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Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Nov 5, 2016

Washed up? Tokyo's iconic communal bath houses face an uncertain future

Walking around Tokyo, you may have noticed a number of tall, narrow chimneys rising above the skyline every so often. Such stacks are a good indication that you've stumbled across a sento, or communal bath house.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Nov 5, 2016

Kofu: the mountain fortress of warlord Takeda Shingen

In Akira Kurosawa's classic 1980 film "Kagemusha" ("Shadow Warrior"), the 16th-century daimyo Takeda Shingen is mortally wounded by a sniper after being lured by the sound of a flute during a castle siege. Takeda's clan know that rival warlords Oda Nobunaga and Tokugawa Ieyasu will pounce on their domain...
Japan Times
OLYMPICS / OLYMPIC NOTEBOOK
Nov 5, 2016

Gold in 1964 Tokyo Games set Cassell on life path

From humble roots growing up in a coal mining camp in Wise County, Virginia, Ollan Cassell built a successful, inspiring career in track and field.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Nov 5, 2016

Amid Rakhine violence, rights monitors voice concern about Myanmar's freedom of speech

Human rights monitors have raised concerns about press freedom in Myanmar after a journalist at an English-language newspaper said she was fired following government criticism of her reporting of allegations of rape by soldiers.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 4, 2016

Suu Kyi refuses to play Rakhine blame game

Visiting Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi says there is little evidence that the military is targeting civilians in Rakhine state and vows to release the government's findings.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 4, 2016

Ruling bloc rams TPP bill through committee

The ruling coalition steamrolls a TPP ratification bill through the Lower House Trans-Pacific Partnership panel, infuriating opposition lawmakers and sparking chaos in the Diet.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Nov 4, 2016

Tokyo's first Russian-style maid cafe

Twelve men sit in silence at a new cafe in Tokyo's Shinjuku district as three women dressed in Russian attire start serving a sour-looking plate of borscht.
EDITORIALS
Nov 3, 2016

Japan's hypocritical nuclear stance

Japan's opposition to the start of talks on a U.N. treaty aimed at outlawing nuclear arms has undermined its position as a leader in the anti-nuclear weapons movement.
Japan Times
WORLD
Nov 3, 2016

IS leader al-Baghdadi urges Mosul jihadis to fight to the end

Gogjali Iraq
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Nov 2, 2016

Movie about 'shogi' master Satoshi Murayama closes Tokyo International Film Festival

For the premiere of "Satoshi: A Move for Tomorrow," actors Kenichi Matsuyama and Masahiro Higashide and director Yoshitaka Mori were on hand to greet fans before the screening of their film, which closes the 2016 Tokyo International Film Festival.
EDITORIALS
Nov 2, 2016

Scandal rocks Seoul

The furor that has erupted in Seoul is not likely to topple South Korean President Park Geun-hye, but it will create a vacuum at the apex of government and may well render her a lame duck.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Nov 2, 2016

Mysterious green fireball observed in skies above Japan on Halloween likely a meteor

A mysterious green fireball filmed flying over parts of eastern Japan in the early hours of Monday have left many people wondering what it actually was.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 2, 2016

Ruling coalition gives up trying to pass TPP-ratifying bill after minister's gaffe

After a round of fresh calls for the resignation of the agriculture minister, the coalition decides to throw in the towel.
Japan Times
MULTIMEDIA
Nov 1, 2016

Halloween in Japan 2016: I scream, you scream, we all scream

This year, revelers got a full weekend of Halloween celebrations, including the chaotic free-for-all celebrations that occurred in Shibuya, the Ikebukuro Cosplay Fes and the three-day Kawasaki Halloween 2016 event, which was celebrating its 20th anniversary. Here's a sampling of scenes from some of Tokyo's...
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Nov 1, 2016

The fall of Choi Soon-sil: from South Korean presidential confidante to incarceration

When the lawyer representing the woman at the center of a scandal engulfing South Korean President Park Geun-hye met his client upon her arrival in the country from Germany on Sunday morning, he was blunt.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Nov 1, 2016

Every hero has a few human flaws

Ryoma Sakamoto (1835-1867), among Japan's most beloved heroes, came of age when U.S. Commodore Matthew Perry's Black Ships arrived demanding trade relations and ending the country's closed-door foreign policy. The old Japan ruled by the feudal Tokugawa shogunate was giving way to the modern nation state....
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Nov 1, 2016

Maruyama Okyo: Opening Up New Terrain in Japanese Painting

Nov. 3-Dec. 18
Japan Times
SPORTS / MAN ABOUT SPORTS
Nov 1, 2016

San Diego, Chargers hold special place in writer's heart

San Diego may lose its NFL Chargers. And because MAS considers himself an honorary San Diegan, he is despondent over that possibility. Why? Well, it's a long but — MAS hopes — interesting story. So, here goes.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Oct 31, 2016

Abenomic's secret success

Japan's economy may be doing significantly better lately than the national statistics seem to suggest.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Oct 31, 2016

Why you won't learn natural Japanese from dubbed foreign TV

It seems that in Japanese dubbing there is always something found rather than lost in translation — something that wasn't in the English original and is not part of regular Japanese either.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design
Oct 29, 2016

Amazon Fashion Week Tokyo: Womenswear collections shake up the system

The six days that constituted Amazon Fashion Week Tokyo from Oct. 17 to 22 featured a wide range of styles, from pop and punk inspirations to commercial and avant-garde creations. It was the first collection to be sponsored by Amazon and, while many wondered if the involvement of the online retailer...
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design
Oct 29, 2016

Mina Perhonen: a natural-born style

Be it a dress, a teacup or a chair, there is something instantly recognizable about a Mina Perhonen creation. Perhaps it's the natural motifs, exquisite textiles and unexpected color combinations. Or maybe it's the nostalgia-tinged atmosphere paired with clean-lined contemporary silhouettes.
LIFE / Style & Design
Oct 29, 2016

Tokyo offers a wealth of innovative design, some of it for free

Tokyo Design Week has kicked in, with its first session ending on Oct. 31 and its second session running Nov. 2 to 7. But if the innovative products, architecture and robotics in Meiji Jingu Gaien are not enough to satiate your design curiosity, there are several free exhibitions in the city that are...
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 29, 2016

Secret U.K. deal for Nissan denied despite decision to build new model at Sunderland plant

Nissan Motor Co.'s decision to keep investing in Britain came after the carmaker told the government it might shut down manufacturing in the country once it leaves the European Union, according to a person familiar with the private discussions.
Japan Times
MULTIMEDIA
Oct 28, 2016

The faces of the Tokyo International Film Festival 2016

The 29th Tokyo International Film Festival, which opened on Tuesday, is screening a variety of cinema from all over the world at various venues in Tokyo. The festival runs until Nov. 3, when the jury will announce the winning films from the competition.

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