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Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Apr 9, 2014

Energy plan fails to set targets for renewables

The government of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's final version of a draft energy report reinforces the role of nuclear power in the country's future, but falls short of setting specific goals for renewable energy use.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Apr 9, 2014

'Lady Bess' set to make grand Tokyo entrance

April 13 is a big day for theatergoers in Tokyo, as it sees the world premiere of "Lady Bess," a musical by the world-renowned team of German writer Michael Kunze and Hungarian composer Sylvester Levay, with famed hit-maker Shuichiro Koike directing.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KYOTO RESTAURANTS
Apr 8, 2014

Inakatei: Local Kyoto cuisine heavy on the fish and veg

When faced with a six-page menu allied with a supplementary page loaded with specials and all in a language that makes less sense to you than abstract art, what do you do? Get up and leave is one answer, as proven by the nearby holidaying couple, American I assumed by accent and attire, who left shortly...
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 7, 2014

Language of Indian politics

Even those Indians who are assumed will automatically vote their caste in the current election have choices and will make a number of fairly sophisticated mental trade-offs.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
Apr 7, 2014

Japan's Hutterites hold on to a dream for community

Otawara — yes, that's spelled with a "t" — is one of those places few people know and most confuse with somewhere else (in this case with Odawara, Kanagawa Prefecture).
Japan Times
JAPAN / CHUBU CONNECTION
Apr 4, 2014

Chubu airport retools to attract foreign tourists

Chubu Centrair International Airport in Nagoya has started various new services to cater to foreign visitors, including new bus services to the city, tourist information and announcements in Chinese and Korean.
COMMENTARY
Apr 4, 2014

African e-money is the next currency killer

All the talk of bitcoin in recent years has overshadowed the e-finance revolution in Africa, India and eastern Europe, where a service called M-Pesa has replaced banking for millions of people who don't have a bank account.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / HOTELS & RESTAURANTS
Apr 3, 2014

Luxurious lodging in heart of city; running around central Tokyo; not dead yet; disco lives on

Luxurious lodging in heart of city Andaz, Hyatt's upscale, boutique-inspired lifestyle hotel, will make its Japan debut in June, in one of Tokyo's newest and most distinguished business towers, Toranomon Hills.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Apr 3, 2014

No tickets available? Find a Bob Dylan-related event to get your fix

Not every Bob Dylan fan in Japan is going to nab a ticket for the musician's many shows, but don't worry — Dylan fever can be sated in other ways.
BASKETBALL / ONE-ON-ONE WITH ...
Apr 2, 2014

Big Bull Peppers proud to be underdog

The Japan Times features periodic interviews with players in the bj-league. Josh Peppers of the Iwate Big Bulls is the subject of this week's profile.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / A TASTE OF HOME
Apr 1, 2014

Pining for the communal flavor of Israeli cuisine

I thought I missed hummus. By which I mean: I missed being able to pick up a tub at the supermarket. But to hear an Israeli acquaintance talk of it is to learn that there is so much more to miss.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Apr 1, 2014

Ostü: Great Italian across the way from Yoyogi Park

The only drawback to the sakura season is that no matter how beautiful the blossoms, the celebrations can get very chilly. You need somewhere you can repair to for warmth and sustenance. If you're anywhere near Yoyogi Park, you won't do better than Ostu00fc.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Mar 29, 2014

Okinawa and the Ryukyu Islands

This extensive travel book by lecturer and Okinawa expert Robert Walker is billed as "the first comprehensive guide to the entire Ryukyu Island chain." With 25 years experience traveling throughout the region's 150-islands Walker has amassed a huge amount of information — condensed here into 290 pages...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 28, 2014

Haneda expansion a travel game-changer

To counter cutthroat competition from hub airports elsewhere in Asia, Haneda airport will expand its international flight capacity Sunday when it takes the wraps off a more spacious terminal.
JAPAN
Mar 28, 2014

Down Syndrome exhibit underway

Almost a year since the introduction of a controversial prenatal screening test, a photo exhibition is underway in Tokyo to dispel misunderstandings about children with Down Syndrome.
Japan Times
JAPAN / CHUBU CONNECTION
Mar 28, 2014

Residents of Nagoya get disaster info maps

Officials in Nagoya are distributing seismic and tsunami hazard maps based on the damage the city is projected to take from an earthquake in the Nankai Trough.
CULTURE / Film
Mar 27, 2014

'The Secret Life of Walter Mitty'

Ah, Hollywood — who else could take a lean, two-page short story and turn it into a bloated $90-million mega-production?
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / HOTELS & RESTAURANTS
Mar 27, 2014

Celebrating 20 years; water view of Tokyo; Shangri-La catering

Celebrating 20 years
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / ONE-ON-ONE WITH ...
Mar 26, 2014

Chapman passing on lessons to young Nara teammates

The Japan Times features periodic interviews with players in the bj-league. Joe Chapman of the Bambitious Nara is the subject of this week's profile.
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Mar 26, 2014

Party with the yuru-kyara in Saitama

On March 30, Kibitan, Fukushima Prefecture's Narcissus Flycatcher bird mascot is joining other yuru-kyara regional mascots from across Saitama Prefecture in an event to support the recovery efforts in regions of northeastern Japan affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake of March 11, 2011.
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Mar 26, 2014

There's lots to do down by the river in Kitakyushu

During World War II, Kokura, which is now part of Kitakyushu in Fukuoka Prefecture, is said to have been selected as a potential target of the atomic bomb, an alternative to Nagasaki.
BASEBALL / MLB / MAN ABOUT SPORTS
Mar 25, 2014

The buzz is gone, but Matsuzaka continues to battle on

Under a cloudless sky the color of his old powder-blue Seibu Lions uniform, Daisuke Matsuzaka and his fellow New York Mets pitchers are being put through their spring training paces here.
WORLD / Politics
Mar 25, 2014

Gold, luxury watches show ex-minister's taste for treasure

Eduard Stavytsky had a thing for bling, Ukrainians learned Monday, as the riches accumulated by their fugitive former energy minister were laid out on a table for the world to see.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / NOTEBOOK
Mar 25, 2014

European design; Animation station; African Festival

exhibitions
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Mar 25, 2014

Orchestra to explore Mexico's classical legacy at commemorative concert

The first Japanese to visit Mexico is said to have been samurai Hasekura Tsunenaga. En route to Europe on a diplomatic mission, he arrived in Acapulco in January 1614. The country was under Spanish rule at the time and didn't achieve independence until 1821.
Japan Times
JAPAN / KANSAI PERSPECTIVE
Mar 23, 2014

When it comes to tourism, image is everything

The new Osaka Government Tourism Bureau is the latest effort by a Kansai entity to re-brand itself as Japan gears up for a bigger piece of the tourism pie.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Mar 23, 2014

Gravitational waves carry clues on big bang

The sighting came from a small telescope on the roof of a laboratory sitting on the ice sheet three-quarters of a mile (1.3 kilometers) from the geographic South Pole.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Mar 22, 2014

Classic '90s police drama gets remake; Koki Mitani pens "Sherlock Holmes: Bizarre School" mini-series; CM of the Week: Boat Race Promotion Agency

TV Tokyo remakes one of the most famous TV dramas of the '90s, "Keiji" ("Detective"; Wed., 9 p.m.), which originally ran on NHK and starred Ken Takakura. This new version has Katsunori Takahashi in the titular role of Minoru Akiniwa, who works for the No. 1 Investigative Division of the Tokyo Metropolitan...

Longform

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