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Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Dec 12, 2008

'Alatriste'

Touted as the most expensive Spanish production ever made, the $28 million swashbuckler "Alatriste" refrains from flaunting its price tag.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Dec 12, 2008

Reasonable reds to warm up winter

What with the terrible economic climate and those cold winds blowing down from Siberia, it makes sense to weather out this winter snuggled up in a warm blanket with a nice bottle of red wine and a good novel. In this spirit, we've made the rounds of the stores searching for bargain reds that will raise...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Dec 12, 2008

Find festival fun in Chiba and Osaka

While the lineup doesn't differ much from year to year, there is no denying that Countdown Japan is the ultimate yearend bash. Held in both Chiba and Osaka, the festival invites some of the biggest names in Japanese music to see in the New Year, with four stages over four days at Chiba's Makuhari Messe...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Dec 12, 2008

'Akumu Tantei 2'

Shinya Tsukamoto's crazed, bizarre, utterly original early films, beginning with "Tetsuo" (1989), which won him a devoted cult following abroad. In the Japanese film industry, though, he was regarded as a pariah.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / GRAND OLD HOTELS
Dec 12, 2008

Echoes of the footfalls of soldiers

I was looking for a pillbox pockmarked with bullet holes in the Kudanminami district of Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo. That's what an elderly friend told me I'd find in front of the area's Kudan Kaikan hotel.
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Dec 12, 2008

'Tokyo Sonata' subtitled for English-speaking audiences

The film "Tokyo Sonata," which won the Jury Prize at the 2008 Cannes International Film Festival, will be shown with English subtitles in Tokyo from Dec. 13 to 19. Directed by the renowned Kiyoshi Kurosawa, the film tells a cynical but warm story about a dysfunctional family in Japan.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Dec 12, 2008

The Fireman "Electric Arguments"

Nearly four decades after ending his songwriting partnership with John Lennon, Paul McCartney still hasn't tired of insisting that he was the more experimental of the two. Just last month, he announced that he was hoping to finally release "Carnival of Light," the "lost" avant-garde piece that The Beatles...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Dec 12, 2008

No joking — 007's in Japan

"Quantum Of Solace," the 22nd film in the 007 series, opened in the U.K. before Halloween, and in the rest of the civilized world a week later. While even Kuwait and Ecuador have seen "Quantum" in their cinemas already, Japan won't get to see the tuxedoed secret agent until Jan. 24. (Presumably Sony,...
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Dec 12, 2008

Film project delivers 'live' operas from U.K.

Performances by two acclaimed U.K. opera ensembles — Glyndebourne Festival Opera and the Royal Opera House — will take place in movie theaters nationwide from Dec. 20 as the opening features of U.K. Opera @ Cinema, which is being presented by Sony Corp.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Dec 12, 2008

Henri Barda Piano Recital

The veteran French pianist Henri Barda will hold a recital in Tokyo next week for the first time in six years.
BUSINESS
Dec 12, 2008

Daihatsu to recall 111,000 vehicles

Daihatsu Motor Co., the nation's largest minicar maker, will recall about 111,431 vehicles to fix bad accelerator pedals and fuel hoses, the company said Thursday.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / HOTELS & RESTAURANTS
Dec 12, 2008

Christmas with Gordon Ramsay

The Michelin-starred Gordon Ramsay at Conrad Tokyo restaurant, which commands one of the best views of the metropolis, is serving "A Taste of Christmas" menu through Dec. 18.
EDITORIALS
Dec 11, 2008

Retaining nursing-care workers

The government and the ruling bloc have decided to raise the payment for nursing-care services by 3 percent from April 2009. Since the inauguration of the nursing-care insurance system in fiscal 2000, the payment has been reviewed twice — once every three years — and reduced every time. The increase...
Japan Times
MORE SPORTS / ICE TIME
Dec 11, 2008

Mao faces big challenge from Kim at star-studded Grand Prix Final

Mao Asada silenced her critics — at least temporarily — with her decisive victory in the NHK Trophy on Nov. 29.
EDITORIALS
Dec 11, 2008

Education loan accountability

The Japan Students Services Organization (JASSO), a student loan provider under the wing of the education ministry, is suffering from a high delinquency rate on loan payments. Starting in fiscal 2010, it will tell all new borrowers that it will report long-term delinquent borrowers to an organization...
Reader Mail
Dec 11, 2008

Unfair burden on the elderly

Regarding the Dec. 4 article "LDP may ease costs of elderly health care": The Liberal Democratic Party MUST ease the costs of elderly care. We elderly people contributed to health insurance for many years during our working period before getting to be "elderly citizens." Most of us have not used much...
Reader Mail
Dec 11, 2008

More serious violations out there

Regarding Grant Mahood's Dec. 7 letter, "Fingerprinting law is unjust": Since the new guidelines on fingerprinting foreigners at Japanese ports of entry were issued (November 2007), we have seen discussions for and against them in various forums, including The Japan Times. Some have branded such a practice...
Reader Mail
Dec 11, 2008

What is LDP official trying to do?

What is LDP official trying to do?
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 11, 2008

Asylum claims nearly double

The number of people seeking asylum in Japan is surging toward a new record, and the government is grappling to deal with the flood, a nonprofit support organization has warned.
Reader Mail
Dec 11, 2008

One tradition that's out of hand

Regarding the Observer feature "Where a baby girl is a mother's awful shame," printed in The Japan Times on Nov. 29: It was disturbing to learn that, because of the dowry obligation and perhaps a general inferior perception of women in Indian society, people have turned a blind eye to the fact that they...

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