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Japan Times
Features
Feb 6, 2005

Drawing on experience

At age 82, Shigeru Mizuki (above) is undoubtedly among the most popular -- and certainly one of the longest-standing -- cartoon artists in Japan. There is probably no Japanese adult who is not familiar with his name, or who has not at least glanced at the voluminous comics/animation series "Ge-ge-ge...
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / ANIMAL TRACKER
Jan 13, 2005

Japanese white-eye

* Japanese name: Mejiro * Scientific name: Zosterops japonicus * Description: The white-eye is a small, delicate bird, with an olive-green upper body, wings and head, and a gray to pale-brown belly. The distinguishing feature is the bright-white eye ring made of feathers (the Japanese name means...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Jan 5, 2005

Momix: taking it to the top

Moses Pendleton remembers well his first taste of live performance. He was an elementary school kid when his father -- a dairy farmer in northern Vermont -- hired his young son to show off his prized Holstein cows at the county fair. "My job was to walk the animals around and make them look good in order...
Rugby
Dec 2, 2004

Tokyo's rugby community honors former teammate

Rugby players haven't always enjoyed the best of reputations.
COMMENTARY
Sep 3, 2004

Labour seeks a constituency

LONDON -- A ruler can obtain power only with the help of his own people. He uses them to fight against those who revolt against his party. They fill his administrative offices and he appoints them to prestigious and lucrative positions. They help him to achieve his ascendancy. This is true so long as...
Features
Aug 22, 2004

Keeping it in the club

On Oct. 16 last year, Hans van der Lugt, a correspondent for the Dutch newspaper NRC Handelsblad, telephoned the Land, Infrastructure and Transport Ministry with a simple inquiry.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art / CERAMIC SCENE
Jul 14, 2004

A diamond in the rough

During the 20th century, Japanese studio pottery made by individuals came to the fore. Up until then, many potters worked for large kilns or were artisans involved in a production-line method; one man molded the pots, while another decorated and so on.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 12, 2004

Death-penalty debate rages anew in India

MADRAS, India -- India is once again hotly debating capital punishment. This time the discussion has been provoked by the death sentence given to Dhananjoy Chatterjee, who was convicted of raping and murdering a 14-year-old schoolgirl. Indian President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam has stayed Chatterjee's hanging...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Jul 11, 2004

Classic love-tragedy finds new blood

Noh, contemporary classical music and calligraphy -- each is an artistic form with its own appeal.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / WILD WATCH
May 20, 2004

On the trail of Japan's odd woodland dog with no bark

The first Ezo-tanuki (Hokkaido raccoon-dog) I ever found was a long-dead carcass along a woodland trail I used to frequent near Nemuro.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
May 7, 2004

SE Asian classic makes itself at home

Chicken rice. The entire bird, simmered whole then sliced with a cleaver, arranged on a plate with a mound of steamed rice, garnished with sprigs of coriander and anointed with dabs of thick soy and piquant ginger sauce. And served with a bowl of light, fragrant broth -- chicken bouillon, of course....
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Apr 13, 2004

Divorce and insurance policies

Divorce I was married for two years to a Japanese woman (no children). We separated almost one year ago. I recently asked my wife for a divorce, but she wants financial compensation before she will agree.
OLYMPICS
Apr 2, 2004

JOC angered over domestic row

responded negatively Thursday to sending taekwondo fighter Yoriko Okamoto to the Athens Olympics after rival domestic bodies administering the sport failed to form an umbrella organization by the deadline. Last month, the JOC said it will allow the participation of no athletes in taekwondo at this summer's...
SOCCER / J. League
Mar 13, 2004

Usual suspects set to do battle for J. League honors

Turkish World Cup star Ilhan Mansiz lining up for big-spending Vissel Kobe. Japan international Alessandro Santos in an Urawa Reds shirt. Veteran defender Yutaka Akita battling it out at the back for Nagoya Grampus Eight.
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Feb 3, 2004

'Real' last samurai fights for attention

Tom Cruise and Ken Watanabe may be raking in big box-office bucks as The Last Samurai, but a rival claimant to the title has emerged in the unlikely form of a sword-wielding British TV producer.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 31, 2003

Visaless foreigners easy scapegoats

One night in December, Justice Minister Daizo Nozawa and Tokyo Gov. Shintaro Ishihara got together to "inspect" the Kabukicho entertainment district in Shinjuku Ward, Tokyo, as dozens of government officials, reporters and spectators dogged their steps.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Dec 28, 2003

If truth be told . . .

