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COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Aug 18, 2009

Tax and driving licenses: The rub is in the residence

Tax and residency status Reader H.K. is wondering whether the granting of permanent residency will result in tax problems.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / WILD WATCH
Aug 16, 2009

Back where they belong

High in the fork of a tall tree on a wooded slope close to narrow rice paddies on Sado Island in the Sea of Japan off Nigata Prefecture was a flimsy, ragged nest made of twigs.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Aug 16, 2009

Striking it rich on the Izu Peninsula

Gold may be heavier than water, but all that's rattling around the bottom of my panning bowl are lots of multicolored pebbles.
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Aug 14, 2009

A little Indonesia in Tokyo

Spicy curry, beautiful batik fabrics and traditional Javanese dancing, Tokyo's Yoyogi Park will transform into a Little Indonesia Aug. 15-16.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Aug 14, 2009

'Vampire Girl vs. Frankenstein Girl'

Japanese filmmakers will almost always tell you that they make films for the domestic market first and foremost. If foreigners happen to like them too, that's a nice little bonus, like an after-dinner mint.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / TAKING A CHANCE
Aug 14, 2009

High quality proves key ingredient to success

High-priced but good-quality products will win the hearts of customers every time. This is the belief of Masamichi Toyama, founder of Soup Stock Tokyo, and so far he has proved it.
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Aug 14, 2009

A coffee, not tea, ceremony

A traditional Ethiopian coffee ceremony will delight visitors to the MOA Museum of Art in Atami, Shizuoka Prefecture, Aug. 22-23.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Aug 14, 2009

Breaking all the rules in ceramics

For many people, the term "ceramic art" conjures up the image of functional ware on a dinner table: cups and bowls filled with food and drink, or perhaps ornate European platters or wabi-sabi Japanese teapots. To others, it may mean terra-cotta figurines or simply sculpture that uses clay as its primary...
JAPAN
Aug 13, 2009

Hatoyama, Aso trade barbs in first showdown since call for election

Prime Minister Taro Aso and Democratic Party of Japan President Yukio Hatoyama held their first one-on-one battle Wednesday since the Lower House was dissolved last month, and the two attempted to attack each other over which party was suitable to lead.
JAPAN / History
Aug 9, 2009

'It is time to discuss this more frankly'

Kazuhiko Togo, Professor of International Politics at Kyoto Sangyo University, is a former Ambassador to the Netherlands and the author of 2005's "Japan's Foreign Policy 1945-2003" and 2008's "Rekishi to Gaiko" ("History and Diplomacy"). He is also a grandson of Shigenori Togo (1882-1950), who, after...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Aug 8, 2009

Working humbly to serve everyone

Ian De Stains has a place in a decades-old British order of chivalry created by King George V in 1917. Yet after knowing him, this may be hard to believe.
JAPAN / ELECTION 2009
Aug 7, 2009

Big promises, but where's the funds?

Second in a series
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 7, 2009

Choosing the slow lane en route to free trade

LONDON, INTERNATIONAL POLICY NETWORK — This week India and South Korea sign an agreement that they say will reduce barriers and boost trade between our two important economies. But the reality of the Comprehensive Economic Partnership (CEPA) is in the fine print.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Aug 7, 2009

Surf Kamakura's spicy Asian turf

A chilled bottle of Singha beer forms a ring of condensation on the table. The heady aromas of fried garlic, lemongrass and curry spices waft from the kitchen in the corner of the wooden hut. Two waitresses gossip in Thai.
JAPAN / ELECTION 2009
Aug 6, 2009

DPJ poll win would set up battle with bloated bureaucracy

First in a series
Reader Mail
Aug 6, 2009

Beware the JR 'delay' clause

This subject will be of special interest to foreign tourists visiting Japan using the JR Rail Pass. We obtained a 21-day JR Pass on the day we arrived, July 1. On the last day of validity, July 21, we were traveling from Oita via Kokura, Osaka, Tokyo to Narita airport in order to take our return flight...
BUSINESS
Aug 5, 2009

Uncertainty remains over NUMMI plant's fate

Despite Toyota Motor Corp.'s improved earnings forecast announced Tuesday for the current business year, the automaker still needs to overcome a major hurdle — the planned shutdown of a plant in California, the second largest in the U.S.
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Aug 4, 2009

Strict rules in play to keep campaigning above board

Since Prime Minister Taro Aso dissolved the Lower House last month and announced Aug. 18 would be the official start of campaigning for the Aug. 30 general election, hundreds of undeclared candidates have been making the rounds to attract voters.
JAPAN
Aug 4, 2009

Those off lay judge hook feel relieved

Relief was the overriding emotion of the candidates who weren't picked in a final lottery draw Monday to participate in the first criminal trial under the new lay judge system.
BUSINESS
Aug 4, 2009

DPJ sees no problem with dollar reserves

The Democratic Party of Japan shouldn't follow a push by China to diversify foreign-currency reserves away from the dollar if it wins this month's election, DPJ Policy Chief Masayuki Naoshima said.

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