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Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Feb 6, 2009

'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button'

Director David Fincher is probably best known for his films "Seven" and "Fight Club." His star in both was Brad Pitt, whose iconic turn as an anticonsumerism terrorist in "Fight Club" was so sensational that it inspired an entire generation of men to go out and by maroon faux-leather jackets.
EDITORIALS
Feb 6, 2009

Disappointment for sumo fans

The arrest of Wakakirin, a sumo wrestler in the juryo division, on suspicion of possessing cannabis and his subsequent dismissal by the Japan Sumo Association should be a great disappointment to many sumo fans.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Feb 6, 2009

Telling a lengthy tale of lust and religion

Films that are extremely long (say, three hours plus) tend to be extreme in other ways as well — including the megalomania of their director.
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Feb 6, 2009

Myanmarese puppetry comes to Japan

The trials and tribulations of Myanmar — which is run by a junta and often in the headlines for all the wrong reasons — can often take the focus away from the fact that the nation has a rich cultural history.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Feb 6, 2009

A risky gift of myth for the audience's soul

It would be easy to sensationalize the work of Marie Chouinard, as many other critics have, as purely shock tactics. Her early solo work as dancer and performance artist in the late 1970s and early '80s was overshadowed by press coverage of certain risque incidents, including auctioning herself off to...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Feb 6, 2009

Blackstreet

Since the golden age of hip-hop in the late 1980s, producers have dominated urban music, but few have actually been credited with creating an entire subgenre.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Feb 6, 2009

'20-seiki Shonen Dai-2-sho: Saigo no Kibo'

Movies based on popular long-running manga commonly cram in too much, from story lines to characters. This confuses nonfans, while often failing to satisfy fans, who complain about omissions — though the original comic may have run for thousands of pages in dozens of volumes.
EDITORIALS
Feb 6, 2009

Suffer the Rohingya

About 800,000 Rohingya live in Myanmar. They are a Muslim group in a Buddhist state. They are not recognized as one of Myanmar's official minorities, which means they are subject to persecution and worse in that army-run dictatorship. Not surprisingly, thousands of Rohingya have fled their homeland....
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Feb 6, 2009

A gastronomic treat

Chef alert! The big guns of global gastronomy are coming to town. The occasion is a convocation being held next week grandly titled "Tokyo Taste — the World Summit of Gastronomy 2009."
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Feb 6, 2009

Special Valentine's Day tips

Sweet tea for your sweetie
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / HOTELS & RESTAURANTS
Feb 6, 2009

Restaurant toasts Shaoxing wine

Ryutenmon Chinese restaurant at the Westin Hotel Tokyo is releasing more of its original Shaoxing Chinese rice wine and holding a commemorative gala dinner Feb. 18 and 22 to mark the event.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Feb 6, 2009

Western Japan's eclectic master

A matter of temperament was said to distinguish the two major regional centers of nihonga (Japanese-style painting), Tokyo and Kyoto, at the turn of the 20th century. Tokyo painters imbued their works with "brain" by way of complex content, while Kyoto artists held firm to their "brush" in a looser style...
BUSINESS
Feb 6, 2009

LDP looks to let Japan Post become lender

The ruling Liberal Democratic Party may recommend allowing Japan Post Holdings Co., the world's largest deposit holder, to lend money to cash-strapped companies and individuals hit by the global recession.
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Feb 6, 2009

Silence is golden all over the world

Who are these two guys — one has a red Mohawk, the other a yellow one? They are popping up everywhere these days on TV sporting black shades and tight mod suits — even advertising potato snacks. Well, the red one's Ketch, the other is Hiro-pon, and together they are Gamarjobat ("Hello" in Georgian)....
BUSINESS
Feb 6, 2009

Softbank profit fell in third quarter

Softbank Corp. said its third-quarter net income fell 64 percent in the absence of a one-time gain.
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Feb 6, 2009

Silence is golden all over the world

Who are these two guys — one has a red Mohawk, the other a yellow one? They are popping up everywhere these days on TV sporting black shades and tight mod suits — even advertising potato snacks. Well, the red one's Ketch, the other is Hiro-pon, and together they are Gamarjobat ("Hello" in Georgian)....
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Feb 6, 2009

Simple beauty

Fashion photographer Aram Dikiciyan recognizes that his work is hard to define. "I can't really decide if I'm a fashion photographer or an artist," he explains over coffee in Tokyo's fashionable Omotesando district.
MULTIMEDIA
Feb 6, 2009

Simple beauty

Fashion photographer Aram Dikiciyan recognizes that his work is hard to define. "I can't really decide if I'm a fashion photographer or an artist," he explains over coffee in Tokyo's fashionable Omotesando district.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Feb 6, 2009

Cujorl: Artistic cooking in an American style

The Food File has a new favorite restaurant — with the emphasis firmly on "new." Cujorl has been open barely a month now, and already we've been back three times.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Feb 6, 2009

Primary approach adds up for GO!GO!7188

"Last year we toured Japan with bands such as Mongol800, and while we were messing around with the other bands on stage, we came to rediscover how much fun it is to just make a noise," says Akiko Noma, better known as Akko, bassist with off-kilter rock band GO!GO!7188.
Japan Times
MULTIMEDIA
Feb 5, 2009

[VIDEO] Launch of Honda Hybrid: Insight

Reader Mail
Feb 5, 2009

Halfway measures off Somalia

The Jan. 31 editorial "Advancing on the pirates (off Somalia)" did not address the most important issue: Japan is contributing too little, too late. NATO, Russia and India had forces in the area by October, the European Union began operations in December, and even China dispatched destroyers before the...
Reader Mail
Feb 5, 2009

Fighting spirit is greatest lesson

Edward R. Howe's Jan. 27 article, " 'Marathon' ritual must change," criticizes the focus on wins and high rankings. Howe mentions his son's humiliating experience of being ranked, and why school marathons should not concentrate on winning. In my opinion, ranking and treating students differently just...
Reader Mail
Feb 5, 2009

Caregiving comes from the heart

Regarding the Jan. 30 article "Indonesian caregivers start work at nursing homes": I am a caregiver myself, having taken the "level 2" lessons. I have two grown boys, live with my husband, and have lived in Japan for more than 20 years. I have never learned the language, but can read hiragana and write...
Reader Mail
Feb 5, 2009

Kabuki-za deserves better fate

Regarding the Jan. 29 article and photo titled "Kabuki-za to be reincarnated in form of commercial high-rise": To destroy the beautiful Kabuki-za building and replace it with this monolithic eyesore is a travesty of anything resembling "art." I am very saddened that yet again in Tokyo a beautiful, historic...
Reader Mail
Feb 5, 2009

High road to physical fitness

Regarding the Jan. 27 Hotline to Nagatacho article " 'Marathon' ritual must change": While I understand the author's intent in asking for change, I must respectfully disagree with him on the "need" for things like his son's "marathon" to be discontinued. I myself was much like the author's son. As a...

Longform

An illustration features the Japanese signs for "ganbare" (good luck) and the Deaflympics, which will be held between Nov. 15 and 26.
A century of Deaf sport finds its moment in Tokyo