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Japan Times
Features
Jan 30, 2005

Counselor counters the blues through chanson and jazz

Junko Umihara turned up a bit late for our interview at a cafe in Tokyo's Hiroo district one afternoon recently. She had been with a patient at her Umihara Mental Clinic in nearby Minato Ward, she said, "and counseling took a bit longer than scheduled."
JAPAN
Jan 14, 2005

Politicians record CD for bone marrow drive

A pop band featuring four Liberal Democratic Party politicians has recorded a CD to raise funds for bone marrow donations.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Dec 11, 2004

Slipper prophecy: My life, my toilet!

It all started last summer in a yakitori shop in Kyushu. I went into the bathroom and the toilet slippers greeted me with a chirpy English phrase written on them: "My life, my toilet!" This humored me greatly at the time. However, I have learned my lesson. I will not laugh next time.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 5, 2004

Canberra's free trade polka

SYDNEY -- The convening of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations with Australia and New Zealand at ASEAN's meeting in the Laotian capital last week was a landmark for the region's push toward greater security and economic growth. It also started a move toward a free trade area that will...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Oct 3, 2004

Sons & Daughters sing in the name of forefathers

It's high time for another British invasion of the former colonies, and right now everybody thinks Franz Ferdinand is the band that will lead the attack. They're in the midst of their second coast-to-coast U.S. tour since last June, selling out big venues wherever they go.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Sep 25, 2004

New PlayStation enjoys limelight

CHIBA -- The country's largest video game show kicked off its three-day annual run here Friday, with a record 117 firms showcasing their latest products and nearly 500 new game titles unveiled.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Aug 25, 2004

While Mom was away

Nobody Knows Rating: * * * * (out of 5) Director: Hirokazu Kore-eda Running time: 141 minutes Language: Japanese Currently showing [See Japan Times movie listings]
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / BEST BAR NONE
May 28, 2004

Rockin' till dawn in the heart of suburbia

Kichijoji is a good 20 minutes west of Shibuya on an express train, which places it smack dab in the middle of Tokyo's suburban belt. As such, it's the last place one would think of finding a bar dedicated to rock culture -- let alone one with a pedigree spanning a quarter of a century and with a provocative...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art / NEW ART SEEN
May 19, 2004

The sorrows of superficiality

On Oct. 31, 1999, race driver Mika Hakkinen finished first at the Suzuka Speedway to win the Japan GP and that year's F-1 Driver's Championship. It was a close and dramatic victory for the likeable Finn, and among his delirious fans on that day was the French artist Sylvie Fleury. Soon afterward, when...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art / NEW ART SEEN
Mar 31, 2004

Ishiwata's hands make 'Lightworks' at Uplink

In the event that you find yourself up in Edogawabashi, be aware that the northern Shinjuku neighborhood is not completely off the map, art-wise. Two very pleasant spaces occupy a building just a few minutes walk from its eponymous station -- the Uplink Gallery and La Galerie des Nakamura.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Mar 24, 2004

Prince of Darkness

Why did Melt Banana, a local avant-punk band, open for Bonnie "Prince" Billy on his first-ever concert tour of Japan. Simple: Melt Banana like the music of Will Oldham, the man behind the moniker, and wanted to be part of his final show at O'Nest in Shibuya.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Feb 29, 2004

Nihon TV's "Super TV" explores festivals and more

Japan has many regional festivals, and some are very strange. Within the set of strange festivals there is a subset of events called hadaka matsuri, which means "naked festivals." At these revelries men strip down to fundoshi (loincloths) and do weird things.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Feb 11, 2004

Ah, that's Dogma amore

Italian for Beginners Rating: * * * * (out of 5) Japanese title: Shiawase ni naru tame Itariagokoza Director: Lone Scherfig Running time: 97 minutes Language: Danish, Italian Currently showing [See Japan Times movie listings] "Italian for Beginners" is a sweet, unpretentious love story...
BUSINESS
Jan 17, 2004

Seiyu to slash one-fifth of full-time workforce

Supermarket chain Seiyu Ltd. said Friday it will slash some 1,600 jobs, or about one-fifth of its total full-time workforce, by March 1.
BUSINESS / JAPANESE PERSPECTIVES
Dec 22, 2003

