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Reader Mail
Nov 23, 2008

Verifying credit cards in flight

Regarding the Nov. 19 article "Police probe credit card scams involving airborne duty-free": If the problem is the verification of credit card details in flight, why not implement a system where only credit cards that have been used to purchase the flight ticket itself can be used in flight?
Reader Mail
Nov 23, 2008

Let tenants know what's expected

A non-Japanese friend of mine got a very bad reputation from the landlord. Generally he was not interested in keeping his house clean, nor was his Japanese wife. They allowed the child to come in barefoot without washing. The tatami mats seemed sandy, and the couple apparently did not clean the bathtub...
SOCCER / SOCCER SCENE
Nov 23, 2008

J. League title chase enters home stretch

The J. League title race going down to the wire is nothing new, but this year's championship is shaping up to be the tightest yet.
Reader Mail
Nov 23, 2008

Reaction to 'Chinatown' mystifies

Regarding the Nov. 18 article "Merchants' plan for Chinatown in Ikebukuro faces resistance": As a former assistant manager of the Japan Center in San Francisco, I am extremely perturbed over the Japanese business community's reaction to the goodwill overture made by the Chinese business community in...
Reader Mail
Nov 23, 2008

Opposition leader's spots remain

Regarding the Nov. 18 article "DPJ to boycott debate in Diet on key legislation": I am amazed that Democratic Party of Japan leader Ichiro Ozawa has threatened to act in such a childish manner, although it would not be the first time he has demonstrated this self-indulgent trait. Who can forget his...
Reader Mail
Nov 23, 2008

Sarkozy serves as worthy foil

Regarding the Nov. 16 Associated Press article "Sarkozy nixes U.S. missile shield plan (in Europe)": I applaud French President Nicolas Sarkozy for throwing a wet blanket over the U.S. plan. If I wanted to provoke Russia and squander billions of dollars, the plan would be outstanding. How much more...
Reader Mail
Nov 23, 2008

Piece on pot says nothing new

Regardless of my views of marijuana use, I have to say that the Nov. 19 editorial "Students and marijuana" is a sad excuse for an editorial. Yes, in Japan, smoking marijuana is a crime; in other places in the world, it is not. This is a fact, and that this law was broken by a few people is another boring,...
Reader Mail
Nov 23, 2008

Anachronistic arms 'freedom'

Regarding Joseph Marriott's Nov. 16 letter, "Right to bear arms still relevant": While I respect Marriott's "right to bear arms," he does not have the right to bear arms anywhere near me. The "right to bear arms" is vaunted, it seems, proudly by many Americans as a sign of independence and freedom. That...
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Nov 23, 2008

Where are world's 'targeted' tourists visiting in Japan?

As part of the Visit Japan Campaign, the central government identified 12 "target" countries and regions on which to concentrate marketing activities. Have their efforts paid off? We asked industry insiders from each of the selected countries how Japan was perceived as a tourist destination.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Nov 23, 2008

'Tarento' on parade, featuring Sanma-san, Akiko Wada and Beat Takeshi

These days the ideal TV personality is someone who can talk nonstop about any subject for a long period of time. The person doesn't necessarily need to be knowledgeable about the subject, but he or she should certainly be funny. In this regard, comedian Sanma Akashiya is the gold standard. Several weeks...
Reader Mail
Nov 23, 2008

'No' needn't be the final answer

Regarding the Nov. 18 Views From the Street question -- "Have you ever had any problems renting accommodation in Japan?": When my wife, a Japanese citizen, and I were seeking our first apartment, the first housing agency refused us before I even parked the car and entered the office. My wife was in tears....
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Nov 23, 2008

Judging Japanese architecture as the epitome of environmental art

"We sense the natural in things that form a happy link with their surroundings. . . . A natural architecture is architecture that creates this propitious connection."
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Nov 23, 2008

Japan looks beyond tourism's 'Golden Route'

In 2001, soon after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the U.S., a friend working at a Tokyo travel agency griped about how terrorism affected his business, saying that tourism, after all, is a "peace industry."
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Nov 23, 2008

Looking for ways to lure more visitors to these shores

What are people who work in the domestic tourism industry — from tour operators to inn owners to regional tourism promotion offices — doing to attract foreign visitors? Here are the voices of marketers from across Japan:
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / ON THE ROAD
Nov 23, 2008

Training regime for keirin draws blood, sweat, sometimes tears

When the teenagers at the Japan Bicycle Racing School in Shuzenji, Shizuoka Prefecture, rise at 6.30 a.m. each day, they always have an appetite. The training here is tough, a regimen of cycling, studying, chores and more cycling, so a big breakfast is a must.
Reader Mail
Nov 23, 2008

Tough work finding a guarantor

Regarding the Nov. 18 Zeit Gist article "Prejudice among obstacles facing non-Japanese tenants": I have heard of many foreigners who have complained of this situation. But then again, I have known non-Japanese who would rack up thousands of dollars in unpaid bills and just leave the country.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Nov 23, 2008

Tuffy Rhodes likely to play 13th season in Japan

Will Tuffy Rhodes play another season for the Orix Buffaloes in 2009?
CULTURE / Books
Nov 23, 2008

Bite-'em-up exploits in lower Manhattan

YEAR OF THE DOG by Henry Chang. New York, Soho Press, Inc., 2008, 231 pp., $24 (cloth) Set in lower Manhattan's Chinese enclave, Henry Chang's latest novel is a sequel following the exploits of NYPD detective Jack Yu, who made his debut in "Chinatown Beat" in 2006.
JAPAN
Nov 23, 2008

Arroyo flight's emergency stopover ends

Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo left Japan for South America on Saturday after her plane made an emergency landing the previous day because her husband fell ill while on board.
Reader Mail
Nov 23, 2008

Rediscovery of American yams

When one moves to a foreign country, it is quite natural to change eating habits and adapt to the new culture's cuisine. It is also natural to long for the familiar taste from childhood. Among American ex-pats, there are numerous stories of substitutes for the Thanksgiving and Christmas feasts. Some...

Longform

Members of the nonprofit group Japan Youth Memorial Association search for the remains of dead soldiers in a cave in Okinawa Prefecture in February.
The long search for Japan’s lost soldiers