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JAPAN
May 25, 2000

NPA official held for allegedly buying drugs on Net

OSAKA -- Health and Welfare Ministry narcotics agents have arrested a technical official with the National Police Agency on suspicion of buying amphetamines via the Internet, an Osaka office of the ministry said Wednesday.
LIFE / Food & Drink / WINE WAYS
May 25, 2000

Winding down the vine along Austria's Danube

Can't you just see yourself, on a ship cruising the Danube from one charming Austrian wine town to another, sipping their world-class wines while wondering how you ever got so lucky? This is a possible dream, the more so because the Danube and many wine towns it connects -- Krems, Spitz, etc. -- are...
COMMENTARY / World
May 25, 2000

Japan's national security policy ignores public sentiment

The impression that one gets when looking at the evolution of Japan's security policy in recent years is that the Japanese public has consented to steps taken by Tokyo. After all, that is the fundamental expectation that democracies nurture. Following this reasoning, Tokyo should be developing a security...
LIFE / Food & Drink / NIHONSHU
May 25, 2000

Strong traditions flow through Iwate sake

Talk about a late bloomer. From its location in the northeastern corner of Honshu, Iwate Prefecture exerts a tremendous influence on the sake world. Yet, sake was not even produced there on any real scale until well after 1678, long after Nada, Itami and Kyoto were well into their sake-brewing heyday....
CULTURE / Art
May 25, 2000

Draw the bow, ride and speak the truth

You could argue that in this age, we look to movies to preserve our traditions. But it begs the chicken and egg question: Where does the filmmaker go to authenticate the details?
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
May 25, 2000

On a culinary cruise in Akasaka

We have numerous restaurants which bear the name of their chefs, owners or svengalis. But Denis Allemand is perhaps the first to proudly boast the name of the man responsible for its interior design -- whose main work in Japan up to now has been producing deli-diners in airport departure lobbies for...
COMMENTARY
May 25, 2000

One currency, 11 masters

LONDON -- Many commentators seem genuinely surprised at the miserable performance of the euro. How, they ask, can it be that the new currency for most of Western Europe, which was billed to be the rival of the dollar and the world's alternative reserve currency, is now trading against the dollar at 25...
JAPAN
May 24, 2000

Home care givers face dwindling wages

When the new state-run nursing-care insurance system was launched in April, many of its planners predicted it would lead to better working conditions and salaries for home helpers.
JAPAN
May 24, 2000

Modern society, sexual equality partners: Norway ombudsman

A Norwegian ombudsman on gender equality says utilizing the power of women is "the key to the development of a modern society."
BUSINESS
May 24, 2000

Four banks returned to profitability in 1999

Four major banks that released their fiscal 1999 earning reports Tuesday returned to the black after at least a year of losses.
COMMUNITY
May 24, 2000

Plutocrat's quiet country place preserved

Tonogayato Garden is located in Kokubunji, about 25 km from Tokyo Station. The garden is now owned by the Tokyo Metropolitan Parks Department but was originally owned by the Iwasaki family, of Mitsubishi fame.
LIFE / Digital / CYBERIA
May 24, 2000

Shopping with the herd

We track the tickers of global auctions. We flock to comparative shopping sites seeking the deal of the century. We sign up for sweepstakes galore and even occasionally invite vendors into our in-boxes to inform us of their latest discounts.
JAPAN
May 24, 2000

Video violence begets real thing

When a 14-year-old Kobe boy shocked the nation three years ago by killing an elementary school boy and placing his severed head in front of a school gate, Masatoshi Taguchi said he was afraid similar crimes would follow.
COMMUNITY / How-tos / GETTING THINGS DONE
May 24, 2000

Contrasts everywhere

We all know generalizations are dangerous, we shouldn't make them, but we do, especially when there is considerable evidence to support them. Japanese conformity is an example, though we must acknowledge that there is much to suggest a contrasting, imaginative individuality. For example, five perfectly...
LIFE / Food & Drink / KISSA KULTUR
May 24, 2000

Fresh or aged, the coffee is kicking at Satei Hato

On a nondescript side street, a short walk from Shibuya Station's jangling cell phones and glaring white lipstick, Satei Hato first catches your eye with the dramatic vases and fresh flowers that grace its entrance. Intrigued, you discover a space much larger than you anticipated, filled with the warmth...
BUSINESS
May 24, 2000

JR East posts triple rise in net profit

East Japan Railway Co. (JR East) said Tuesday its group net profit in fiscal 1999 leaped threefold from the previous year, following two consecutive years of setbacks.
LIFE / Travel
May 24, 2000

Lazy days on Yanagawa's canals

Yanagawa, in Fukuoka Prefecture, almost doesn't feel like a castle town. After all, the castle's remains (several heavy stone walls covered with greenery) now have two schools sprawling over them, and today the city is more associated with water, willow trees and writers. However Yanagawa's most distinctive...
CULTURE / Stage
May 24, 2000

Dervish dancing to oneness

The mystical tradition of Sufism is little known outside the Muslim faith, yet all people, regardless of religious background or inclination, can benefit from its methods for developing unity in one's body, mind and spirit.
EDITORIALS
May 23, 2000

Tokyo leads the way to recovery

While the economy still shows mixed signs of recovery, small companies are engaged in a struggle for survival. Japan's economic fortunes hinge on the successes of small companies, including venture businesses, and their activities need to be watched closely.
JAPAN
May 23, 2000

Youth crime laid to insular life

Juvenile crimes stem from a society adults created, and changing laws to merely impose a stricter punishment on young offenders will not get to the root of the problem, according to a former family court examiner.
JAPAN
May 23, 2000

Residents to be asked to give way to garbage dump

A garbage-disposal association will soon ask the Tokyo Metropolitan Government to order residents of Hinodemachi, western Tokyo, to vacate land slated to be the site of an expanded dump, a source close to the association said Monday.
JAPAN
May 23, 2000

Sydney Olympics tours ready to wreak havoc on wallets

With the Sydney Olympics now less than four months away, many travel agents in Japan are busy selling tour packages to the Games.
CULTURE / Books
May 23, 2000

The new China, from hamburgers to lonely hearts

THE CONSUMER REVOLUTION IN URBAN CHINA, edited by Deborah S. Davis. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2000, 379 pp., 35 b/w photos, 21 tables, $22 (paper). McDonald's is the great equalizer. Wherever you go in the world it tastes exactly the same. The same beef, the same cheese, the same shredded...
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
May 23, 2000

Basho, a man for all seasons

REDISCOVERING BASHO: A 300th Anniversary Celebration, edited by Stephen Henry Gill & C. Andrew Gerstle. Kent: Global Oriental/Global Books, 1999, 168 pp., 14.95 British pounds. During the 300 years since his death, Basho has turned into Japan's most famous poet, the personification of haiku culture...
BUSINESS
May 23, 2000

Consumer mood up a tick; worries remain

Consumer sentiment in Japan has improved, but only slightly, with concerns lingering about employment and income prospects, according to a survey released Monday by a governmental research institute.

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