search

 
 
MORE SPORTS
Feb 1, 2009

JT's Ikezawa to call Super Bowl

Veteran Japan Times sports writer Hiroshi Ikezawa has been tapped to provide color analysis on NHK television's satellite channel for Sunday's Super Bowl XLIII between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Arizona Cardinals.
Reader Mail
Feb 1, 2009

The gantlet to language exchange

I don't really agree with the contents of (Thomas Dillon's) Jan. 24 article, "The language game — here's what not to do." Although language exchange is a poor substitute for a real language school — unless of course you exchange with a real teacher — it is, and should be, a wonderful addition to...
Reader Mail
Feb 1, 2009

Reckless way to handle money

Regarding the Jan. 28 article "Extra budget with cash handouts passed": Considering the cost of collecting all of this cash from taxpayers combined with the cost of redistributing all of it back to taxpayers, I seriously question the thought processes that went into passing the program.
Reader Mail
Feb 1, 2009

Clarity on dual nationality

I was a little confused after reading Kristy Kosaka's Jan. 27 Zeit Gist article, "Half, bi or double? One family's trouble." She writes that under Japanese law those with dual nationality must abandon one nationality before the age of 22. After reading that sentence my heart skipped a beat and with trembling...
Reader Mail
Feb 1, 2009

Open the gate wider to U.S. beef

It's time Japan open its market to more U.S. beef. Before I moved back to Japan in December, I was a beef producer in the state of Iowa. I have nine years' experience living in Japan, so I am not unaware of how Japanese think with regard to food safety, etc. I had several guests from Japan in recent...
Reader Mail
Feb 1, 2009

Japanese skill underestimated

I tried finding language exchange partners through another publication, but quickly ended the online ad because I kept getting Japanese people who expected me to travel over an hour to get to them, even when they had to travel only five minutes.
Reader Mail
Feb 1, 2009

Former ASDF chief still in denial

Regarding the Jan. 28 article "Tamogami out of ASDF, not out of range": It irritates me that the former chief of staff (retired Gen. Toshio Tamogami) of the Japanese Air Self-Defense Force can get away with (the sort of comments that led to his ouster). Why should we give legitimacy to his arguments?...
EDITORIALS
Feb 1, 2009

The Macintosh at 25

Twenty-five years ago, Apple unveiled the Macintosh computer, a machine that would change the world. The Macintosh transformed the encounter between the computer and its user, making it easier for the ordinary person to understand and control the computing process.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Feb 1, 2009

Popularity's dead! Rebellion against brands starts now

Recently I ran into a friend who works at a TV station in Tokyo. The conversation turned to Johnny's Jimusho, the most powerful talent agency in Japan, whose stable of male singers has dominated television for almost two decades. When I asked her if she had run into any of Johnny's stars, she said she...
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Feb 1, 2009

Pet vet mystery, 'character' wear on youth fashion show, post-war cop drama

Pet lovers get their turn in the suspense drama spotlight in "Dobutsu Byoin: Ayako no Jiken Karute" ("Animal Clinic: Ayako's Case Charts") (TV Tokyo, Wednesday, 9 p.m.). Veterinarian Ayako (Yasuko Sawaguchi) works at the Enoki Animal Clinic. One day she sees Tokie, the owner of one of her former patients,...
ENVIRONMENT / OLD NIC'S NOTEBOOK
Feb 1, 2009

Mucking about with horses

In Britain when I was a lad in the 1940s and '50s, horses were still a common sight in the streets. Although horse-drawn carriages had pretty well vanished except for those used for ceremonial purposes, delivery wagons ladened with milk, coal and beer were commonly pulled by horses.
SOCCER / SOCCER SCENE
Feb 1, 2009

Japan's best shot is 2022 World Cup

Japan resumes its campaign for a place at the 2010 World Cup this month against Australia, but the nation's power brokers are already setting their sights on a more distant — and potentially more rewarding — edition of the tournament.
Reader Mail
Feb 1, 2009

Overcoming a discouraging word

According to the Jan. 25 Associated Press article "Discrimination claims die hard in Japan," politician Hiromu Nonaka pulled out of the 2001 prime minister race after Taro Aso, now the prime minister, allegedly referred to Nonaka's roots as a "burakumin," a descendant of former outcasts.
CULTURE / Books
Feb 1, 2009

Yearning for the golden Showa days

An American friend once described the conflict between his desire to leave Japan and his inability to rouse himself to do so by saying that living here was akin to soaking in a warm bath. For many people, soaking in the nostalgia of the Showa Era is a little like that.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 1, 2009

Pros and cons of the euro at 10

PALO ALTO, Calif. — The beginning of 2009 will long be remembered for terrible economic news and controversial economic policy in virtually every country. It also marks the 10th anniversary of the euro, the common currency further knitting together several hundred million Europeans in their economic...
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 1, 2009

Obama magic unlikely to work with India

LONDON — While the rest of the world swoons over the new U.S. president, India is conspicuous by the discomfort that the new political dispensation is generating in the corridors of power in New Delhi.
BASKETBALL
Feb 1, 2009

Newton leads the way as Ryukyu tops Osaka

Jeff Newton, this season's leading MVP candidate in the bj-league, lived up to his reputation on Saturday afternoon in Kansai.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / CLOSE-UP
Feb 1, 2009

Chizu Saeki: Beauty's more than skin deep

Skincare guru Chizu Saeki's expertise is such that her abilities have been compared to those of a fortuneteller. She can, for example, determine people's physical and mental health condition, the key experiences that have influenced them, and even their outlook on life, merely by running her fingers...
Reader Mail
Feb 1, 2009

Relocate Futenma to American soil

When U.S. President Bill Clinton came to Okinawa in 2000 for a summit, he delivered a speech at Okinawa's war memorial park in which he promised to reduce the U.S. military's excessive footprint. Almost nine years have elapsed since then, but we have seen no tangible reduction of U.S. base area.

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