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Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Dec 27, 2014

Isolation helps preserve Ishigaki's unique charm

In his 1926 story, "The Man Who Loved Islands," D.H. Lawrence wrote, "Isolate yourself on a little island in the sea of space, and the moment begins to heave and expand in great circles, the solid earth is gone, and your slippery, naked dark soul finds itself out in the timeless world."
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Dec 26, 2014

Digital tack taken to revive interest in New Year's cards

The tradition of sending "nengajo," or New Year's postcards, has been in decline as people turn to the Internet, social networking and digital gadgets like smartphones instead of putting pen to paper.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 26, 2014

America's gun culture and the manly virtues

As growing economic autonomy among American women reshapes breadwinning and gender roles, it's getting tough out there for tough guys. So it doesn't take much imagination to grasp the appeal of holding a gun to some men.
Japan Times
JAPAN / CHUBU CONNECTION
Dec 26, 2014

Carnations inspire creation of unique bubbly in Nagoya

Talk about bouquet. Meijo University in Nagoya has produced sparkling wine from grapes and yeast derived from carnations.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Dec 26, 2014

U.S. moviegoers trumpet free speech as 'Interview' opens to sell-out cinema crowds

"The Interview," the Sony Pictures film about a fictional plot to assassinate North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, opened in more than 300 cinemas across the United States on Christmas Day, drawing sell-out audiences in many theaters where outspoken patrons said they were championing freedom of expression....
COMMENTARY / Japan
Dec 25, 2014

How Japan's economy put itself out to pasture

Simply put, Japan is a bankrupt nation, even as gross domestic product outgrows that of the U.S. economy on a per capita basis.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Dec 24, 2014

Top 10 films of 2014: made in Japan, for Japan

Are Japanese films in decline? Not at the box office, where they still beat the Hollywood competition (with the huge exception this year of "Frozen"), but what about international festival invitations, awards and critical buzz? The answer depends on your perspective. For overseas festivals specializing...
JAPAN
Dec 22, 2014

Conservative Abe's secrecy law doesn't hold a candle to Seoul's press suppression

For people concerned with the weakening of press freedoms under the government of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, its criticism of Asahi Shimbun and the new state secrets law, there should still be a sense of relief that media suppression in Japan has not quite reached the levels now being seen in South Korea.
BASKETBALL / BJ-LEAGUE NOTEBOOK
Dec 19, 2014

Aomori relying on strong nucleus in second season

The Aomori Wat's are positioning themselves for another postseason appearance, building on the experience the Tohoku-based team gained in its inaugural season.
Japan Times
JAPAN / CHUBU CONNECTION
Dec 19, 2014

Rare 'raicho' ptarmigans lose habitat following Ontake eruption, could disappear

The eruption of Mount Ontake in September killed dozens of hikers, but also probably decimated the population of a rare bird — the rock ptarmigan, a much-loved symbol of Japan's alpine region.
BUSINESS / Tech
Dec 19, 2014

Google planning built-in Android system for cars

Google is laying the groundwork for a version of Android that will be built directly into cars, sources said, allowing drivers to enjoy all the benefits of the Internet without even plugging in their smartphones.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Dec 18, 2014

'Captain Cook's Voyage and Banks' Florilegium'

As the finale of a series of shows commemorating Bunkamura The Museum's 25th anniversary, this exhibition features the florilegium works of Joseph Banks (1743-1820). Banks, a naturalist and botanist, was appointed as a member of the scientific expedition onboard Captain James Cook's HMS Endeavour. During...
CULTURE / Music
Dec 16, 2014

Rock, J-pop and dance: Albums we liked in 2014

The year-end album charts in Japan have a tendency to prop up the same acts year after year: Exile, anything that ends in a "48," and almost every group from the Johnny & Associates stable of boy bands. Writers at The Japan Times, however, spent the year looking past the charts to find a few gems lurking...
Japan Times
JAPAN / History
Dec 13, 2014

Tokyo Station at 100: all change

“Tokyo Station is not just a station, it is a symbol of Japan. It has always been a part of progress in rail technology but it's much more important than that. It is a landmark that represents Japan.'
Japan Times
JAPAN / CHUBU CONNECTION
Dec 12, 2014

Takayama mobilizes to protect voters from bear attacks

Polling stations in one mountain city are bracing for an unusual kind of disruption on election day: bear attacks.
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 11, 2014

Sony PlayStation to make China debut next month as ban ends

Sony Corp. will release its PlayStation 4 console in China next month, following Microsoft Corp. into the world's biggest game market after the government eased restrictions.
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 10, 2014

Honda halts U.S. sales of Acura sedan because of brake fault

Honda Motor Co. told U.S. dealers to stop selling some of its Acura TLX sedans because the parking lock may fail to engage, the latest quality shortcoming at the automaker after President Takanobu Ito took a pay cut.
Japan Times
Figure Skating / ICE TIME
Dec 9, 2014

Gold's motive for GP Final pullout in question

When you grow up in a country or culture, you can usually tell when somebody from the same place or background is being insincere. The tone of voice and body language often give them away.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Dec 9, 2014

Christmas in Tokyo is pretty sweet

Just before the Halloween decorations were taken down and packed up, the signs advertising Christmas cakes went up. Bakeries, department stores and convenience stores all seem to have a corner for small cakes topped with whipped cream and tiny Santa Claus figurines. A traditional Japanese holiday feast...
EDITORIALS
Dec 8, 2014

Amending the Constitution

The political landscape emerging from the Dec. 14 Lower House election will impact when or whether a revision to Japan's Constitution becomes a major agenda item.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech / ADVANCES IN PROGRESS
Dec 7, 2014

Synthetic fluorite puts lens biz in focus

Iwatani Corp. brightened the outlook for camera fans in October by announcing it had developed the world's first viable technology for synthesizing high-purity fluorite — an element critical to making the world's best lenses.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design
Dec 6, 2014

Code + culture: new media art from Japan

Domestic media artists have been using programming code in recent years to create some astonishing works of art. We look back at how this scene developed over the years and examine four contemporary artists who have defined the way the genre has evolved.
Japan Times
Places
Dec 6, 2014

Day trips from Tokyo

Tokyo has plenty to offer to visitors and residents, but for those times when you need something different, something slower, something roomier, here are few select days trips out of Tokyo.
Japan Times
JAPAN / CHUBU CONNECTION
Dec 5, 2014

Nagoya YWCA offers language classes with day care

The Nagoya YWCA School of Japanese Language in Aichi Prefecture has added a "Bambina" course to its curriculum.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Dec 3, 2014

Looking Japan's film-industry myths in the eye

Who doesn't love a listicle titled "(X) surprising things you never knew about (Y)"? What surprises me about a lot of commentary on the Japanese film industry — from insiders and outsiders alike — is how it substitutes judgment calls (usually of the "Japanese films are crap" variety) for out-in-plain-sight...
BUSINESS
Dec 3, 2014

North Korea's fingerprints reportedly found on Sony hack

North Korea may have had a hand in the digital attack against Sony Pictures Entertainment that used destructive malware to disable systems and destroy data, according to two sources with knowledge of the investigation.

Longform

A small shrine perched atop rocks braves the waves hitting the shoreline during a storm in Shimoda, Shizuoka Prefecture. The area is under threat of a possible 31-meter-high tsunami if an earthquake strikes the nearby Nankai Trough.
If the 'Big One' hits, this city could face a 31-meter-high tsunami