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Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 1, 2013

Japan's steely resolve suggests nationalism based on fear

More than half a century ago I had dinner in Paris with Arimasa Mori, the grandson of the Meiji Era education minister Arinori Mori, who had set the prewar pattern for a Westernized but intensely patriotic education. The Mori family hailed from Kagoshima, and the part that Arinori had played in the Meiji...
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / JAPAN TIMES BLOGROLL
Jan 1, 2013

Spoon & Tamago

Raised in Japan, the Brooklyn-based artist and writer who goes by the moniker Johnny Strategy has been blogging about Japanese art and design at Spoon & Tamago since 2007. Having studied art education and art and visual technology, he also has a background in pottery and hones the craft when not generating...
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 31, 2012

The fight to limit agricultural use of antibiotics can be won with the right political alliances

Ask a dozen food activists what political change they want to see in 2013 and you'll get a dozen different answers, maybe two dozen: Restrict sodium in packaged foods. Label genetically modified ingredients. End subsidies to big farms.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Dec 29, 2012

How can Japan help save the world? Be more Taiwanese

Japan had Taiwan under its rule from 1895 until 1945. Despite the history of colonial rule, Taiwanese today have largely favorable views of the Japanese. Japan is the third most popular destination for the Taiwanese, after South Korea and China.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film / BEST OF 2012
Dec 28, 2012

Hold the McFilms, pass the cinematic cassoulet

It always puzzles me that people turn to the Food page curious to find out about off-the-beaten-track joints that serve up a savory cassoulet or artisan shōchū or whatever, yet so many come to the film page expecting a review of this week's McBurger. Guess what? Tasted pretty much like the last one....
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Dec 27, 2012

In Japan it's never too late to get in on the ground floor with stocks

Will the Japanese public, in particular women, finally start investing in the stock market?
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Dec 27, 2012

Social awareness takes center stage

Japan's calamities of March 2011 — the Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami, and the start of an ongoing nuclear disaster — changed not only the social awareness of the general public who make up theater audiences, but also how dramatists approached their work. Many questioned why so many mistakes...
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Dec 25, 2012

Sites for J-footy fans; variable service at Softbank

In response to our Oct. 23 column, " 'Prenups' uncommon but doable; aid for avid J. League fans," some of our readers wrote in with their favorite Japan soccer resources.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Dec 24, 2012

Switching to mama mode is not easy for today's gals

Bad news on the kekkon sensen (結婚戦線, marriage front) — hardly anyone's doing it. According to a government survey, more than 60 percent of single men and close to 50 percent of single women are not in relationships, nor are they particularly interested in dating. At this rate, Japan's already...
Japan Times
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Dec 23, 2012

Popular slugger Ramirez, family opening Latin-style cafe in Tokyo

Most foreigners who come to Japan to play baseball do just that — and only that. Whether a career lasts a few games or several years, the guys go back to their home country to continue playing ball, stay in the game as coaches or managers or find another job outside the game. A few, however, have stayed...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 22, 2012

Starbucks pours fewer drops of drip per cup

A cup of Starbucks coffee in Japan just got smaller.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital
Dec 22, 2012

Will.i.am: social activist, pop star and tech evangelist

How smart is will.i.am? Pretty damned smart, I'd say. He might have the trappings of a rap star with an entourage that includes a film crew, but that's only a small part of it. He's also one of the most sought-after producers in the music industry and one of its shrewdest business brains.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Dec 15, 2012

Do young Japanese people dream big?

Do young Japanese people dream big? This was the question posed by Steven Kim recently on LinkedIn's "InStyle Tokyo Premier Networking" group.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Dec 13, 2012

Tadanori Yokoo unearths a future from personal past

The establishment of a museum in the name of an individual is always, to a degree, a memorializing issue in preparation for the inevitable. The inauguration of the Yokoo Tadanori Museum of Contemporary Art in many ways heralds such, and Yokoo's oeuvre has often been a dialogue with death.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Dec 6, 2012

"Maki-e for Celebration: Kisshou Monyou Pattern in Kyoto Lacquerware"

Kissho monyo refers to Asian auspicious motifs that are often used on objects to bring about good fortune or ward off back luck. Such designs are typically inspired by mythological tales and include animals such as tigers, cranes and turtles. The motifs symbolize a range of human desires and qualities...
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / TECH_JAPAN
Dec 5, 2012

Despite downloadable versions, packaged games in high demand

Late last month, Nintendo issued a press release, regarding its smash hit "Animal Crossing: New Leaf." The game, a simulator in which cute characters do things like collect items and decorate their houses, hit No. 1 on the game charts thanks to its dedicated following with young and seasoned players...
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Dec 2, 2012

U.S. drone crashes surge overseas

The U.S. Air Force drone, on a classified spy mission over the Indian Ocean, was destined for disaster from the start.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design / ON: DESIGN
Nov 27, 2012

Double-A seating power

The AA Stool is the lovely result of a collaboration between Torafu Architects and the Ishinomaki Laboratory, a platform that brings together creators in one of the hardest-hit areas during last year's earthquake and tsunami, Ishinomaki in Miyagi Prefecture.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Nov 27, 2012

Ink doesn't always cause a stink at the onsen

In response to our Nov. 6 column ("If you need to bring drugs to Japan, sort out the paperwork — or else"), regarding how to find tattoo-friendly onsen, a few readers wrote in with their public bathing experiences.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Nov 24, 2012

Yaeyama stray cats steal the show on the beaches of Taketomi

After eight days on Miyakojima in which again our departure was delayed by bad weather, we finally set sail for Ishigaki Island, part of the Yaeyama Island chain and the end of our sailing trip through Japan.
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Nov 18, 2012

Yoshiwara busts send message: 'Keep it clean'

On May 24, 1956, the Diet voted Japan's anti-prostitution statute into law, effective from April 1, 1957; but enforcement was postponed a year to give sex workers time to seek new livelihoods.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Nov 17, 2012

Resona targeting loans at retiring entrepreneurs

Resona Holdings Inc. is targeting retiring entrepreneurs to boost lending by some ¥600 billion through businesses they sell and rental properties they invest in.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design / ON: FASHION
Nov 13, 2012

Designer Cynthia Rowley hits the double digits

New York-based designer Cynthia Rowley celebrated her brand's 10th year in Japan with a special talk show and cocktail dinner for VIP guests during Tokyo Fashion Week. The Barrington, Illinois, native's name has long been on the lips of American sportswear fans with her bright and feminine takes on casual-to-cocktail-style...

Longform

Once smoky, male-dominated spaces, today's net cafes, like Kaikatsu Club, are working to make their operations more attractive to women customers.
The second life of Japan's net cafes