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CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Feb 1, 2009

Pet vet mystery, 'character' wear on youth fashion show, post-war cop drama

Pet lovers get their turn in the suspense drama spotlight in "Dobutsu Byoin: Ayako no Jiken Karute" ("Animal Clinic: Ayako's Case Charts") (TV Tokyo, Wednesday, 9 p.m.). Veterinarian Ayako (Yasuko Sawaguchi) works at the Enoki Animal Clinic. One day she sees Tokie, the owner of one of her former patients,...
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / CLOSE-UP
Feb 1, 2009

Chizu Saeki: Beauty's more than skin deep

Skincare guru Chizu Saeki's expertise is such that her abilities have been compared to those of a fortuneteller. She can, for example, determine people's physical and mental health condition, the key experiences that have influenced them, and even their outlook on life, merely by running her fingers...
Japan Times
MORE SPORTS
Jan 31, 2009

Iso's incredible journey takes her back to Super Bowl

The NFL powerhouse Pittsburgh Steelers have been there and done that.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Jan 31, 2009

Car crazy and lovin' the fast lane

Simon Sproule appreciates the benefits of globalization. "The world has globalized so much since I left the U.K. in 1998 that I can get access to British media or Marmite on toast almost anywhere, anytime," he says, referring to the popular yeast extract spread.
CULTURE / Art
Jan 30, 2009

Drama outsider takes a step into the theater

Kuro Tanino leaped into the spotlight in November 2007 with a production of Henrik Ibsen's tragicomedy "The Wild Duck" that was almost sold out for a month at Theater 1010 in Tokyo's Kitasenju.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jan 30, 2009

'Cleaner'

The phrase "somebody's gotta do it" applies with hammering aptness to what Tom (Samuel L. Jackson) does for a living in "Cleaner." His company, Steri-Clean, clears up after murder and death sites where, after the body has been taken away, various stains, marks and odors stubbornly remain. When Steri-Clean...
JAPAN
Jan 29, 2009

Women still largely absent from politics

When it comes to female participation in politics, Japan lags far behind other nations.
Japan Times
Events / WHERE IT'S AT
Jan 27, 2009

East of Tokyo grooves to the samba rhythms

Although the weather was cold and cloudy, sweat was pouring from those who made it over to the Barbaros New Year Party 2009, an event hosted by G.R.E.S. Barbaros, 17-time winner of the Asakusa Samba Carnival and one of the largest dance teams in the nation dedicated to the Brazilian musical genre.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 25, 2009

Thai pendulum swings to the Establishment

BANGKOK — Thailand's political pendulum has now swung all the way back to an era that existed before the rise of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra in 2001. What transpired under Thaksin during 2001-2005 is being undone and redone. Whether the new Democrat Party-led government of Prime Minister...
ENVIRONMENT / BACKSTREET STORIES
Jan 25, 2009

A west side love story

With Valentine's Day approaching, Tokyo's lovers dust off chocolate-tempering pots, scope out sweet shops and reserve bouquets of roses. Of course, savvy romantics know a midwinter stroll along a back street, with requisite snuggling for warmth, works nearly as well to stoke affection as edible or olfactory...
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / BACKSTREET STORIES
Jan 25, 2009

A west side love story

With Valentine's Day approaching, Tokyo's lovers dust off chocolate-tempering pots, scope out sweet shops and reserve bouquets of roses. Of course, savvy romantics know a midwinter stroll along a back street, with requisite snuggling for warmth, works nearly as well to stoke affection as edible or olfactory...
SOCCER / PREMIER REPORT
Jan 24, 2009

Kaka-Bellamy tandem had unique potential

LONDON — The main sadness about Kaka not joining Manchester City is that there will almost certainly never be a conversation between the AC Milan maestro and Craig Bellamy, who signed from West Ham for £16 million.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHEN EAST MARRIES WEST
Jan 24, 2009

The language game — here's what not to do

Life is full of stupid moves.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jan 23, 2009

'Kansen Retto'

Disaster movies became big in both Hollywood and Japan in the 1970s — an era of soaring gas prices, volatile exchange rates and a failed Republican presidency. Now, with history repeating itself (in spades), this much-derided genre is booming again.
SOCCER / SOCCER SCENE
Jan 22, 2009

