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Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / HOTELS & RESTAURANTS
Apr 6, 2012

Star chef supervises wedding banquets

The Hilton Nagoya has announced that Michelin-starred chef Stephane Gaborieau, who also has the title of MOF (Meilleurs Ouvriers de France, the French government's highest distinction for artisans), is supervising wedding banquet dishes at the hotel.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Apr 3, 2012

These are a few of my favorite things — about the Japanese

Debito Arudou's Feb. 7 Just Be Cause column describing the 10 things he likes about Japan both inspired and depressed me. As a frequent critic of the country's legal system (among other things), his piece made me stop and think of some of the things I like about Japan that are all too easy to take for...
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Apr 1, 2012

Yomiuri vs. Asahi in war over Giants' broken paycap agreement 'scoop'

On March 15, the Asahi Shimbun reported that the Yomiuri Giants baseball team paid huge amounts of money in contract-signing bonuses to several rookies, in violation of an agreement signed by all 12 Japan Professional Baseball teams. The payouts took place from 1997 to 2004, and involved six players...
JAPAN
Mar 30, 2012

Three hanged in first executions in Japan since 2010

Three inmates were hanged Thursday, in Tokyo, Hiroshima and Fukuoka, in the country's first executions since July 2010.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / STRANGE BOUTIQUE
Mar 29, 2012

A tale of two paths to indie success

Tokyo postpunk quartet Otori is an archetypal product of the city's underground live-music scene. The band's sets feature a machine-gun rattle of drums, slashes of guitar that explode in fierce climaxes, and bursts of scattershot vocals that teeter on the brink of hysteria — the kind of music that...
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Mar 23, 2012

Yearly anime fairs a must for die-hard fans

Tokyo's otaku (geek) hub of Akihabara might be empty for the next two weekends as two major anime events hit the capital.
CULTURE / Art
Mar 23, 2012

Unlocking the secrets of the Inca civilization

The pre-Columbian civilizations of the Americas are very much in the public's mind this year due to the so-called Mayan Prophecy that suggests the world will end on Dec. 21. Perhaps any fear-mongering will have the positive effect of sparking increased interest in the region. Luckily, media company TBS...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Mar 23, 2012

Unlocking the secrets of the Inca civilization

The pre-Columbian civilizations of the Americas are very much in the public's mind this year due to the so-called Mayan Prophecy that suggests the world will end on Dec. 21. Perhaps any fear-mongering will have the positive effect of sparking increased interest in the region. Luckily, media company TBS...
COMMENTARY
Mar 20, 2012

TV tactics win Putin new term

On March 10, thousands of Muscovites took to the streets for a fourth time in as many months to protest against fraudulent elections. Protesters held placards demanding "Russia without Putin." But this rally was smaller and quieter than previous anti-Putin protests.
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Mar 13, 2012

Import tax: a complex, seemingly arbitrary minefield

Paula writes: "What are the rules regarding taxes placed on imported purchases — for example, a pair of boots? I live in Kobe and had to pay taxes of ¥5,400 for a ¥9,000 purchase. I paid more than half the cost of what I bought in taxes."
JAPAN
Mar 9, 2012

Google Person Finder awarded

Volunteer-minded Web services that have supported people in the areas hit by the March 11 disasters or have contributed to reconstruction efforts over the past year were honored Thursday with awards.
CULTURE / Art
Mar 8, 2012

Are we pointing at the right guy?

Last August, much consternation was caused when an apparent rogue worker at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant appeared on a live-to-air webcam and pointed an accusatory finger directly at the camera. After about 20 minutes, the man, who was clad in a full-body radiation suit that masked his identity,...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Mar 8, 2012

Are we pointing at the right guy?

Last August, much consternation was caused when an apparent rogue worker at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant appeared on a live-to-air webcam and pointed an accusatory finger directly at the camera. After about 20 minutes, the man, who was clad in a full-body radiation suit that masked his identity,...
Japan Times
JAPAN / QUEST FOR RECOVERY
Mar 7, 2012

Fukushima farmers in two-front war

Both the reality of radiation and the rumors surrounding it continue to plague farmers in Fukushima Prefecture a year into the crisis that started last March 11 when a megaquake and monster tsunami put a local nuclear plant on a path to three reactor meltdowns.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Mar 6, 2012

Caveat emptor: Not all 'word of mouth' blogs unpaid

Is word-of-mouth information on the Internet trustworthy — or to be taken with a grain of salt?
JAPAN
Mar 3, 2012

Operation Tomodachi a huge success, but was it a one-off?

Operation Tomodachi, launched by the United States in response to last March's quake and tsunami, was an unprecedented effort by Washington and especially the U.S. military to provide relief to disaster victims.
JAPAN
Feb 23, 2012

Transcripts sketch out NRC's 3/11 confusion

Transcripts of phone conversations immediately after the March disasters, released Tuesday by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, reveal the early sense of urgency and confusion about the crisis unfolding at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant.
LIFE / Digital / TECH_JAPAN
Feb 15, 2012

Cosmetics review website goes public with IPO

Tokyo-based Internet company Istyle Inc. announced on Feb. 3 its intention to list itself on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Mothers Market (Tosho Mothers). The planned date of the IPO is March 8, 2012.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Feb 14, 2012

Vets win payouts over Agent Orange use on Okinawa

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has awarded two more former service members compensation for exposure to Agent Orange while serving on Okinawa during the 1960s and '70s.

Longform

Sumadori Bar on Shibuya Ward's main Center Gai street targets young customers who prefer low-alcohol drinks or abstain altogether.
Rethinking that second drink: Japan’s Gen Z gets ‘sober curious’