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Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / BACKSTREET STORIES
Apr 29, 2012

Foxtrotting around Asukayama

Rising amid flat farmland, Asukayama had long been an untended haunt of foxes and their small prey when, in 1720, Yoshimune Tokugawa, the eighth shogun to rule in Edo (present-day Tokyo), had the hilly upland planted with 1,200 cherry trees, 100 maples and 100 pines, to create a public park for flower-viewing....
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT
Apr 29, 2012

Kamakura's historic 'flowering garden'

When I meander through the gardens of Zuisen-ji Temple, I'm always reminded of a particular haiku by the 17th-century poet Matsuo Basho, which goes: Fading temple bell / The fragrance of flowers strikes / At evening.
JAPAN
Apr 28, 2012

Hopes for Noda-Obama talks underwhelm

When Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda meets with Barack Obama on Monday, they will hold the first formal one-on-one talks between a Japanese leader and a U.S. president in Washington since February 2009.
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Apr 27, 2012

Ruling party ends up back where it started with assistance for families

Crunching the numbers for the new child allowance.
CULTURE / Art
Apr 27, 2012

Representing Japan at Art Kyoto

In the wake of the recently held Art Fair Tokyo, Kyoto is following up with its own alternative in Art Kyoto. Organizers will, however, eschew the international art fair model seen in Tokyo and do what Kyoto does best — represent Japan.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Apr 27, 2012

Representing Japan at Art Kyoto

In the wake of the recently held Art Fair Tokyo, Kyoto is following up with its own alternative in Art Kyoto. Organizers will, however, eschew the international art fair model seen in Tokyo and do what Kyoto does best — represent Japan.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Apr 24, 2012

Tokyo gets double dose of gay pride for 2012

For the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community, gay pride parades are not only a great means to raise awareness of LGBT issues and spread the message of diversity and acceptance, but also a much-needed excuse to gather supporters together and party down. At such events in hundreds of cities...
BUSINESS
Apr 24, 2012

Growing 'butterfly gap' shows 10-year JGBs top bet

Investors are favoring Japan's 10-year notes over both shorter- and longer-term debt on prospects the central bank will succumb to lawmaker calls to buy a wider spectrum of debt to support the economy.
CULTURE / Books
Apr 22, 2012

Espionage and mystery in modern-day China

Don't Cry Tai Lake, by Qiu Xiaolong. St. Martin's Minotaur, 2012, 272 pp., $24.99 (hardcover) An American Spy, by Olen Steinhauer. St. Martin's Minotaur, 2012, 400 pp., $25.99 (hardcover) Qiu Xiaolong's mystery novels, featuring Chief Inspector Chen Cao of the Shanghai Police Department, have largely...
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / OUR PLANET EARTH
Apr 22, 2012

It takes a forest, a field and a stream to raise a child

In 1996, back when the present U.S. Secretary of State was the first lady, Hillary Rodham-Clinton published a book titled "It Takes a Village: And Other Lessons Children Teach Us," which popularized an old African proverb — "It takes a village to raise a child."
CULTURE / Books
Apr 22, 2012

Chinese National Army and the Golden Triangle

The Secret Army: Chiang Kai-shek and the Drug Warlords of the Golden Triangle, by Richard M. Gibson with Wenhua Chen. Wiley, 2011, 384 pp., $32.95 (paperback) Anyone who has stared into the devitalized eyes of an opium addict will know how grave the legacy of the narcotics trade continues to be in the...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 21, 2012

Youth, politicos find common ground: beer

Just as in many other countries, Japan's young voters view politicians as untrustworthy, while lawmakers consider youths completely apathetic and out of touch with the real world — especially when it comes to politics.
BUSINESS
Apr 21, 2012

Sony-led group wins EU approval for $2.2 billion EMI music purchase

A Sony Corp.-led group has won EU approval for its $2.2 billion purchase of EMI Group's music publishing unit after it agreed to sell rights to chart hits by Robbie Williams and Ozzy Osbourne.
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Apr 20, 2012

Government shows awareness of something called 'child support'

New divorce notification forms finally acknowledge that some couples have kids.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Apr 20, 2012

Actress Mizukawa tackles 'violent, turbulent' character

Despite being holed up in a Tokyo hotel room for a press junket, 28-year-old actress Asami Mizukawa is surprisingly upbeat. However, she gives an unusual response when asked about the new TV mini-series she is starring in.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Apr 20, 2012

'Le Havre'

Finnish filmmaker Aki Kaurismaki has always been free from a particular pressure of the modern world: the pressure to grow and change. You know, the one where we have to make more money, be better looking and forever fit, and go on better vacations than the Joneses (or Suzukis) and post the pictures...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Apr 20, 2012

Shindo's 100th birthday screenings

"I have depicted so many things, but I have depicted only one thing," Kaneto Shindo once said. "It is how humans live." And on April 22, the venerable filmmaker — the oldest working director in Japan — will celebrate his 100th birthday.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Apr 20, 2012

L'As: New French restaurant does things differently

It is always a pleasure to discover a great new restaurant — and even more so when "new" means a lot more than just "recently opened." L'As is a small place with a young crew and a location that is easy to overlook. But since opening in early February in the backstreets of Minami-Aoyama, it's been...
Reader Mail
Apr 19, 2012

'Sink or swim' ethic in America

Regarding Robert J. Samuelson's April 16 article "Look at Social Security for what it is: welfare," unfortunately millions of retired Americans depend upon Social Security payments for survival. Because the concept of "lifetime employment" is virtually unheard of in the United States, we do not often...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Apr 19, 2012

"Masterpieces of Chinese Ceramic Art Exhibition"

Even though the quality of Hikonobu Ise's collection of Chinese ceramics has been highly acclaimed internationally, the majority of his acquisitions have never before been shown to the public.
CULTURE / Art
Apr 19, 2012

"Masterpieces of Chinese Ceramic Art Exhibition"

Even though the quality of Hikonobu Ise's collection of Chinese ceramics has been highly acclaimed internationally, the majority of his acquisitions have never before been shown to the public.
COMMENTARY
Apr 18, 2012

Dam-building disputes roil Asia

Dam building on shared rivers has emerged as the leading source of water disputes and tensions in Asia, the world's driest continent whose freshwater availability is less than half the global annual average of 6,380 cubic meters per inhabitant. Dam-building activities by China and Central, South and...
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Apr 17, 2012

Medicinal direction from both the East and West

Once shunned as outdated and unproven, kanpō (Chinese herbal therapy) is currently making a vibrant comeback in Japan.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Apr 17, 2012

Bread and becquerels: a year of living dangerously

My New Year's resolution back in January was to survive this year, and many more to come, which means keeping myself and my family as far from harm's way as possible.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Apr 15, 2012

Papa is an idol; marriage and memory loss; CM of the week: Takara Shuzo

Last month, pop idol Jin Akanishi was punished by his agency, Johnny's & Associates, for getting married without telling them. Another Johnny's idol, Ryo Nishikido, of the group Kanjani 8, has his handlers' blessing in the new series "Papa-doru" ("Papa Idol"; TBS, Thurs., 9 p.m.), which, though fiction,...

Longform

Ichiro Suzuki, one of the most iconic players in NPB and MLB history, was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame with 99.7% of the vote.
With Hall of Fame induction, Ichiro makes himself heard loud and clear