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COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHO'S WHO
Oct 6, 2009

'Outsider' shares unique take on life, prejudices in the 'real' Japan

As a "blonde-haired, blue-eyed" American woman living in the rural farmlands of Tokushima Prefecture with a Japanese husband and their twin children, one with hearing disabilities, author and novelist Suzanne Kamata has gained a unique perspective on life in Japan.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Oct 2, 2009

Asian antique sales rocket in New York

NEW YORK — Any trends in the American market for Asian antiques were eclipsed by Asia Week in New York last month when, suddenly, the appetite for Chinese art and antiques could not be sated.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Sep 29, 2009

Brace for a possible spring shock

When spring approaches next year, many foreigners in Japan could be in for a rude awakening: From April 1, all those who apply to extend their visa in Japan will be asked to show proof of enrollment in one or other of Japan's main national health systems, the shakai hoken (social health insurance and...
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Sep 29, 2009

Gaijin health coverage: an appeal for choice

Unless you've just made it to this corner of the world in the last couple of weeks, you're probably well aware of the new visa guideline that's scheduled to go into effect in April 2010. Because of this guideline, foreigners who wish to renew their visa and who are required to be enrolled in social health...
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / BACKSTREET STORIES
Sep 27, 2009

Hot stuff in Tsukishima

Dating from 1892, Tsukishima is Tokyo's oldest island of reclaimed land — and also its monjayaki Mecca. Once a cheap after-school treat cooked on griddles in working-class neighborhoods of postwar Tokyo, monjayaki has morphed into a dinner entre — and Tsukishima is the place to try it.
COMMENTARY / THE VIEW FROM NEW YORK
Sep 27, 2009

Hatoyama just calling it as it is

NEW YORK — I was startled to receive a letter from a friend in Tokyo earlier this month accompanied by a Sankei Shimbun article by Yukio Okamoto sharply upbraiding Yukio Hatoyama.
LIFE / Travel / BACKSTREET STORIES
Sep 27, 2009

Hot stuff in Tsukishima

Dating from 1892, Tsukishima is Tokyo's oldest island of reclaimed land — and also its monjayaki Mecca. Once a cheap after-school treat cooked on griddles in working-class neighborhoods of postwar Tokyo, monjayaki has morphed into a dinner entre — and Tsukishima is the place to try it.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Sep 24, 2009

Etiquette 101 seminars a hit

How to enter a room with bamboo mats, where to place chopsticks, what not to wear — these are just some of the essential rules of etiquette young professionals are learning from Michiko Noguchi, a veteran restaurant mistress whose seminars on table manners are growing in popularity.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Sep 20, 2009

Down by the waterside

Rivers, fountains, roses and art; they're all there on Nakanoshima Island in Osaka, just a stone's throw away but a world apart from the flashy neon and garish glitz of the city's bustling Dotonbori dining and entertainment hub.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Sep 20, 2009

Houlton enjoys reversal of fortune at Seibu Dome

TOKOROZAWA, Saitama Pref. — The Saitama Seibu Lions went from a fifth-place team in 2007 to Japan Series champions in 2008.
LIFE / Travel
Sep 20, 2009

Down by the waterside

Rivers, fountains, roses and art; they're all there on Nakanoshima Island in Osaka, just a stone's throw away but a world apart from the flashy neon and garish glitz of the city's bustling Dotonbori dining and entertainment hub.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Sep 18, 2009

'Infinite moments' brought to stage

Seminaked men, shaven-headed, their bodies covered in white makeup, move with intent slowness on the stage: Anyone who has ever seen Ankoku Butoh — Japan's most famous dance export — will recognize this description. But, as good as the likes of internationally acclaimed dance troupe Sankai Juku are,...
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Sep 17, 2009

Dealing with the disposable

Awn in Higashi Nippori is a 'recycle shop' whose purpose had less to do with recycling or making money than with creating jobs.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital
Sep 16, 2009

