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COMMENTARY
Dec 28, 2009

Star artists reveal the essence of a nation's bureaucratic ways

LOS ANGELES — In America, trying to understand what makes other complex countries and cultures tick is usually done in the university classroom, through travel abroad or by following the mass news media. But there's another option that sometimes produces gold: Peering into other cultures through the...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Dec 26, 2009

Storyteller of implausible success

Imagine this: An Indian diplomat in London churns out his first novel during a two-month hiatus before his next posting. The novel becomes an international best-seller and is translated into 42 languages. Before the book is even printed it has been optioned for a film, which goes on to win eight Academy...
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Dec 25, 2009

Foreign currency saving: Norway or the highway

Why save yen at zero interest in Japan when you could make your savings become a money-earner overseas?
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 25, 2009

Japanese hospitals take interest in 'medical tourists'

While many Japanese companies have gone global over the years, making companies like Toyota, Sony and Canon household names in every corner of the world, the Japanese health care industry is focused largely on the domestic market and has long been shielded from pressure for change.
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Dec 25, 2009

New Year's concerts held across Japan

If nightclubs aren't your thing, but you still want to hear live music over the New Year's holidays, classical music concerts might be just the ticket.
Japan Times
BASEBALL / MLB
Dec 20, 2009

Zimbalist says Matsui's key impact for Angels will be on the field

Ichiro Suzuki, Hideki Matsui and Daisuke Matsuzaka all helped open up markets and bring new streams of revenue to their respective teams when they made their major league debuts.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Dec 20, 2009

Stephen Mansfield: Best books of 2009

Not for those looking for a cozy fireside New Year read. The fiendish methods used by the Kempeitai, Japan's military police, are known in outline, but now we have the chilling details. Felton focuses not only on the unit's systematic physical and sexual torture of Allied soldiers and Asian civilians...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Dec 20, 2009

Anthony Fensom: Best books of 2009

The best expose of Japan's organized crime scene since Robert Whiting's "Tokyo Underworld." Former Yomiuri Shimbun journalist Jake Adelstein takes readers on a gripping tour of his 12-year stint on the Tokyo police beat and into a dark world closed to most non-Japanese. Part Philip Marlowe and part Clark...
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
Dec 17, 2009

Turning the Japanese household on its head

Aya Ueto is cute, but we think Softbank's Shirato commercials are brilliant because they subvert both the notion of family and being Japanese.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Dec 15, 2009

To gargle or not to gargle?

The Web site for the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) contains a pandemic influenza storybook filled with personal reflections from survivors, family members and friends. One of the accounts tells the story of Art McLaughlin, who lived about 25 km east of Chicago during...
Reader Mail
Dec 13, 2009

Helpful 'ambassador' appreciated

Regarding the Nov. 15 article "Opening a 'window' to Japan": It's refreshing to see that Japan has such helpful personnel as Yuka Tsujimura at the Narita Airport Tourist Information Center. Especially in a recession, when people travel less, it is more important that the first impression be pleasant...
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Dec 13, 2009

The colorful lure of carp in Japan

Two milestones were achieved at this year's All-Japan Show for Nishikigoi, or ornamental carp, which was held last month in Izumo, Shimane Prefecture.
JAPAN
Dec 12, 2009

Emperor will meet China's Xi Tuesday

Emperor Akihito will meet Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping on Tuesday, waiving a customary rule that he be notified a month in advance of such visits, the Imperial Household Agency said.
Reader Mail
Dec 10, 2009

The right to vote is not enough

We are reading much news about the Hatoyama administration considering giving permanent residents voting rights at the local level. As a permanent resident since 1984 and now a "senior citizen," the news doesn't excite me at all.
SOCCER / J. League
Dec 5, 2009

Frontale need help to capture first J. League title

KURIHIRA, Kanagawa Pref. — For Kawasaki Frontale goalkeeper Eiji Kawashima, Saturday will either mark the greatest day of his club career or the latest in a long line of painful failures.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Dec 4, 2009

'Up'

Carl Fredricksen, the 70-something protagonist of Pixar's "Up," is a squat, short-tempered geezer, a virtual knot of rage on legs.
BUSINESS
Dec 2, 2009

Skynet starts ¥10,000 ticket offer for foreign tourists

Skynet Asia Airways Co. kicked off a campaign Tuesday offering ¥10,000 one-way domestic flight tickets for foreigners with temporary visa status.
BUSINESS
Dec 1, 2009

Japan Tourism Agency Web site seeks foreigner buzz

The Japan Tourism Agency is kicking off a Web site Tuesday to give foreigners a forum to pitch this country in their native tongues to promote more tourism.

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