Search - (2006-01-27)

 
 
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Aug 31, 2006

The search for 'nihonga' clouds artistic judgements

While proponents of contemporary Japanese art do not seem quite as preoccupied with attempts to shock as their Western counterparts, for curators and creators with an eye on finding fame and fortune overseas, courting controversy can seem almost like an obligation.
JAPAN
Aug 29, 2006

Second Kansai runway no cure

OSAKA -- Kansai International Airport has earned international praise for its clean lavatories and other services, but its goal of being a major Asian hub appears to be sinking and the controversial, costly, hard-fought second runway set to open in less than a year appears unlikely to turn things around....
EDITORIALS
Aug 29, 2006

Pay that keeps morale up

Salaries of central government workers have been criticized for exceeding those of workers performing related duties in the private sector, which has undergone drastic restructuring in recent years. So, the National Personnel Authority, in its report to the Cabinet and the Diet, recommends no change...
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Aug 27, 2006

Letters on high school arms, the WBC and Kaz in Colorado

Wayne: I am a big fan of Japanese high school baseball and was at Koshien for the wonderful tournament recently, but I am very disappointed high school coaches/administrators (and parents) allow their pitchers'/sons' arms to be abused for potential short-term gain.
JAPAN
Aug 27, 2006

Naval review trimmed to save fuel

High oil prices have forced the Defense Agency to scale back on the size of the Self-Defense Forces' naval review in late October, an official said Saturday.
CULTURE / Books
Aug 27, 2006

Cultural insight past the twaddle

FULL METAL APACHE: Transactions Between Cyberpunk Japan and Avant-Pop America, by Takayuki Tatsumi, foreword by Larry McCaffery. Durham and London: Duke University Press, 272 pp., 2006, $22.95 (paper). Literary theorist and critic Takayuki Tatsumi's new book, "Full Metal Apache," is both good and bad....
CULTURE / Books
Aug 27, 2006

Man's plunge into the Eros trap

ERO-SAMURAI by David D. Duff. iUniverse Inc., 138 pp., 2006, $14.95 (paper). Hearing several malicious comments about this book, I was eagerly predisposed toward it. Sub-titled "An Obsessed Man's Loving Tribute to Japanese Women," this is not the first politically incorrect work on Japan, but because...
BASKETBALL
Aug 26, 2006

Unbeaten Americans looking to improve

SAPPORO -- Team USA was a perfect 5-0 in group league action of the FIBA World Championship 2006.
BASKETBALL
Aug 25, 2006

Loss to USA aside, Italians taking beautiful game onward

SAPPORO -- Argentina, Spain and Germany are countries known more for soccer than basketball, and Italy is in the same boat.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / JAZZNICITY
Aug 25, 2006

Hot slabs of jazz

While summer rock festivals are as numerous as fireworks, outdoor jazz concerts have recently become as rare as a non-humid day. Just five years ago, Japan had so many jazz festivals all over the country that musicians had trouble making the tightly scheduled gigs. Then, sadly, economics caught up, distance...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Aug 24, 2006

Motorcyclists to get some help from government on parking

Hideo Sakata remembers the time of "lawlessness" when it was easy to find a place in Tokyo's Roppongi district to park his motorcycle.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Aug 24, 2006

The 'fools' dance'

'O doru aho ni miru aho, onaji ahonara odorana son son (Dancing fool and watching fool. If both are fools, then dance, or you'll lose big)."
BASKETBALL
Aug 23, 2006

Role player Battier back with Brand, Coach K

SAPPORO -- One big difference between this Team USA compared to American teams in previous FIBA tournaments is that it has players who are devoted to dirty work, the thankless jobs that don't light up the scoreboard.
BUSINESS
Aug 23, 2006

Seiyu cuts first-half loss to 1.36 billion yen

Seiyu Ltd. said Tuesday its first-half group operating loss narrowed to 1.36 billion yen from 2.48 billion yen for the same period last year, thanks to higher sales of household goods.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Aug 23, 2006

Brewers basking in the summer economic heat but the future looks flat

As the summer heats up, the beer is flowing around backyard barbecue grills and rooftop beer gardens in city centers. And this year, a recovering economy is putting a little extra fizz into beer sales.
JAPAN
Aug 22, 2006

Number of births up in January-June

The number of births registered with local government offices between January and June increased for the first time in six years, according to a health ministry report Monday.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design
Aug 22, 2006

Hisanobu Tsujimura's Kan chair, the En bench, Muji's form-fitting sofa, Ken Watanabe's Linkage Stool

Due to a spate of out-of-town excursions and hiking expeditions, lately I've felt the need to just sit down and enjoy moments of lounging bliss. Here is a selection of chairs, benches and sofas that not only act as elegant interior additions to the home, but more importantly, will encourage you to take...
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Aug 22, 2006

Japan's fingerprinting law is dumb . . . (and that's just what the government thinks)

On May 18, 2006, a little discussed and little debated law passed the Diet.
LIFE / Lifestyle
Aug 22, 2006

Let's dance

The end of bon (Aug. 13-15) brings with it a sense that summer is drawing to a close, even though the weather is still hot. Summer festivals in Tokyo cap the season -- reviving culture from the Edo Period (1603-1868), incorporating regional dancing, and even imitating foreign carnivals. Communities are...
CULTURE / Books
Aug 20, 2006

Japan: Never quite closed and still opening now

THE OPENING OF JAPAN 1853-1855: A Comprehensive Study of the American, British, Dutch and Russian Naval Expeditions to Compel the Tokugawa Shogunate to Conclude Treaties and Open Ports to Their Ships, by William McOmie. Folkestone: Global Oriental, 505 pp., 2006, £65 (cloth). The assertion that Commodore...
Japan Times
LIFE / WEEK 3
Aug 20, 2006

Airs and grimaces

You don't even need a guitar to let your hot licks hang out anymore. Duckwalk like Angus (Young; AC/DC), windmill like (Pete; The Who) Townshend and bow like (Jimmy; Led Zeppelin) Page -- no prob; all with air, but not like (Michael; Nike Air) Jordan.
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Aug 20, 2006

The unique voice of Ryunosuke Akutagawa

RASHOMON AND SEVENTEEN OTHER STORIES, by Ryunosuke Akutagawa, translated by Jay Rubin, introduction by Haruki Murakami. London: Penguin Classics, 2006, 268 pp., £9.99 (paper). In what is still the finest assessment of Ryunosuke Akutagawa's life and work, Howard Hibbett complained that for most, the...
CULTURE / Books
Aug 20, 2006

Summertime, and the dying is easy

RENDEZVOUS AT KAMAKURA INN by Marshall Browne. New York: Thomas Dunne Books, 2005, 288 pp., $23.95 (cloth). SAYONARA BAR by Susan Barker. London: Black Swan Books, 2006, 430 pp., £6.99 (paper). For Detective Inspector Hideo Aoki of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police, the sprinklings of misfortune have become...
COMMENTARY
Aug 19, 2006

Struggling for transparency in China

HONG KONG -- Following the Chinese press, one sometimes gets totally depressed and feels that there is no hope for the country, with its myriad problems. At other times, the opposite is true. This week, it is a mix. On different fronts, one sees a host of problems but, at the same time, it is clear that...
BASKETBALL
Aug 18, 2006

Key facts about the Japanese men's basketball team

Here's a look at some key facts, figures and random insight about the 2006 Japan National Team. It plays Saturday against Germany in Hiroshima in the teams' Group B opener at the FIBA World Championship:

Longform

In 2020, 38% of all households were single-person. That figure is projected to rise to 44.3% by 2050.
The rise of AI companionship in a lonely Japan