Search - 2004

 
 
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Jan 23, 2005

Take a swig from the right cup

ODE TO JAPANESE POTTERY: Sake Cups and Flasks, by Robert Lee Yellin, photographs by Minato Yoshihide and Yoshimori Hiroya. Coherence, 2004, 207 pp., 4,800 yen (cloth). I've been a fairly good imbiber of alcohol ever since my high school days or earlier. My father was almost a teetotaler but loved inviting...
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Jan 23, 2005

Gothic influence creeps out of the darkness and into the limelight

IN LIGHT OF SHADOWS: More Gothic Tales, by Izumi Kyoka, translated and with essays by Charles Shiro Inouye. Honolulu: University of Hawai'i Press, 2004, 180 pp., $16.00 (paper). The first (1993) edition of Charles Inouye's prior volume of Izumi Kyoka's stories was simply called "Three Tales of Mystery...
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Jan 23, 2005

As Japan goes through a transformation, so too might those who do the observing

JAPAN'S QUIET TRANSFORMATION: Social Change and Civil Society in the Twenty-first Century, by Jeff Kingston. London and New York: RoutledgeCurzon, 2004, 358 pp., 3,657 yen (paper). Nothing is permanent but change. The idea of transience has a long tradition in Japan, coming to the fore at times and receding...
BUSINESS
Jan 22, 2005

Machine-tool orders hit 14-year high

Machine-tool orders placed with Japanese manufacturers in 2004 grew to a 14-year high, reflecting active capital spending by makers of automobiles, electrical and electronEic equipment, and precision instruments, an industry body said Friday.
JAPAN
Jan 22, 2005

Health panel backs use of thalidomide

A health ministry panel decided Friday to designate the sedative thalidomide as a priority research drug for bone marrow cancer treatment, more than 40 years after it was banned for causing severe birth defects.
EDITORIALS
Jan 21, 2005

Picking up where he left off

U.S. President George W. Bush is beginning his second term of office (Thursday, Washington time). Having outlined an aggressive agenda for the next four years, he has said he intends to use the political capital accumulated during his first term to accomplish his objectives. That will require spending...
JAPAN
Jan 21, 2005

Tokyo under fire for deporting refugees

Japan has long caught flak for being closed to asylum-seekers, and the deportation this week of two Kurds from Turkey — despite their U.N. recognition as "mandate refugees" — has brought the government under a fresh attack.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 21, 2005

Lawmakers hit over pensions

An advisory panel proposed Thursday that lawmakers' annual pension-plan contributions be raised by more than 70 percent over four years and their annual benefits be cut by 30 percent.
EDITORIALS
Jan 19, 2005

An opportunity for Indonesia

It is an old cliche, but there may be good reason why the Chinese word for "crisis" consists of characters that mean "danger" as well as "opportunity." The earthquake and tsunami that devastated many South Asian communities in the last week of 2004 are truly a "crisis" for Indonesia. The danger is obvious:...
MORE SPORTS
Jan 18, 2005

Federer blasts Santoro in first round

MELBOURNE, Australia -- Top-ranked Roger Federer quickly dispelled any thoughts that the new year might bring a letdown by the man who dominated men's tennis last year, blasting 54 winners to win his first-round match at the Australian Open on Monday over France's Fabrice Santoro 6-1, 6-1, 6-2.
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Jan 18, 2005

Hurting Japan's hungry

'We got kicked out of Sumida park three times for delivering food. I went to talk to the people in Taito-ku ward office and basically (it) came down to, 'well, you just can't deliver food here anymore,' " says Charles McJilton, executive director of Second Harvest Japan.
EDITORIALS
Jan 17, 2005

Research to ameliorate disaster

Jan. 17 marks the 10th anniversary of the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake, which took the lives of more than 6,400 people. In the past decade, Japan's earthquake countermeasures have changed enormously. Its earthquake observation system has become more sophisticated. Together with general observation...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jan 16, 2005

