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Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Jan 13, 2007

Niseko -- the souls of melted snowmen

Here I am basking in central heating in Hokkaido. I came to try out Japan's rugged north for the winter where only five percent of Japan's population dares to live, along with 3,000 higuma, or brown bears. Hokkaido is famous for its wide-open spaces and dairy cows.
EDITORIALS
Jan 12, 2007

Opportunity in Somalia

Somalia's recent history is sad and confusing. The war-torn country has had 14 governments in 15 years; none has been able to stabilize the country. Most recently, Ethiopia sent troops into Somalia to drive the ruling Union of Islamic Courts from power and restore the government of President Abdullahi...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Jan 12, 2007

Wine bars you can't afford to miss

Tokyo is awash with wine these days. Any restaurant that wants to be taken seriously -- and, more importantly, has high overheads to cover -- must boast a well-stocked cellar, preferably glass-fronted, carefully illuminated and strategically placed in full view of the dining room.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 11, 2007

Russia's progress and regress

SANTA MONICA, California -- Fifteen years after the Soviet Union collapsed and split apart, Russia still fits British Prime Minister Winston Churchill's characterization of Josef Stalin's Soviet Union nearly seven decades ago: "a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma."
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 11, 2007

Nationalist populism rising in Europe

PRAGUE -- The collapse of communism in Central and Eastern Europe 15 years ago brought vast and positive democratic changes. But in 2006, after more than a decade of striving for acceptance by the West, the moral and political vacuum left by communism was fully exposed. Can a new balance between the...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art / NEW ART SEEN
Jan 11, 2007

Rooms for art

The hotel, be it flophouse or five-star, is what distinguishes cosmopolitan man from the nomad. Yes, it may be a humdrum need for shelter and food that brings us to hotels. But when we slip into that unfamiliar room, and for one night make it our own, we can also find ourselves transported to a different...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jan 11, 2007

Big mouth strikes again ... and again

Is Lily Allen an outspoken genius or an unwarranted meanie? To help you decide, here are 10 of her top tongue-lashings.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Jan 9, 2007

Picking up the pace of urban life

There are mile markers in life, and an impending 40th birthday recently forced me to take stock of my health. I had put on weight while at culinary school and, being a complete nonathlete, I never managed to lose it. I had a gym membership, but the only sweat I ever worked up was in the sauna. Running...
SOCCER / PREMIER REPORT
Jan 7, 2007

O'Neill expects striker Larsson to give Man Utd a big boost

LONDON -- Apart from death and taxes there may be no other certainties in life but Aston Villa manager Martin O'Neill must fear Henrik Larsson scoring on his debut for Manchester United in the F.A. Cup third round Sunday would complete the hat trick.
Reader Mail
Jan 7, 2007

Christmas surprise in Japan

Regarding the Dec. 26 article "Four sent to the gallows": While enjoying a wonderful visit to Kyoto, I was shocked to learn of the execution of four people on Christmas Day.
CULTURE / Books
Jan 7, 2007

How one merchant ship doomed a colony

Mrs Ferguson's Tea-Set, Japan, and The Second World War: The Global Consequences Following Germany's Sinking of The SS Automedon in 1940, by Eiji Seki. Global Oriental, 187 pp., 2007, £35 (cloth) On her way to Penang on Nov. 11, 1940, the Blue Funnel Line merchant vessel SS Automedon was sunk by the...
Reader Mail
Jan 7, 2007

Melodrama substitutes for truth

Regarding Peter Stevenson's Dec. 31 letter, "As influential as 'Rashomon' ": Stevenson apparently didn't comprehend my Dec. 17 letter, "Nothing can save war movie," in which I stated categorically that all war movies are rubbish!
CULTURE / Books
Jan 7, 2007

Searching for the perfect personal haiku pen-name

The Haiku Apprentice: Memoirs of Writing Poetry in Japan, by Abigail Friedman. Berkeley: Stone Bridge Press, 2006, 235 pp., $14,95 (paper) The story in this book begins with a chance encounter. As the author later explains, she was living with her family in Japan, and serving as a diplomat (for the United...
BASKETBALL
Jan 6, 2007

Takeuchi twins clash in quarters

Twins phenoms Joji and Kosuke Takeuchi, both of whom played for Japan at last year's FIBA World Championship, faced each other in the quarterfinals of the National Championships and Joji's Tokai University capitalized on its all-court zone press and defeated Kosuke's Keio University 97-82 at Yoyogi National...
JAPAN
Jan 6, 2007

'Amakudari' abuses targeted

establishment procedures," Matsuoka told a news conference. The group in question is the World Business Expert Forum, which bought 1 million yen worth of fundraising tickets for Matsuoka.

Longform

Mount Fuji is considered one of Japan's most iconic symbols and is a major draw for tourists. It's still a mountain, though, and potential hikers need to properly prepare for any climb.
What it takes to save lives on Mount Fuji