Search - culture

 
 
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
May 1, 2005

'The Only Woman in the Room' who helped to reshape Japan

Last Monday evening, 81-year-old Beate Sirota Gordon walked onto the stage of the Japan Bar Association auditorium in Tokyo, took a seat, and for 90 minutes explained in Japanese how she helped write Japan's post-war Constitution.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 26, 2005

Japan and the United Nations

On Dec. 18, 1956, Japanese Foreign Minister Mamoru Shigemitsu stood before the General Assembly of the United Nations to make a speech marking Japan's admission to the organization. In this address he stated that as the only nation to suffer the ordeal of atomic bombing, Japan hoped with all its heart...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / VIEWS FROM THE STREET
Apr 26, 2005

Should teachers be punished for not following government regulations requiring the singing of 'Kimigayo'?

Christine Bullard Art teacher, 27 I think that it should be teacher's choice. If the kids do it in first grade, second grade, third grade, they're going to keep doing it. To be fined is ridiculous. Teachers should be independent thinkers.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Apr 24, 2005

Miceli's career here lasted slightly longer a than cup of coffee

The April 19 edition of the Tokyo Chunichi Sports paper ran a headline that read, "Miceli fired by Giants."
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / PERSONALITY PROFILE
Apr 23, 2005

Nuzhat Niaz

"It is by God's grace that we are donors, not recipients. The sincerest form of gratitude is providing meaningful help to those weaker than ourselves."
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / BEST BAR NONE
Apr 22, 2005

Trilogy in a triangle

In general, pre-bubble nightlife in Tokyo was rather dull. In the early 1980s, a Saturday night out in Shinjuku or Roppongi meant jockeying for space in a crowded disco with packs of Japanese intent on line dancing in front of mirrors. There were a few alternative bars scattered in and around Aoyama,...
JAPAN
Apr 21, 2005

Pneumonia kills famed writer Niwa at age 100

Veteran novelist Fumio Niwa, whose works depicted modern life and historic Buddhist monks, died of pneumonia early Wednesday morning at his home in Musashino, western Tokyo, his family said. He was 100.
EDITORIALS
Apr 20, 2005

Nothing but a money game?

Capping a bruising takeover battle that had continued more than two months, Livedoor Co., an Internet service provider, and Fuji Television Network have reached a compromise agreement. Although the package may contain few surprises, the way in which the two companies fought for control of Nippon Broadcasting...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Apr 20, 2005

'S wonderful: Wiling away the time with Caetano Veloso

Caetano is here. Caetano Veloso. The man who has been hailed for decades in his native Brazil as a singer, composer, poet and revolutionary, and commonly celebrated abroad as the 'Bob Dylan of Brazil,' despite his dislike for such labels.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art / CERAMIC SCENE
Apr 20, 2005

The Koreans who potted in Kyushu

Japan has long been fascinated with outside influences, and voraciously absorbs them in order to create something totally unique. This can be found in almost all aspects of Japanese industry and culture -- and it is nowhere more apparent than in the pottery born in Kyushu. Of course, ancient kilns dating...
JAPAN
Apr 16, 2005

Change Constitution: Lower House report

A Lower House panel submitted a final report Friday to Speaker Yohei Kono, stressing the need to amend the Constitution's war-renouncing Article 9 and to allow a female to ascend the Chrysanthemum Throne.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / PERSONALITY PROFILE
Apr 16, 2005

Christopher Powell

A schoolboy evacuee from London to North Wales during World War II, Christopher Powell said he "fell in love with the land and language of some of my forefathers." Born in Brazil, where his father worked for a British bank, he has Anglo-Welsh antecedents from his father, and Anglo-Scottish from his mother....
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Apr 10, 2005

Hood creeping out of the shadows

Almost 15 years after deciding to make music under the mysterious sounding moniker Hood, brothers Chris and Richard Adams have released the widely appreciated "Outside Closer," their ninth album overall and fourth for Domino, perhaps the hippest U.K. label at the moment. Given the fickleness of the music...
Rugby
Apr 9, 2005

Government backs bid for Rugby World Cup

The Japan Rugby Football Union's hopes for hosting the Rugby World Cup in 2011 were boosted on Friday with news that the Japanese government was officially backing the bid.
EDITORIALS
Apr 9, 2005

Politicized student textbooks

The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology has announced the results of its screening textbooks scheduled for use in junior high schools beginning in April 2006. Two things are particularly notable with regard to neighboring Asian nations such as South Korea and China. First,...
COMMUNITY
Apr 7, 2005

Metabolic syndrome comes with clusters of risks

The term "metabolic syndrome" may not be on the tip of the collective tongue, so to speak, but it makes sense to at least be aware of the existence of this cluster of risk factors that increases the chance of heart attack, stroke, diabetes and death.
JAPAN
Apr 7, 2005

Fuso flouted screening regulations

Fuso Publishing Inc. repeatedly violated textbook screening regulations by distributing drafts of texts to boards of education and teachers more than eight months before its textbooks were officially approved, the education ministry said Wednesday.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle / ON THE BOOK TRAIL
Apr 7, 2005

"Skinny B, Skaz and Me," "Ice Drift"

"Skinny B, Skaz and Me," John Singleton, Puffin Books; 2005; 274 pp.
JAPAN
Apr 6, 2005

Ministry screeners approve contentious history texts

The education ministry on Tuesday approved 103 textbooks for use in junior high schools from next April, including a revised version of a contentious history book criticized for glossing over Japan's wartime aggression.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / VIEWS FROM THE STREET
Apr 5, 2005

What are your favorite Japanese inventions?

Jon Siegel Designer, 26 My "mamachari" (bicycle). It's an orange bike and on the side it says "pretty fashion bike." It's got a basket and it's powerful -- I feel like I'm riding an ancient chariot to Mister Donut.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Apr 5, 2005

Made in Japan

The Nintendo
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 4, 2005

Sony passes over brash star Kutaragi

Known as the "Father of the PlayStation," Ken Kutaragi seemed to many a logical choice to take Sony Corp.'s helm as it struggles to turn around its stumbling electronics business and regain its past glory symbolized by the Walkman.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / CLOSE-UP
Apr 3, 2005

Ryu Murakami: Straight-talking wordsmith wields his pen like a sword

For nearly three decades since his seismic debut with "Almost Transparent Blue," which delved into the sex- and drug-fueled lives of Japanese youths in a town hosting a huge U.S. military base, author Ryu Murakami has often used his trademark explicit, offensive and guiltlessly cheerful language to dig...
Features
Apr 3, 2005

Does language 'difficulty' speak of a sense beyond mere words?

I have often been told by Japanese people that theirs is the most difficult language in the world. Virtually all the Japanese people who have said this to me, I might add, have spoken no other language than their own.

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