There was once a Chinese emperor who abolished time. Wei Ming decreed that day broke when the dawn sky flushed the color of his pet bullfinch's breast. Nighttime began whenever he retired from the audience chamber with his concubines, and was consequently rather longer.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Dec 14, 2003

Netsuke artist carves a niche in Electric Town

Walking into the Matsuzaka Ivory Shop is almost like disembarking from a time machine. One minute you're among the futuristic 21st-century gizmos spilling out into Chuo Dori, the main drag of Tokyo's Akihabara electronics district; the next, you're back in the realm of a craftsman whose tools and techniques...
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 7, 2003

Avoiding the pitfalls of Korea in Iraq

SEOUL -- Regrettably, the preference of U.S. policymakers to look to occupied Germany and Japan for policy guidance has blinded them to the pitfalls they are now facing in Iraq. Instead, they should be immersing themselves in the six-volume, thousand-page "History of the American Military Government...
JAPAN
Nov 29, 2003

Mysteries of pension system unraveled

With Japan's society aging at a rapid rate, pension reform has become a hot topic.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Nov 29, 2003

Modern feng shui offers clarity in work, at home

Mark Ainley has the coolest Web site. Simple, clear and concise, it is designed (by Spin the Moose Media) in three sections: Clear Space (about feng shui), Clear Body Mind (a one-brain system based on the ancient belief that body and mind are connected) and Clear Spirit (the inspirational and meditative...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art / CERAMIC SCENE
Nov 26, 2003

Pottery to get on a plane for

Two unprecedented Japanese ceramic exhibitions now taking place far from Japan's shores show just how influential are the artistic ripples from this grand potting paradise. Distanced by centuries, but just a dozen New York City blocks, are two of the greatest Japanese definers of clay: eclectic Furuta...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Oct 19, 2003

Diamond exhibit is a real sparkler

The diamond is a symbol of love, wealth and power. Down the centuries, this precious stone has been adored by the rich and powerful -- among them empresses such as Catherine the Great of Russia and Elisabeth of Austria. Now the general public has the opportunity to get a little closer to the treasures...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Oct 15, 2003

The razzle-dazzle of Edo life, art

The allure of the Japanese folding screens of the Edo Period (1603-1867) lies in their elegance, their dazzling schemes of silver and gold, and the painstaking detail of their form and decoration. A wonderful opportunity to appreciate such pieces is the exhibition "Paintings of the Edo Period," now showing...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art / CERAMIC SCENE
Oct 8, 2003

Soaring on the clay wings of inspiration

The mind and soul of a genius often seeks solace in cold, lonely places. In the intense stillness he works deep into the night like one possessed of a vision he knows will burn out with the coming rays of dawn.
CULTURE / Music
Sep 28, 2003

Singing in the ageless language of love

Among the rags-to-riches stories that make the annals of popular music such a colorful read, few tales are as dramatic as that of Ibrahim Ferrer, now age 76.
SOCCER / PREMIER REPORT
Aug 15, 2003

Usual suspects favored for Premier title

LONDON -- With the 12th Premier League season set to kick off on Saturday, here is a look at how the 20 teams shape up:
CULTURE / Books / THE BOOK REPORT
Aug 14, 2003

Manga culture ignites craze in media markets overseas

American boys can now read popular Japanese manga like "One Piece" in an English-language "Shonen Jump" and German girls can read girl's manga in the German-language magazine "Daisuki." Is this a passing fad or the start of a full-scale manga invasion?
COMMENTARY
Aug 4, 2003

Get real about the Iraq war

LONDON -- Supporters of the war against Iraq have a point: The row in Britain about the "evidence" of former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein's deadly intentions toward the West is more froth than substance.
COMMENTARY
Jul 21, 2003

Make way for the New Way

LONDON -- Politicians and gurus from around the world have been gathering in London recently for a grand conference on resuscitating the Third Way -- the hopeful idea that the future can be guided along a path lying somewhere between socialism and free-market capitalism.

Longform

A small shrine perched atop rocks braves the waves hitting the shoreline during a storm in Shimoda, Shizuoka Prefecture. The area is under threat of a possible 31-meter-high tsunami if an earthquake strikes the nearby Nankai Trough.
If the 'Big One' hits, this city could face a 31-meter-high tsunami