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CULTURE / Music / MUSIC NOMAD
Oct 9, 2000

Festival highlights the myriad sounds of Africa

The South African province of KwaZulu-Natal, I was told upon my arrival, has everything, from snowboarding in the morning to surfing in the afternoon. And from the itinerary that Swize, from the local tourist board, handed me, it looked like I would be doing it all: a trip to a game reserve and a Zulu...
CULTURE / Books
Oct 9, 2000

Confronting a legacy of shame

WHAT DID THE INTERNMENT OF JAPANESE AMERICANS MEAN?, edited by Alice Yang Murray. Boston, Mass.: Bedford/St. Martins, 2000, 163 pp., $13.50 (paper). This book is part of a series called "Historians At Work." Aimed at the undergraduate student, the series is designed to introduce students to a historical...
JAPAN
Oct 8, 2000

Metro government targets 'illegal light oil' mix

The chances of drivers being pulled over on Tokyo's main arteries will increase in upcoming months, but drunk drivers and speed demons will not be roadside enforcers' main targets.
JAPAN
Oct 8, 2000

Sugamo: not your hipster's Harajuku

If Harajuku is the mecca for the hip young, Sugamo is where it's at for the elderly.
JAPAN
Oct 8, 2000

Most Japanese prefer domestically made food

Nearly 82 percent of Japanese prefer food made domestically to imported food, mainly because of its presumed safety, according to the results of a government survey released Saturday.
JAPAN
Oct 8, 2000

Kids' fitness has plunged since '89: survey

The level of physical fitness and athletic ability in Japanese children remained constant between 1980 and 1990 but has plunged in the past 10 years, according to an Education Ministry survey.
COMMUNITY
Oct 8, 2000

Occupational therapy via 'Women and Socks'

It is a rare thing to find any actress of middle years who has never been out of work for more than six months. Especially one willing to explore both biculturally and bilingually her country's history and the sensitive subject of postwar relations.
JAPAN
Oct 8, 2000

Few Miyake evacuees have found jobs

Only 20 percent of Miyake Island evacuees have found jobs since the eruption of Mount Oyama last month forced them to leave their homes, according to a Tokyo Metropolitan Government survey released Saturday.
JAPAN
Oct 8, 2000

Tokyo poised to lift ban on exterior train ads

How can Tokyo buses and streetcars make more money without attracting more passengers? One answer: advertising.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Oct 8, 2000

Plenty to get antsy about at your local bank

Today we will examine something I refer to as Anthill Economics. The other day when I entered the local anthill, i.e., the bank, the usual staff of 33 employees greeted me. The most customers I've ever seen inside the bank is 10, but that's not the point. The anthill employs as many ants as possible...
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / PERSONALITY PROFILE
Oct 8, 2000

Toru Hirota

For the cover of its catalog for this year's 45th annual print show, the College Women's Association of Japan chose a print with a musical theme. "Polonaise Fantasy" depicts miniature cyclists and runners racing over a fanciful keyboard against a back cloth of an even more fanciful musical score. "I...
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 8, 2000

Bush's energy plan is a lot of hot air

Another day, another energy plan. On Sept. 29, Texas Gov. George W. Bush rolled out his third (by my count) action plan for reducing high energy prices. It's basically plan No. 2 modified with a handful of bad ideas borrowed from Vice President Al Gore: additional tax credits for renewable energy and...
COMMENTARY
Oct 8, 2000

The Japanese people really are different

This year there were two Olympics. One was for the world generally. The other was for Japan, with audiences glued to events where hysterical announcers could declare a Japanese victory.
JAPAN
Oct 8, 2000

China's Zhu to talk with Japanese for the cameras

Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji will appear on a special program to be aired by Tokyo Broadcasting System Inc. during his six-day visit to Japan that begins Thursday, TBS officials said Saturday.
EDITORIALS
Oct 7, 2000

The U.S. gets a real choice

There are complaints aplenty about U.S. politics, but the first debate between this year's presidential candidates was a reminder of what is right with the system. Rarely do voters anywhere have the opportunity to see their candidates square off and discuss issues in an intelligent and direct manner....
JAPAN
Oct 7, 2000

Magnitude 7.3 quake rocks western Japan

A strong earthquake with a magnitude of 7.3 hit the Chugoku region near the Sea of Japan coast in western Japan at 1:30 p.m. Friday, injuring at least 34 people and damaging several buildings, the Meteorological Agency and police said.
JAPAN
Oct 7, 2000

Emergency voice-mail set up

Nippon Telegraph and Telephone West Corp. said Friday it has set up an emergency voice-mail service for people worried about friends and family in regions of western Japan affected by a powerful earthquake earlier in the day.
JAPAN
Oct 7, 2000

Classroom rankings could go

An Education Ministry panel proposed Friday that elementary and junior high schools scrap relative ranking of students' academic achievements within a classroom in favor of absolute criteria.
CULTURE / Music / HOGAKU TODAY
Oct 7, 2000

Tales of romance and bloodshed come alive in Shinnai song

Some of the performing arts of Japan are so spectacular that they grab your attention and immediately make you feel a part of the music. Taiko drumming is one; rhythm speaks directly to our bodies, and the beating of a stick on a drum has a physical appeal to all, regardless of language or culture.
MORE SPORTS
Oct 7, 2000

Purple princess outdukes Dokic

Serena Williams might aspire to be the queen of women's tennis, but for now she's merely aiming to be a Toyota Princess.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 7, 2000

Britain's future is at the heart of Europe

Britain is still on course to join the euro despite the narrow rejection of formal membership by Denmark in last week's referendum. Denmark is Europe's second-smallest country, represents only 2 percent of European gross national product, and anyway has already tied its currency, the krone, to the euro....
CULTURE / Stage
Oct 7, 2000

Loose Sock theater company offers creative collaboration

Nestled in the cloudy seaside bluffs of Yamate in Yokohama stands the newly renovated Gaiety Theater. With origins dating back to 1870, the Gaiety has operated from various locations and hosted numerous theatrical organizations of Yokohama's foreign thespian community.
JAPAN
Oct 6, 2000

Hermit problem recognized

The Health and Welfare Ministry is planning to conduct extensive research on a growing legion of people who refuse to go to school or work, choosing instead to remain at home for long periods of time, ministry officials said Thursday.
JAPAN
Oct 6, 2000

NPA targets credit card fraud

The National Police Agency said Thursday it will develop a data-sharing system aimed at curbing the surge in crimes involving counterfeit credit cards, which caused losses exceeding 9 billion yen last year.
EDITORIALS
Oct 6, 2000

China's war on faith

Faith may be a private matter, but the Chinese government takes no chances. The Chinese Constitution guarantees every citizen the freedom to practice whatever religion he or she chooses. In practice, however, every religion has to subordinate itself to the Chinese Communist Party. The power holders in...
JAPAN
Oct 6, 2000

Asset-hiding cases decline

Tax officials reported 3,087 cases of what they see as overt attempts to conceal assets to avoid or reduce inheritance taxes in the year to June, the National Tax Administration said Thursday.
JAPAN
Oct 6, 2000

University organization aims to build regional ties

An organization of universities in Asia and the Pacific is promoting "life-long friendships" among young scholars to contribute to peace and prosperity in the region, one of the group's top administrators said.
JAPAN
Oct 6, 2000

Sansei make busy visit for the sake of relations

Most of them can't speak Japanese, or can't speak it very well. Some have only been to Japan a few times.

Longform

Bear attacks have dominated Japanese news headlines in recent months, with 13 people so far having been killed by the animals.
Japan’s bears have been on their killing spree for more than 100 years