Diplo throws funky DIY marketing into the mix

"The goal is to expose the artist." Wesley Pentz is on the phone from Hawaii, explaining how he publicizes up-and-coming hip-hop talent. "It's basically putting promotion and marketing in your own hands," he explains. Contrary to what you may think, Pentz is not a record executive; he's a DJ with a passion...
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Jan 16, 2005

A fleeting visit rich with eastern symbolism

KNOWING THE EAST, by Paul Claudel, translated by James Lawler. Princeton University Press, 2004, 138 pp., $17.95 (paper). The Catholic poet Paul Claudel (1868-1955) first came to what was then known as the Far East in 1895 and at once began writing down his impressions. In 1900 he gathered them into...
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Jan 16, 2005

Bridge between Japan and Britain

Until World War II, Japanese language and culture were studied at few institutions outside Japan, and only a small number of scholars specialized in Japanese studies. Among the independent organizations devoted to promoting an understanding of Japan, its history and culture, two traced their origins...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Jan 15, 2005

Student summit: food safety a growing concern

While his two brothers followed their father into local government service, Akimi Fujimoto took a different path. "My father had two working lives, as a government official and helping my mother farm our land in Niigata. There was no way I ever wanted a desk job."
SOCCER / PREMIER REPORT
Jan 14, 2005

Morientes fired up to join Liverpool

LONDON -- Last summer Liverpool sold Michael Owen to Real Madrid for £8 million, the England striker becoming the third choice behind Raul and Ronaldo at Bernabeu Stadium.
JAPAN
Jan 14, 2005

NPA considers sex-offender tracking system

The National Police Agency set up a team Thursday to discuss creation of a system under which police would be able to keep track of convicted sex criminals.
BASEBALL / MLB
Jan 13, 2005

Yanks' Matsui happy to have Johnson on board

New York Yankees outfielder Hideki Matsui said on Wednesday he believes the team will benefit from the moxie of southpaw veteran Randy Johnson, who joined the American League club in a trade and signed a two-year, $32 million contract extension.
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Jan 13, 2005

Jakuemon: A man for the ladies

NAKAMURA JAKUEMON IV: The Art of Onnagata Acting, by Rei Sasaguchi, photos by Yutaka Umemura, Akira Iwata, Fumio Watanabe. Designed and published by Rei Sasaguchi, 2004, 116 pp., 3000 yen (cloth). This very interesting, beautifully designed book is an essay on the art of onnagata, the kabuki actor playing...
LIFE / Lifestyle / ON THE BOOK TRAIL
Jan 13, 2005

"The Time Wreccas," "Winnie's Magic Wand"

"The Time Wreccas," Val Tyler, Puffin Books; 2005; 338 pp. Children's fiction these days is so all-knowing, so cynical, even, that possibly only a first-time writer can bring back to it the naivete that it has all but lost. Perhaps Val Tyler, author of "The Time Wreccas" has not noticed how popular...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jan 12, 2005

Balancing act

Singer-songwriters are the half-breeds of pop music. Evolved from Bob Dylan's navel-gazing spawn, they lead hyphenated existences because each half of their calling is considered insupportable without the other. Though many are accomplished vocalists, what distinguishes them as singers doesn't always...
Rugby
Jan 11, 2005

Kintetsu, IBM relegated from Top League

The Top League championship may well have been decided on the last weekend of 2004 -- Toshiba Brave Lupus 38-12 victory over archrival Suntory Sungoliath on Saturday simply being the icing on the cake -- but there was still plenty to play for in the four games played on Monday.
SUMO
Jan 11, 2005

Asashoryu rolls as Kaio stumbles

Ozeki Kaio's fresh bid for promotion to yokozuna suffered a hammer blow Monday after he was handed a shock defeat by Kotonowaka on the second day of the New Year Grand Sumo Tournament.
JAPAN
Jan 11, 2005

Palestinians to receive more funds

Japan will extend an additional $60 million in financial and humanitarian aid to the Palestinian Authority following the weekend election to choose a new Palestinian leader, officials said Monday.
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Jan 11, 2005

Habitat destruction, work gear and photos

A distressing end to 2004 . . . off to a resilient and positive start in 2005.

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