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Japan Times
JAPAN
Sep 3, 2008

Brothers take on 101-task mission

Most people would welcome a couple of weeks of vacation and many may even have further daydreamed of taking a whole year off, possibly to backpack around the world or do volunteer work.
LIFE / Language
Sep 2, 2008

So is it respect for 'the aged,' 'the elderly' or 'the seniors'?

As it is every September, people in Japan are looking forward to keirō no hi, the coming national holiday dedicated to the older members of the population. Respect for the Aged Day provides an annual opportunity to visit one's elderly relatives, get involved in various welfare activities or just stay...
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Sep 2, 2008

Against high odds, masses chase luck

What would you do if you won ¥400 million? Would you buy a convertible, a new house, start a business? All of the above?
BUSINESS
Sep 2, 2008

Zen-Noh's U.S. corn dock idled by storm

Zen-Noh, Japan's largest corn buyer, suspended the operation of its grain export facility in the U.S. Gulf as Hurricane Gustav approached the region, threatening shipments from the world's biggest exporter.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT
Aug 31, 2008

New company casts light on power saving

The use of solar energy to generate power and to heat water is gradually spreading in Japan, but the most basic use of sunshine is yet to come out of the shadows — namely, for lighting.
BUSINESS
Aug 29, 2008

Bankruptcies to rise: Daiwa chief

The list of real estate companies filing for bankruptcy will grow this year as banks cut lending, said Takeo Higuchi, chairman of Daiwa House Industry Co., Japan's second-biggest home builder by market value.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Aug 28, 2008

Indecisive moments

Henri Cartier-Bresson's legacy of the "decisive moment" had a profound impact on photography. As a cofounder of the photographic cooperative Magnum Photos in 1947, his philosophy influenced a whole generation of photojournalists, and, for decades, Magnum photographers were instrumental in constructing...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Aug 28, 2008

Ainu musician Oki brings the world to Hokkaido

With a Japanese mother and Ainu father, the appearance of Oki on "The Rough Guide to the Music of Japan" with his Oki Dub Ainu Band presents a rare glimpse of the multiracial underbelly that Japan seems reluctant to own up to. Despite being indigenous to Hokkaido, or Ezo as it is known to them, the Ainu...
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / OUR PLANET EARTH
Aug 27, 2008

Exploring Antarctica for key climate clues

The steamy hot days of summer make it very tempting to imagine an escape to the snow and ice of Antarctica, though few of us will ever have that chance. Shin Sugiyama, 39, a glaciologist at Hokkaido University, is one of the exceptions.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Aug 26, 2008

Tattoos come out of hiding

'There are tattoos that you can show and ones that you should hide," says Shura, an Osaka tattoo artist. "Traditional tattoos are only OK to show at festivals, certain public baths and during fights.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / NPB NOTEBOOK
Aug 26, 2008

Beijing exit must spur bout of soul-searching

The fall was as stunning as it was quick.
BUSINESS
Aug 26, 2008

Daihatsu unveils fuel-efficient Move Conte minicar

Daihatsu Motor Co., Japan's biggest minicar maker, unveiled on Monday its new Move Conte as rising gasoline prices boost demand for fuel-efficient cars.
BUSINESS
Aug 22, 2008

Exports rebound as China outbuys U.S.

Japan's exports rebounded in July as China replaced the United States as the nation's largest customer but couldn't prevent the trade surplus plunging 87 percent to ¥91.10 billion on surging imports due to higher oil prices.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / LIQUID CULTURE
Aug 22, 2008

The perfect gin and tonic

"A gin and tonic is an entry-level drink," said the ladyfriend recently. It's easy to understand, she said, easy to drink. Like Kahlua milks and Moscow mules. A drink for people who haven't graduated to whiskeys or rickeys.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Aug 21, 2008

A linguistic boxing match from a true classic

Internationally acclaimed English theater director David Leveaux first visited Japan 20 years ago as the substitute director of "Dangerous Liaisons" after an English colleague had to pull out. Now Leveaux, 50, is back in his second home after a bewildering series of trips from his London base to Vienna,...
BUSINESS
Aug 20, 2008

Trial drilling for frozen gas to start in '12

The government plans to start trial drilling in 2012 to extract frozen methane hydrate buried under the seabed to test if the natural gas is a viable next-generation fuel.

Longform

After the asset-price bubble crash of the early 1990s, employment at a Japanese company was no longer necessarily for life. As a result, a new generation is less willing to endure a toxic work culture —life’s too short, after all.
How Japan's youth are slowly changing the country's work ethic