Win over Yemen gives Okada's plans vital breathing space

Japan's 2-1 win over Yemen on Tuesday night may not have been pretty, but the result could prove invaluable for manager Takeshi Okada's strategy for 2009.
JAPAN
Jan 20, 2009

Temp support groups call for urgent steps

Support groups proposed several steps to the government and opposition on Monday to strengthen the safety net for laid-off temp workers ahead of an expected increase in their number at the end of March.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 20, 2009

Temps in manufacturing: Safety valve, but no net

A day before Christmas, temporary worker Yoshinori Sato, 49, received his dismissal notice from Isuzu Motor Co.
Reader Mail
Jan 18, 2009

Sports strategy for everyone

I read with amusement and sadness the Jan. 14 article "Plan afoot to raise Olympic athletes' medal prospects before '16." I've lived in Japan through five Olympics now, and it has been the same after each one: great frustration over the failure of Japanese athletes to do better than they did, mixed with...
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Jan 18, 2009

'Forgotten song' show, 'impossible crime' investigator and a reset to the past

The Nihon TV series "Dare mo Shiranai Nakeru Uta" ("Songs That Make You Cry and Which Nobody Knows") (Tuesday, 9:30 p.m.) is hosted by actor Toshiyuki Nishida and comedian Shinya Ueda, who listen to obscure songs suggested by viewers.
EDITORIALS
Jan 18, 2009

Househusbands on the rise

A recent survey conducted by the Kaji Kentei Jikko Iinkai (Housework Aptitude Test Association) reveals a great deal about the aspirations inside Japanese homes. Apparently, a surprisingly large number of married Japanese men — nearly 30 percent — would not mind being househusbands. This may not...
CULTURE / Books
Jan 18, 2009

The strength of Japan's 'soft power'

SOFT POWER SUPERPOWERS: Cultural and National Assets of Japan and the U.S., edited by Yasushi Watanabe and David L. McConnell. New York: M.E. Sharpe. Armonk, 2008, 296 pp., $32.95 (paper)
CULTURE / Books
Jan 18, 2009

The strength of Japan's 'soft power'

BEYOND PACIFISM: Why Japan Must Become a "Normal" Nation, by William Middlebrooks. Praeger Security International: Westport, Conn., 2008, 155 pp., $75 (cloth) SOFT POWER SUPERPOWERS: Cultural and National Assets of Japan and the U.S., edited by Yasushi Watanabe and David L. McConnell. New York: M.E....
CULTURE / Music / FUZZY LOGIC
Jan 16, 2009

School's out

Matilda isn't waltzing. She's sprinting toward me outside Shinsaibashi Station in Osaka with the speed of a Jamaican Olympian chewing cheetah gonads. A meter from me she screams "Simon!" and takes a flying leap, so I instinctively reach out and I'm holding this tiny 18-year-old in my arms like she's...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / FUZZY LOGIC
Jan 16, 2009

School's out

Matilda isn't waltzing. She's sprinting toward me outside Shinsaibashi Station in Osaka with the speed of a Jamaican Olympian chewing cheetah gonads. A meter from me she screams "Simon!" and takes a flying leap, so I instinctively reach out and I'm holding this tiny 18-year-old in my arms like she's...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jan 16, 2009

'Hell Ride'/'Filth and Wisdom'

Glancing at the poster for "Hell Ride," you'd think it was the second coming of some long-lost 1968 biker flick, some Roger Corman-produced exploitation nasty like "The Wild Angels" or "Chrome and Hot Leather." But no, this is a homage to '60s biker flicks, produced by trash-movie sommelier Quentin Tarantino,...
EDITORIALS
Jan 15, 2009

Absurd insistence on handouts

The fiscal 2008 second supplementary budget, which includes a ¥2 trillion cash handout to households, and related bills passed the Lower House Tuesday with majority support of the ruling parties. The supplementary budget includes support for small businesses and regional economies as well. But at a...
COMMENTARY
Jan 15, 2009

China steps up global diplomacy

Almost two decades ago, China's paramount leader Deng Xiaoping issued a series of instructions regarding the orientation of Chinese foreign policy in which he emphasized the need for Beijing to keep a low profile and never take the lead. Up until a few years ago, China has for the most part maintained...

Longform

Japan's growing ranks of centenarians are redefining what it means to live in a super-aging society.
What comes after 100?