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JAPAN / BOOSTING THE BIRTHRATE
Jun 2, 2010

Holdout singles stalling birthrate

Japan's low birthrate has accelerated the graying population.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
May 28, 2010

'Railways'

The Japanese have a love affair with trains, especially the ones that trundle through the more picturesque parts of the country. One sure way to draw tourists to your rural prefecture is an ancient steam locomotive that chugs through a pretty middle-of-nowhere. For many visitors, it's not the destination,...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WORDS TO LIVE BY
May 27, 2010

Geisha Chikako Pari

Chikako Pari, whose stage name is Ichizuru, is the last geisha, also known as geiko, of a small town in Kyoto Prefecture. Her unusual last name, Pari — written in kanji — refers to the city of Paris and her French ancestry, although the details of her French great-grandfather's life were never revealed...
JAPAN / Science & Health / NATURAL SELECTIONS
May 9, 2010

Astronauts need company: Should we send a rover or a humanoid?

If you've heard the arguments about whether it's better to send robots or humans on space missions, get ready for them to intensify: There are whole varieties of subarguments.
CULTURE / Books
May 9, 2010

Year of the party cats

I put this picture book to the toughest test of all: I read it to my 3-year-old. Though the text was a bit over her head, she stared transfixed at the illustrations. Truth be told, so did I. They are delicious: a rustic Japanese village rendered in rich color and packed with food, flowers, humor and...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
May 8, 2010

Weaving a bridge between cultures with new fabric

Love of art and a desire for understanding different cultures — so as to find a way to build a bridge among them — have been important aspects of Micaela Metri's life since her youth, when she was a student on a full scholarship at the L.B. Pearson College of the Pacific in Canada.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
May 7, 2010

'Green Zone'

Hey, here's some news for you: There were no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, and elements of the administration of President George W. Bush deliberately deceived the public! If new Iraq war film "Green Zone" had come out with this plotline circa 2004, I would have cheered, but at this late stage...
ENVIRONMENT / OUR PLANET EARTH
Apr 25, 2010

Will arrogance and ignorance doom our biosphere?

This year, 2010, is the United Nations' International Year of Biodiversity — which is a very good thing. But why this critically important global concern gets just one year is seriously worth debating.
EDITORIALS
Mar 28, 2010

Judicial error confirmed

In the retrial of Mr. Toshikazu Sugaya, who served 17 1/2 years of a life sentence before being released in June on the strength of a new DNA test, the Utsunomiya District Court on Friday declared him innocent in the 1990 murder of a 4-year-old girl in Ashikaga, Tochigi Prefecture.
JAPAN
Mar 27, 2010

All interrogations must be taped: Sugaya

Toshikazu Sugaya, convicted of murder in 1993 and freed from prison last June, and others believed wrongfully convicted are calling for full videotaping of police interrogations to help prevent crime suspects from being forced to make false confessions.
LIFE / Digital / JAPAN TIMES BLOGROLL
Mar 15, 2010

1000 Things About Japan/Japanese Snack Reviews

When Shari Custer arrived in Japan with her American husband, the original plan was to stay for "five years." That was 20 years ago. During her extended time in Japan, Custer wanted to chronicle some of the little things that many overlook, and her ongoing list comprises one of her blogs: 1000 Things...
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Mar 14, 2010

Empress of ennui beloved in Japan

She was a caged wife with an insatiable thirst for love and freedom. She was a famed beauty and fitness freak. She defied royal protocol and was often at odds with conservatives around her, including her mother-in-law.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Mar 6, 2010

Authenticity is all for mountaineer

Within the majestic silence of a snow-covered mountain lies the hush of possibility. The dormant assurance of life; a mountain in winter signifies hope. Especially for Dan Junker, 47, who lives in a tiny village in the shadow of Mount Norikura.
CULTURE / Books
Feb 14, 2010

Reflections of a madman

"I Am Ozzy" is a true Hollywood story in book format — a ride through rock 'n' roll history with a driver saturated in controlled substances. It's Ozzy Osborne's stumbling, rambling, decadent beyond recognition memoir, as over the top as the author himself. The book would be heartbreaking if it weren't...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Feb 12, 2010

Cyber Arts Japan: As interactive as they want to be

"What are silk screen prints doing in a show of media art?"
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WORDS TO LIVE BY
Feb 11, 2010