Apple polishes up its gadget arsenal

Apple's "It's Only Rock and Roll" music-technology event last week was closely watched by Apple fans in Japan, where many consumers have anointed the iPod and iPhone as their music players of choice over the past few years, even over homegrown competitors such as Sony.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Sep 13, 2009

Hirano makes Lions endangered species

TOKOROZAWA, Saitama Pref. — Yoshihisa Hirano finally ended his personal losing streak. He may have also ended the Seibu Lions' hopes of reaching the Pacific League Climax Series.
Reader Mail
Sep 13, 2009

Foreigners on the streets of Taiji

Regarding the Sept. 2 article "Activist against dolphin slaughter visits Taiji to show its nice side": Ric O'Barry should just go home. Taiji is a Japanese issue, thus a Japanese decision. He has no say in it, nor does the rest of the world.
SPORTS / BOOS AND BRAVOS
Sep 11, 2009

Matsui's August exploits prove he can still be a dependable hitter

BRAVO — Who says Godzilla has reached the point where he's no longer a valuable contributor on the baseball field?
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WORDS TO LIVE BY
Sep 10, 2009

Tour guide Shinobu Nimura

Shinobu Nimura, 50, is an experienced tour guide who organizes long-distance bus journeys through Asia, Africa and South America. His tours take one to two months and cover vast territories. In 25 years, he has clocked up an incredible 280,000 km on buses, the equivalent to riding around the Equator...
JAPAN
Sep 10, 2009

Hatoyama tries to tread line between change, status quo

OSAKA — When Yukio Hatoyama makes his international debut as the new prime minister later this month at the United Nations and in Pittsburgh at the Group of 20 Leaders' Summit, he'll be discussing Japan's new policies on everything from the environment to the global economy with President Barack Obama...
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design / STYLE WISE
Sep 10, 2009

Time for openings, a night out and second-hand style

THE opening ceremony
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WORDS TO LIVE BY
Sep 10, 2009

Tour guide Shinobu Nimura

Shinobu Nimura, 50, is an experienced tour guide who organizes long-distance bus journeys through Asia, Africa and South America. His tours take one to two months and cover vast territories. In 25 years, he has clocked up an incredible 280,000 km on buses, the equivalent to riding around the Equator...
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Sep 9, 2009

A soft spot for the good old/bad old Showa days

One vice I can't rid myself of is listening in on conversations between JK (an abbreviation for joshikōsei, 女子高生, or high school girls) on commuter trains. This has become easier these days due to the introduction of joseisenyōsharyō (女性専用車両, women-only cars) on almost every major...
Reader Mail
Sep 6, 2009

A lighthearted dig at real 'dorks'

I am certainly not among those wishing to silence our friend Debito Arudou. I sincerely hope that he continues his mission of exposing discrimination in Japan, as his articles are a reliable source of amusement, and sometimes hilarity.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Sep 4, 2009

Denzel holds the lead

"I think it's hard to generalize," says actor Denzel Washington about movie remakes. He and John Travolta — as the villain — costar in a remake of the 1974 "The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3," which starred Walter Matthau and was much noted for its powerful score by David Shire. Comparisons between the...
Reader Mail
Sep 3, 2009

'Clown' does OK by comparison

Regarding Debito Arudou's Sept. 1 article, "Meet Mr. James, gaijin clown": I can't believe The Japan Times would print this self-serving rubbish. It seems that Arudou has run out of things to complain about and is resorting to writing about trivial things that are irrelevant to the lives of foreigners...
JAPAN / ELECTION 2009
Aug 29, 2009

Game almost up for LDP in Aomori

AOMORI — Perched on the upper tip of Honshu, Aomori Prefecture is tired of being left behind.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Aug 28, 2009

Bathing in timeless memories

Artist Shinro Ohtake discusses with The Japan Times "inside-out" buildings, private memories, public meanings and other inspirations underlying the "I Love Yu" bathhouse at Naoshima.

Longform

A sinkhole in Yashio, which emerged in January, was triggered by a ruptured, aging sewer pipe. Authorities worry that similar sections of infrastructure across the country are also at risk of corrosion.
That sinking feeling: Japan’s aging sewers are an infrastructure time bomb