Dollar's depreciation due more to towering twin debts than euro

With the euro being quoted above $1.20, the media are now reporting that the euro has advanced against the dollar. But you cannot tell for certain whether you are witnessing the euro's appreciation or the dollar's depreciation, merely by looking at the euro's exchange rate vis-a-vis the dollar. This...
COMMUNITY
Dec 20, 2003

Over 4,000 babies delivered and still counting

Dr. Hideki Sakamoto is late for the very best of reasons. "I had an emergency at the hospital, but am happy to be able to say that mother and baby are both doing well."
BASEBALL / MLB
Dec 19, 2003

Tuffy set to sign with Giants

Former Kintetsu Buffaloes slugger Tuffy Rhodes has agreed to sign with the Yomiuri Giants, officials of the Central League team said Thursday.
COMMENTARY
Nov 27, 2003

Across the Bush-Briton gap

LONDON -- U.S. President George W. Bush's state visit to Britain ended Nov. 21 with a carefully stage-managed call on British Prime Minister Tony Blair's constituency in the North East of England. The visit went well despite generally peaceful protests. Although there was some of the usual pageantry,...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Nov 21, 2003

A New Year's tradition that's worth celebrating

Christmas and St. Valentine's Day may find favor in the eyes of young people, but New Year's Day is still the highlight of Japan's festive calendar. With kadomatsu pines at the doors of people's homes, New Year's cards cramming post boxes, and shrines crowded as people make their hatsumode (first visit...
LIFE / Digital / NAME OF THE GAME
Sep 25, 2003

Worth fighting for

Most "greatest hits" games are too familiar. They were great when they came out last Christmas and everybody bought them, but now they're simply old.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 1, 2003

Terrorists find new haven in a quiet corner of Asia

SINGAPORE -- The failed mutiny by 300 Philippine Army soldiers, which gripped Manila's financial district for 21 hours on Sunday, highlighted the intricate problem of security and terrorism in Southeast Asia.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / BEST BAR NONE
Jun 27, 2003

Prepare for lift-off: destination, the stars

Having spent the best part of two decades prowling Roppongi at street level, my first visit to the Roppongi Hills Club felt like an out-of-body experience. Hovering an awesome 51 floors above the network of increasingly seedy bars below, my spirit could not help but feel elevated. The club is so far...
EDITORIALS
Jan 5, 2003

The tale of a Spix's macaw

Two weeks ago, a lonely specimen of one of the world's rarest birds made a very special trip. "Presley," a male Spix's macaw, had been found last summer living quietly in a Denver suburb with his owner, a woman who had no idea of his importance in the scheme of things. Now Presley was finally on a plane...
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Dec 24, 2002

Clothing homeless volunteering and kids' art classes

Donating old clothes Being the season of good cheer and giving rather than receiving, here are some ways to help those less fortunate than ourselves.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / INDUSTRY TRENDS
Nov 29, 2002

Department stores gear up for yearend gift season

Department stores nationwide go into full swing this weekend for the all-important yearend gift-shopping season, hoping to finish on a high note a year marked by battered sales.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / PERSONALITY PROFILE
Jun 29, 2002

Reiko Itami

"In the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries, young men of well-to-do families in Great Britain set out after university graduation to travel around Europe. They observed language differences and absorbed foreign cultures to complete the final stage of their education. This socio-educational institution, known...
JAPAN / Science & Health / NATURAL SELECTIONS
May 17, 2002

We're all narrow-minded

It's a commonly held belief that we lose brain cells as we age. But, in fact, although our brains may not work as well when we get older -- learning becomes harder, memories fuzzier -- the number of cells they contain remains the same, about 28 billion. Scientists think the real problem is that the myelin...
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Jan 19, 2002

Who am I?

Traveler A: For my winter vacation, I tried to join the "Around the World in 60 Minutes" campaign tour but lost the lottery. So I booked a different package tour: five days and three nights in Thailand and Cambodia. The package included airfare, hotel and some meals.

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