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JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Nov 26, 2006

Time to sink or swim for TV fish pundit Sakana

In September, the TV personality known as Sakana-kun was appointed to the position of guest assistant professor by the Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology.
LIFE / Travel
Nov 17, 2006

Hirafu-Niseko's powder melts hearts

There are many international-class skiing resorts in Hokkaido, but perhaps none to rival Hirafu-Niseko. Located roughly 100 km west of Sapporo, the area, which is especially popular among ski-loving Australians and expats, is home to three skiing areas: Niseko Annupuri, Niseko Higashiyama and Niseko...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Nov 17, 2006

FILMeX shows size doesn't matter

Tokyo FILMeX enters its seventh year as the smaller, friendlier, artier alternative to the Tokyo International Film Festival.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / JAZZNICITY
Nov 17, 2006

Dutch invasion

Jazz has established many homes outside its country of birth, and recently musicians and fans in these widely dispersed countries have begun interacting far from jazz's Mecca of New York City. The scenes in Holland and Japan -- long two of the most thriving -- stepped up their cultural exchanges this...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Nov 16, 2006

An ambassador of enlightenment

When I was a teenager living in New York some 20 years ago, I bought a tiny introduction to Zen Buddhism from a bookstore in midtown Manhattan. A $1 clearance-sale copy, it was so small that I could slip it into my back pocket.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / WILD WATCH
Nov 15, 2006

Lure of money set to empty the oceans

Afriend of mine who lives in the picturesque port city of Otaru, western Hokkaido, is a fish-hunter. He loves to dive, and hunts for fish with a spear gun -- seafood is his manna from heaven.
EDITORIALS
Nov 15, 2006

Southeast Asia battles haze, again

With fires burning out of control in Indonesia this fall, smog and haze have blanketed much of Southeast Asia. The region knows well the costs involved, and has even come up with a plan to deal with it. Unfortunately, Indonesia, the main offender, has not yet ratified the agreement. Action must be taken...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Nov 14, 2006

Beneath the surface

A converted bean storehouse in a Kyoto back-street is the unusual venue for an innovative introduction to traditional Japanese culture. During just one busy day, participants in the Origin Arts Program can try their hand at the ancient martial art of "Waraku," tea ceremony, calligraphy and Noh theater....
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Nov 12, 2006

Cameron Diaz presses all the right buttons for SoftBank

For some insight into the ruckus that SoftBank kicked up when it relaunched its mobile phone service with a zero-yen-per-call plan, check out its new ads and compare them with the competition's. NTT DoCoMo's ads showcase no less than seven famous personalities (eight if you count female comedy duo Othello...
JAPAN
Nov 11, 2006

Chongryun warns against inspecting North's ships

said Thursday. So Chung On, director of Chongryun's international affairs bureau, which functions like an embassy because Japan and North Korea have no diplomatic ties, said Pyongyang had no problem with inspections of its ships within a country's territorial waters.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / PERSONALITY PROFILE
Nov 11, 2006

Mary Ishin Sung Katayama

Educated in Japan and the U.S., and each year making frequent official trips to Europe, Mary Ishin Sung Katayama says that she thinks of herself as borderless. "I love to travel and feel a need to be on the go every month or two," she said.
CULTURE / Books
Nov 5, 2006

Following the paper trail to a modern Japan

JAPAN IN PRINT: Information and Nation in the Early Modern Period, by Mary Elizabeth Berry. Berkeley/Los Angeles/London: University of California Press, 2006, 325 pp., $45.95 (cloth). The title of this book is to be taken literally. "Japan in Print" is not about Japanese prints or printing in Japan,...
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Nov 5, 2006

NHK's "Tsurube no Kazoku ni Kanpai," "Chikyu Dramatic" and more

This week, NHK's travel show "Tsurube no Kazoku ni Kanpai" (Tsurube Toasts Families; NHK-G, Monday, 8 p.m.) begins a two-part series on a trip to Ishikawa prefecture.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / CLOSE-UP
Nov 5, 2006

