, some castanets, a party horn — and chopped them up, dusted a few pieces with flour,...
CULTURE / Film
Oct 13, 2016

Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia provides movie buffs with a quick fall fix

In Japan, it's said that "autumn is the season for the arts." One film festival appears to share the sentiment.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Oct 13, 2016

Japanese cafe flips burgers in contest inspired by U.S. election

A Tokyo burger joint is getting its customers in on the U.S. election action by asking them to choose the better burger from two representing U.S. presidential candidates Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Oct 13, 2016

Despite controversy, the Busan International Film Festival is as strong as ever

The 21st edition of Asia's biggest movie event, the Busan International Film Festival (BIFF), which took place from Oct. 6 to 15, almost didn't happen; or, at least, that's the story being told. Actually, considering how important the festival is for South Korea's movie industry, one of the most vital...

Longform

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