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Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Nov 22, 2014

Hihōkan: Japan's vanishing sex museums

The real world ends beyond a thick, black curtain. On the other side is one of Japan's last remaining hihōkan (sex museum, literally "treasure palace") in the faded resort town of Atami, Shizuoka Prefecture — a strange, dimly lit space of questionable morals and dated fantasies.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Nov 22, 2014

Blood & Guts

"Blood & Guts" by Australian journalist Sam Vincent is a behind-the-scenes investigation into whaling and a tale of two countries. Australia is on one side, united in its love of whales and its condemnation of Japan, which has refused to stop killing whales in the Antarctic despite (or perhaps in spite...
Japan Times
WORLD
Nov 22, 2014

Canadians plan to fight Islamic State

Several former Canadian soldiers plan to join Kurdish forces fighting Islamic State militants in the coming weeks, with at least one already in Iraq, Canadian media reported Friday, bolstering the ranks of foreigners fighting alongside the Kurds.
WORLD / Science & Health
Nov 21, 2014

Traveler from Mali tested for possible Ebola at New York hospital

A traveler from Mali was undergoing a test for possible Ebola on Thursday at Bellevue Hospital, health officials in New York City said.
LIFE / Travel / HOTELS & RESTAURANTS
Nov 20, 2014

Something to be thankful for; celebrating the holiday season; East meets West in oyster bar fusion

Something to be thankful for
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Nov 19, 2014

Asia enriches the Bard's work-in-progress

Whatever would William Shakespeare make of it all if he were to journey now through Asia, where the interpretations of his works differ so much across vast regions, ethnic groups, cultures and languages?
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 18, 2014

Toyota's Mirai FCV to go on sale Dec. 15

Toyota Motor Corp. announced Tuesday it will start selling the world's first commercial fuel-cell vehicle in Japan on Dec. 15.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 18, 2014

Putin-bashing at G-20 meeting was juvenile

What were Western leaders trying to achieve by humiliating Russia President Vladimir Putin at the G-20 summit?
LIFE / Language / COMMUNICATION CUES
Nov 17, 2014

Maglev faces cost, engineering hurdles

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism on Oct. 17 approved Central Japan Railway Co.'s plan to construct the Linear Chuo Shinkansen Line.
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 17, 2014

Toyota plans 'Mirai' fuel-cell car that can go 480 km per tank

Toyota Motor Corp. said it has chosen "Mirai," which means "future" in Japanese, as the name for its fuel-cell powered sedan with a range of 480 km and an hydrogen tank that can be refilled in less than five minutes.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 14, 2014

Battle against Ebola raises ethical questions

The tiny number of Ebola cases in rich countries — and the ensuing panic-inducing headlines and quarantine measures — have brought home the global nature of infectious disease today.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / HOTELS & RESTAURANTS
Nov 13, 2014

Christmas dinner made easy; a new take on breakfast; classic French cuisine

Christmas dinner made easy
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Nov 10, 2014

Widening income gap has everything to do with the price of eggs

When it comes to okane (お金, money), the Japanese have always been a little ambivalent. For one thing, what do we call it? The character for kane (金) does mean cash but it can also mean gold, metal and many other things that glitter. People also refer to money as oashi (お足, literally: "reverent...
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Nov 8, 2014

Yamadera: 1,000-step staircase to paradise

We're only a few minutes into our climb up one of Yamagata Prefecture's holy mountains, Mount Hojusan, and already our pace has slowed considerably. Our destination is Risshakuji Temple, more colloquially known as Yamadera (literally: "mountain temple"), a far-north outpost of Tendai Buddhism since 860....
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Nov 8, 2014

Obama to send 1,500 more troops to Iraq as advisers, trainers

President Barack Obama has approved sending up to 1,500 more troops to Iraq, roughly doubling the number of U.S. forces on the ground to advise and retrain Iraqis in their battle against the militant group Islamic State, U.S. officials said on Friday.
Japan Times
WORLD
Nov 7, 2014

Guard who opened Berlin Wall speaks

The East German lieutenant colonel who gave the fateful order to throw open the Berlin Wall 25 years ago said he wept in silence a few moments later as hordes of euphoric East Germans swept past him into West Berlin to get their first taste of freedom.
JAPAN
Nov 6, 2014

Chinese coral poachers encroaching on Japanese fishermen

Takashi Shibazaki, 31, a fisherman based on Chichijima about 1,000 km south of Tokyo, saw a suspicious foreign boat in mid-March near the island.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Nov 5, 2014

Wales minister says nuclear power remains a good investment

While the nation debates the wisdom of restarting its nuclear power plants, the energy source remains central to some nations' investments for tomorrow. The process to construct a new two-reactor facility in Wales has been going as planned, the British province's economy minister said.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 4, 2014

Virgin Galactic crash won't deter space tourists

Grisly though it sounds, one strong customer market for comparatively high-risk Virgin Galactic space tourism flights of the future may be affluent people with a terminal medical diagnosis.
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Nov 4, 2014

U.S. Ebola nurse, Maine settle quarantine suit; patient in isolation at Duke

The state of Maine and a nurse who had treated victims of the Ebola virus in West Africa reached a settlement deal on Monday, allowing her to travel freely in public but requiring her to monitor her health closely and report any symptoms.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY
Nov 3, 2014

Media plays down Ebola's spread by 'droplets'

Refusing to succumb to panic is laudable and rational, and when the infection rate numbers in the single digits here in the United States, there's no reason to freak out.
WORLD / Politics
Nov 3, 2014

Obama makes final campaign push, hoping to avert electoral rout

President Barack Obama made a final push on Sunday to help struggling Democrats before this week's midterm elections, making campaign stops in Connecticut and Pennsylvania to try to avert a "shellacking" at the polls like the one in 2010.
EDITORIALS
Nov 2, 2014

Too soon for a nuclear restart

The city assembly and the mayor of Satsumasendai, Kagoshima Prefecture, have given their nod to restarting Kyushu Electric Power Co.'s Sendai nuclear power plant, although the concerns of many local residents have been left unaddressed.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / ESSENTIAL READING FOR JAPANOPHILES
Nov 1, 2014

Hokkaido Highway Blues

Sake and sakura can be a dangerous combination. Drunk on both, English teacher Will Ferguson made a bet that he could hitchhike the length of Japan, from the southernmost tip in Cape Sata to the northernmost in Cape Soya, while following the cherry blossom as it burst into life in each part of the country....
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / How-tos / HOME TRUTHS
Oct 31, 2014

Homeowners resume debate on renewables

In September, Kyushu Electric Power announced it would stop buying energy from solar-power suppliers due to over-supply and a lack of transmission capacity, setting off a debate about Japan's dedication to renewable energy. While the decision to halt purchases of solar energy from any supplier whose...
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 30, 2014

Skymark says it may collapse if forced to pay A380 contract fine

Skymark Airlines Inc., the nation's third-largest carrier, repeated it is at risk of going out of business should it have to pay Airbus Group NV a penalty after its planned purchase of six A380 superjumbos fell through.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Oct 29, 2014

The Equalizer: 'Like an argument between a couple who have been married too long'

When "Eastern Promises" came out in 2007, I felt like it signaled the end of an era for a certain kind of cinema gangster. The Italians were finished. The Chinese didn't cut it anymore. The new kids on the block were the Russian Mafia and they were the meanest of the lot — neck deep in abduction and...
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 29, 2014

A hobbit won't help with your emergency oxygen

Placing a priority on entertainment in preflight safety videos may not be the best way to teach first-time fliers emergency procedures.

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’