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EDITORIALS
Dec 10, 2006

Our words of the year

Once again, it's the season when the dictionary and language people are hard at work winnowing words -- new ones, catchy ones, much-looked-up ones, over-used ones -- in preparation for crowning their latest Word of the Year (WOTY). This year, we thought we might do a bit of winnowing of our own.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Dec 3, 2006

A trip down memory-dori on 1956 tour by Dodgers

Our good friend John Gilmore of Baseball International tipped us off through Bob Bavasi's JapanBall.com about an Internet home page highlighting former Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers owner -- and international baseball devotee -- Walter O'Malley.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Dec 1, 2006

Tale of the tape

Tapes 'n Tapes, this year's designated Internet-sparked American indie band are, for the moment at least, enjoying their rocket trip to notoriety. Touring their butts off since self-releasing their debut album "The Loon" about a year ago, the Minneapolis-based quartet have already achieved a certain...
SUMO / SUMO SCRIBBLINGS
Nov 28, 2006

For the sake of sumo, scrap the Fukuoka Basho

In the Fukuoka Basho's biggest surprise in years, the ozeki, despite their largely poor standards of late, didn't perform too badly. The aging trio of Kaio, Chiyotaikai and Tochiazuma were all well within range of Asashoryu as far in as the mid-way point.
EDITORIALS
Nov 24, 2006

Cyber-crime bucks the trend

Excluding criminal violations involving traffic accidents, about 2.27 million crimes came to the attention of police in 2005, according to the 2006 white paper on crime. The figure was 11.4 percent lower than the year before and around 20 percent (580,000 incidents) lower than the peak year 2002. The...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / BEST BAR NONE
Nov 24, 2006

Rooms with a top-class view

Mado Lounge sits on the 52nd floor of the Mori Tower Building in the Roppongi Hills complex. As the last stop at the top of the structure, it is a fitting location for the building's official City View attraction. For 1,500 yen, a whisper-quiet elevator smoothly whisks you to the top in less than a minute,...
SPORTS / E-LIST
Nov 14, 2006

La New 'Bears' it all as yakyu season ends

Online Nichibei Yakyu and even the Konami Cup Asia Series are in the books, and now, the E-List is heading into that baseball-less period we lovers of cowhide and horsehide alike prefer to think of as hibernation.
SUMO
Nov 11, 2006

Komusubi Kisenosato

Kisenosato entered professional sumo in 2002 while still in his mid-teens. A native of Ibaraki Prefecture to the northeast of Tokyo and only age 20, he is perhaps the most promising young Japanese rikishi in sumo today.
JAPAN
Nov 10, 2006

171 Korean kids, schools attacked for North antics

said Tuesday that Korean schools have reported 120 cases of such attacks from July to Oct. 2 and another 51 cases since Oct. 3, when North Korea announced it would conduct a nuclear test. Six days later, it did. The harassment included violence against students, an incident in which a school's musical...
JAPAN
Nov 8, 2006

Crime cases drop 1.8% but cyber, foreigner offenses up

Police in 2005 turned over 1.5 million criminal cases to prosecutors, a 1.8 percent drop from the previous year, but cyber crimes rose as more people were defrauded in Internet auctions, the Justice Ministry said Tuesday.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Nov 4, 2006

Hooked on the concept of sustainable fishing

Tokyo's Tsukiji fish market -- the largest in the world -- is oddly quiet early afternoon. Yet climb a steep flight of steps above a small warehouse and the pace is frenetic.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Nov 2, 2006

Make the most of this year's celebration of practical art

Once again, Tokyo welcomes the design world with open arms into its streets, shops, cafes and galleries -- all under the umbrella of Tokyo Design Week, which encompasses four different yet complementary events: Tokyo Designer's Week, 100% Design Tokyo, Design Tide and Swedish Style.
BASKETBALL
Oct 31, 2006

Kawachi pleased with bj-league's success, hopes to serve up even better sequel

Bj-league commissioner Toshimitsu Kawachi believes the league's inaugural season was fairly successful. But he knows not to get too cocky, because fans will expect better for the second season.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Oct 21, 2006

Astrologer reaches out with readings of counsel

His certification as an astrologer reads Tatsuhiro Percival Nakajima. Why? The gentle Japanese -- still coolly dressed for summer -- replies smiling: "Because I am the Fool."
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Oct 19, 2006

Cornelius pops back with touching sounds

Keigo Oyamada, better known as Cornelius, is one of Japan's most recognized musical exports. His innovative approach to electronic music on his 1997 breakthrough album "Fantasma," which has sold more than 300,000 copies worldwide, and then on 2001's "Point" have won him fans in Europe, America, Australia...
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Oct 17, 2006

TELL help and driving licenses

TELL guide Tokyo English Lifeline (TELL) has published their first directory of services for the Kanto region. "Tell me about Tokyo" is a compact guide to all the medical, legal and social services you might need living in the greater Tokyo region.
SUMO
Oct 14, 2006

Haircuts, sumo stars and amateurs in Osaka

Autumn is a time of change for the Japanese. Summer clothes are put away and sightings of thicker, woollier garments become increasingly common. The mercury encounters a daily struggle to stay first above 20 degrees then above 10, and the country collectively takes its foot off the pedal.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Oct 13, 2006

'New York freaks me out!'

With the development of the Internet, indie musicians could finally make do without the benefit of a large organization behind them. Even so, it wasn't until the Philadelphia/Brooklyn-based quintet Clap Your Hands Say Yeah released their self-titled debut album in the summer of 2005 that the Net's full...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Sep 29, 2006

Finding the finest foods from afar

Tokyo is not just one of the world's great restaurant cities, it's equally good for those who prefer to cook at home. Name the country or cuisine: Chances are you can find whatever ingredients you need, if not at your local supermarket, then certainly without having to leave the metropolis.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design
Sep 26, 2006

Barouche appliances, R Chair, DoCoMo N702iS, NEKKO flower vase, M+K Design's Sweet Icicle light

Be it for the home, while you're on the go, or even during some far away travels, this month's column has you covered with a selection of choice items that should satisfy all your stylish needs.
COMMENTARY / THE VIEW FROM NEW YORK
Sep 25, 2006

Supreme Court ruling doesn't hold water

NEW YORK -- U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia can't be serious. In a recent decision he penned, he quoted "a famous exchange" in the 1942 movie "Casablanca" and a tale about "an Eastern guru" exclaiming, "Ah, after that it is turtles all the way down." The first quote was intended to deride the...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Sep 21, 2006

Only good designs

If there's anything that design has taught us in recent years, it's that without it, the world around us would certainly be a much less interesting place.
BUSINESS
Sep 16, 2006

Mixi shares close at 3.12 million yen

Shares of Mixi Inc. ended their second day of trading on the Tokyo Stock Exchange at 3.12 million yen Friday, up from the initial price of 2.95 million yen fetched in the morning.

Longform

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