Joi Ito: Master of multitasking

Joichi Ito, better known as Joi Ito, defies any one simple label.
SPORTS / SPORTS SCOPE
Nov 1, 2006

NFL owners showing ignorance by nixing Japan for regular-season games

The oversight was about as subtle as a cockroach on a white rug.
BASEBALL / MLB
Nov 1, 2006

MLB stars hope to prove themselves during Nichibei

The plane has landed, and the first battle has begun.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / BEST BAR NONE
Oct 27, 2006

In the cool shade of the Maple Leaf

A pub is a pub, and a sports bar is a sports bar -- or so you might think. In fact, these watering holes come in subtle shades of cultural preference. All conveniently bear the bold colors of a national flag somewhere on the premises for ease of reference. No prizes for guessing which one you will find...
BASKETBALL
Oct 25, 2006

Veteran Shoji looking forward to fresh start with Broncos in bj-league

TOKOROZAWA, Saitama Pref. -- Some things are inevitable: political scandals in election years, bad hair days, predictable plots in action-movie sequels.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 24, 2006

The rising wealth of nations

NEW HAVEN, Connecticut -- The new Penn World Table, Version 6.2, comparing standards of living across countries, has just been released. The latest figures are for 2004, and, because of data lags, not all countries are included. Yet these numbers are valuable because they are of exceptional quality and...
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Oct 23, 2006

Hammies rally in pivotal 7th inning

NAGOYA -- Makoto Kaneko had found a new way to make an out in every Japan Series at-bat heading into the seventh inning of Game 2.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Oct 22, 2006

NHK's "Premium 10," Nihon TV's "Catherine the Great" and more

On Sept. 23, 35,000 people flocked to the Tsumagoi resort area in Shizuoka Prefecture to attend a concert featuring folk-rock singer Takuro Yoshida and the soft rock trio Kagu-yahime. In 1975 these two artists played for 12 hours at the same site in front of 50,000 fans at the first-ever concert of its...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Oct 21, 2006

Astrologer reaches out with readings of counsel

His certification as an astrologer reads Tatsuhiro Percival Nakajima. Why? The gentle Japanese -- still coolly dressed for summer -- replies smiling: "Because I am the Fool."
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / WILD WATCH
Oct 18, 2006

Slow down to savor the turning seasons

The autumnal season of change is upon us once more, with delights for eye, ear and nose. As the thermometer dips, rises and falls erratically, some days seem almost balmy as if it is late spring or early summer; others carry a stronger hint of the chill to come as winter approaches.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Oct 17, 2006

Visiting a theme park sure beats working, unless . . .

Japan has lots of young people who are out of work or not even in the hunt for a job. The government estimates that 850,000 people, from teens through to their 30s, fall into the category of NEET (Not in Education, Employment or Training). Then there are the "freeters," youths who only work odd jobs...
EDITORIALS
Oct 7, 2006

Consequence of skating on thin ice

Mr. Katsuichiro Hisanaga, former head of the Japan Skating Federation, and two others have been arrested on suspicion of embezzling 5.8 million yen from the organization in 2002. The arrests are regrettable especially since Japan has produced world-class figure skaters in the past decade. This year Ms....
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Oct 6, 2006

Old school rappers look to new schools

Since hip-hop emerged in the late 1970s, it's been closely linked with basketball. But just as the United States is no longer the dominant force in international hoops, its dominance in the world of beats and rhymes is also waning.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / PERSONALITY PROFILE
Sep 30, 2006

Frances Fister-Stoga

The Linguapax Institute, located in Barcelona, Spain, is a nongovernmental organization affiliated with UNESCO. Linguapax Asia, associate of the Linguapax Institute, carries out the objectives of the institute and of UNESCO's Linguapax Project, with a special focus on Asia and the Pacific Rim. The objectives...

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