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Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Jan 11, 2004

A step back to the way life was

Everyone knows -- especially the organizers of home stays and house visits -- that you can learn a lot about a society from observing the way its people live. But how about taking a trip back in time, to a home of times past, to gain a better understanding of the cultural roots of today's society?
JAPAN
Jan 9, 2004

Pollen sufferers can thank cold summer for easier 2004

Tree pollen levels are expected to be lower than average in 2004 due to the cold summer last year, according to weather information provider Weathernews Inc.
CULTURE / Books / THE BOOK REPORT
Jan 8, 2004

Japanese books climbed walls, went back to the past in 2003

The particular combination of theme, packaging and timing that produces a best seller is always a mystery, and last year's top sellers in Japan presented even more of a puzzle than usual. What is it about "Baka no Kabe" by anatomy professor Takeshi Yoro that took it to the top of the chart soon after...
JAPAN
Jan 5, 2004

New Year's holidaymakers swamp planes, trains

Holidaymakers rushed to return home Sunday, with flights into Tokyo's Haneda airport fully booked and a record number of travelers expected at Narita, airline and airport officials said.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Jan 4, 2004

From mourning to 'magic'

It may be only mildly surprising that Japanese translations of the first four "Harry Potter" titles have racked up 16.5 million sales to date. It is, though, quite astonishing that the publisher is not an industry giant, but a small Tokyo firm with no previous best seller to its name.
JAPAN
Jan 3, 2004

Obituary: Takashi Ishihara

Takashi Ishihara, a former president of Nissan Motor Co. who helped turn the carmaker into a global player, has died of heart failure, his family said Thursday. He was 91.
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Dec 30, 2003

Truth gets trampled by good stories

And why did the cops take 1,772 calls before deciding that someone was pulling their chain? We don't know. And we don't know why, or even if, the following people did these strange things, but heaven forbid we'd let the truth stand in the way of a good story.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Dec 25, 2003

Be good to your rice and your rice will be good

"Aaaaah. Nihonjin dana . . . (Ahh, isn't this what being Japanese is all about?)"
BUSINESS
Dec 17, 2003

New Ashikaga Bank president named

Norito Ikeda, former chief personnel officer of the Bank of Yokohama, became on Tuesday the new president of the recently nationalized Ashikaga Bank.
BUSINESS
Dec 17, 2003

Saitama governments to pump Resona with taxpayer money

The prefectural and municipal governments of Saitama are willing to use roughly 1 billion yen in local taxpayer funds to claim a stake in Saitama Resona Bank, the local arm of Resona Holdings Inc., Saitama Gov. Kiyoshi Ueda said Tuesday.
JAPAN
Dec 14, 2003

Ikeda tipped for top Ashikaga Bank job

The government is considering appointing Norito Ikeda, former chief personnel officer of the Bank of Yokohama, as president of the nationalized Ashikaga Bank, according to sources close to the matter.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Dec 14, 2003

Not letting the facts get in the way of a good 'documentary'

In the tributes to the Japanese diplomats who were killed two weeks ago, few people mentioned what they were actually doing in Iraq. Katsuhiko Oku was, among other things, encouraging Iraqis to watch NHK's popular drama series, "Oshin," which is being broadcast on Iraqi TV. The show, originally aired...
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 13, 2003

Japan, don't send your soldiers

ARKADELPHIA, Arkansas -- A recent New York Times carried the story that Japan will send 600 ground troops to southeastern Iraq. I read this news with sadness as I prepared to lead a discussion in my upper level class in 20th-century U.S. history on the dropping of the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki....
JAPAN
Dec 8, 2003

Snowstorm blankets northern Japan

A snowstorm pummeled northern Japan and the Hokuriku region Sunday due to a rapidly developing low pressure zone, the Japan Meteorological Agency said, warning the rough weather is expected to continue through Monday.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Nov 22, 2003

Gardener puts down roots for budding business

As a highly qualified gardener and horticulturalist, Bernd Kestler has a great idea: collaborating with homeowners who want outdoor spaces designed to suit their lifestyles, or established gardens maintained, in much the same way a personal trainer works with individuals who want a new body image or...
JAPAN
Nov 6, 2003

Woman who fled to North Korea was government mole in Aum

The saga of a woman believed to be an ex-Aum Shinrikyo member who entered North Korea in August seeking asylum has taken another turn: she at one time spied on the cult for the government.
JAPAN
Nov 5, 2003

Experts find falls in electricity usage correlate with disaster-zone damage

Japanese researchers may have found a way to immediately gauge the severity of earthquakes and other natural disasters by viewing sudden drops in electricity usage.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 5, 2003

Hawaii telescope discovers galaxy far, far away

Researchers using Japan's Subaru telescope in Hawaii have discovered a galaxy 12.9 billion light-years from Earth -- the most distant found to date.
JAPAN
Oct 31, 2003

Voters put Tanaka, Kato scandals behind

As Makiko Tanaka and Koichi Kato try to stage their political comebacks, voters in their districts appear to have dismissed the money scandals that forced them out of the Diet and instead believe they can change politics for the better.
JAPAN
Oct 22, 2003

Ministry probes error-prone JR East over train delays

The transport ministry began inspecting East Japan Railway Co. Tuesday morning in a rare move that follows a series of service disruptions due to human error.
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Oct 19, 2003

Out of the ordinary

SELECTED POEMS 1976-2001, by Peter Robinson. Manchester, Britain: Carcanet, 2003, 139 pp., £8.95 (paper). NO VISION WILL TELL: 100 Selected Poems 1992-2002, by Scott Watson. Sendai, Japan: Bookgirl Press, 2002, 123 pp., 1,500 yen (paper). Both of the poets reviewed here, one British and the other American,...
JAPAN
Oct 11, 2003

Mishap-rife JR East faces scrutiny

The transport ministry will conduct an inspection of East Japan Railway Co. this month following a recent chain of incidents that disrupted services on lines in the greater Tokyo metropolitan area, transport minister Nobuteru Ishihara said Friday.
JAPAN
Oct 8, 2003

JR East blames Chuo Line holdup on contractor

Simple errors by a contractor were the cause of delays on an overnight construction project that shut down the JR Chuo Line for eight hours late last month, East Japan Railway Co. said Tuesday.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Oct 5, 2003

Lone wolf, center-stage

The plays of Chikamatsu Monzaemon (1653-1724), who is often called Japan's Shakespeare, are a staple of the kabuki world and countless productions of his work have been staged over the centuries. However, actor Rintaro Haryu is determined to make his interpretation of Chikamatsu a unique one.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Oct 3, 2003

Tsunami alert system not fail-safe, quake shows

The tsunami alert, issued within minutes of last week's earthquake, didn't seem terribly ominous. But by the time it was lifted, fishing boats had been tossed ashore, coastal towns flooded.
MORE SPORTS
Oct 1, 2003

Miyazato may turn pro next year

Eighteen-year-old Ai Miyazato, who recently became the first amateur golfer in 30 years to win on the Japanese LPGA tour, is considering turning pro in the near future, her father and coach Masaru Miyazato said Tuesday.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Sep 27, 2003

Powerful quakes strike Hokkaido

SAPPORO -- Two powerful earthquakes, one with a preliminary magnitude of 8, struck Hokkaido early Friday, sparking a refinery fire and generating several tsunami.

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