Rights activist Chiyoko Tanaka

Chiyoko Tanaka, 81, is a volunteer lobbyist for the rights of disabled people in Japan. For the past 49 years, together with her daughter, Mariko, she has been working tirelessly to ensure that all people — regardless of the nature of their disabilities — have equal rights in education, housing,...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / CLOSE-UP
Feb 7, 2010

Taeko Tomiyama: Brushing with authority

I will never forget the day I went to a show titled "Embracing Asia: Taeko Tomiyama Retrospective 1950-2009," which was one of 370 art exhibits by creators from 40 countries comprising the fourth Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennial staged over 50 days last autumn at locations across a huge area of rural Niigata...
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Feb 7, 2010

Film series reveals more than just foreign take on Japan

Many people still think Japan is inscrutable. It's a cliche reinforced on the Japanese side by another cliche that says Japan is "unique," and which is further reinforced by the tendency to explain cultural aspects as if they were museum exhibits. Much of NHK's English language content falls into this...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Dec 20, 2009

David Cozy: Best books of 2009

To grasp the achievement of Edogawa Rampo one needs to read both his stories and his essays. Thus Kurodahan Press, in making available this exquisitely edited collection of both fiction and nonfiction, has done readers a great service. Entering the fantastic twists and turns of Rampo's stories, one is...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Dec 19, 2009

Restaurateur's passion is aiding others

Christmas is a time of prayers, dreams and wishes, of children waiting for a gift from their parents and for an appearance by Santa Claus. But about 150 poor children on Smoky Mountain in Manila have a special Santa to wait for.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Dec 18, 2009

Back to basic instincts

Mamoru Oshii is best known here and abroad as an anime auteur whose works, from the seminal dystopian SF "Kokaku Kidotai" ("Ghost in the Shell," 1995) to the air-action epic "Sky Crawlers" (2008), have often viewed the future of humanity through a glass darkly.
EDITORIALS
Dec 13, 2009

An education in violence

Violent behavior in Japanese schools increased to an all-time high in 2008, according to a recent report from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT). Students, teachers and other people were victims of 60,000 violent incidents involving primary, middle and high school...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Dec 11, 2009

To the cosmos and then back down to Earth

Artist Chris Bucklow has been many things: a writer, a curator and, just as relevantly, an amateur astronomer. A trip to Botswana to view Halley's comet was the impetus to finally leave London's Victoria and Albert Museum, where he had worked for 10 years, and take up art fulltime. The now 52-year-old...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Dec 4, 2009

'Julie and Julia'

On some Hollywood actresses an apron would look all wrong. Amy Adams, however, wears the mantle of housework with a generous willingness that compensates for the occasional clumsiness of her lily white hands. After her stint in house cleaning and trash removal in "Sunshine Cleaning," Hollywood seems...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Dec 4, 2009

U.K. 'samurai' lands in Japan

When U.S. President Barack Obama bowed to the Emperor during his visit to Japan last month, the headline of The Japan Times read: "U.S. conservatives: Obama bowed too deeply to Emperor." While some Americans accused the U.S. commander in chief of "groveling to a foreign leader," however, the Japanese...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / JUST BE CAUSE
Dec 1, 2009

A level playing field for immigrants

For the first time in Japan's postwar history, we have a viable opposition party in power — one that might stick around long enough to make some new policies stick. In my last column for 2009, let me suggest how the Democratic Party of Japan could make life easier for Japan's residents, regardless...
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Nov 29, 2009

Documenting blind pianist Tsujii, an industry whistle-blower and professional matchmakers

Since winning the Grand Prix at the last Van Cliburn Piano Competition, 20-year-old Nobuyuki Tsujii has become world famous, though he was already a star in his native Japan. Blind since birth, Tsujii automatically drew attention as a piano prodigy, which is why his life has been well-documented up until...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Nov 20, 2009

Tibet to Tokyo: alan takes flight

"First of all, I am a Tibetan, 100 percent," says singer Alan Dawa Zhuoma, more commonly known by her stage name alan. "I'll never forget the many Chinese teachers and friends who gave me knowledge and encouraged me while I studied in Chengdu and Beijing, but wherever I go, I am Tibetan and I always...

Longform

Japan's growing ranks of centenarians are redefining what it means to live in a super-aging society.
What comes after 100?