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CULTURE / Film
Jun 20, 2008

Indiana (and Obama) get OK'd in press fest

At Harrison Ford press conferences in the 1990s, fantastic-looking women would gush into the microphone about how much they loved the actor and his, um, body of work. Nowadays, ol' Harrison is looking pretty good for his years, but alas, his press conferences now attract the fanboys. At least half the...
Japan Times
JAPAN / RETRACING ROUTES
Jun 20, 2008

Immigrants weave tale of triumph

When the Kasato Maru arrived in Brazil with the first Japanese immigrants at Santos port near Sao Paulo on June 18, 1908, a shipload of Okinawans and other Japanese disembarked and headed out to find work on the coffee plantations, seeking a better life.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jun 20, 2008

'The Magic Hour'

Koki Mitani is the reigning king of comedy in Japan, as the writer and sometimes director of a string of hit stage plays, TV series and three feature films that culminated in 2006 with "The Uchoten Hotel (Suite Dream)." This laugh-packed take-off on the 1932 Greta Garbo classic "Grand Hotel," based on...
BUSINESS
Jun 20, 2008

Toy show offers plenty for the kid in all of us

Why should kids have all the fun? That's an attitude on display at International Tokyo Toy Show 2008, which kicked off Thursday at Tokyo Big Sight, where people of any age are bound to find something fun to play with.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jun 20, 2008

Robot startups join forces against South Korea competition

Four of Japan's leading robot startups have joined forces, brought together by a common concern that neighboring South Korea could pull ahead in the race to transform robots from science fiction fantasy to commercial success.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / BACKSTREET STORIES
Jun 20, 2008

Sake and sculptures in an Aoyama backstreet

Tokyo's backstreets can be dank or swank, but on the whole, they're safe. The biggest risk lies in the lure of diversion. Wander off the beaten path on your way to buy eggs or mail a letter, and you'll get sucked in by bizarre Lilliputian entrepreneurships, copper-clad fronts of prewar wooden shacks,...
CULTURE / Music
Jun 20, 2008

Ketchup Mania "F.L.A.G"

Ketchup Mania's hardest album to date takes the punk-pop template handed down from Green Day or Blink 182, fusing it with the darker, metal-brushed sound of U.K. band The Wildhearts and poppy female vocals that recall 1990s J-pop giants Judy & Mary. The result is a multicultural paean to rock 'n' roll...
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Jun 20, 2008

Pianist Gekic on tour

Flamboyant, daring, provocative, exciting and sensitive: These are among the words used to describe Kemal Gekic, a world-renowned pianist set to tour Japan from June 21 to July 3.
EDITORIALS
Jun 20, 2008

Death of a serial killer

Tsutomu Miyazaki, the death-row inmate convicted of killing four girls from 1988 to 1989, was executed Tuesday, as were two other men. The number of death-row inmates hanged on the orders of Justice Minister Kunio Hatoyama has now reached 13, topping the post-1993 record of 10 ordered hanged by Justice...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jun 20, 2008

'Eastern Promises'

Filmmaker David Cronenberg continues to be obsessed by the human body, and all the things people do to it, in the brilliantly staged "Eastern Promises."
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / HOTELS & RESTAURANTS
Jun 20, 2008

Fine French wines and fruity desserts

Conrad showcases Master of Wine The Conrad Tokyo is offering wine connoisseurs a rare opportunity to experience a special dinner featuring wines selected by world-renowned Master of Wine Ron Georgiou on June 23.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jun 20, 2008

Children of Bodom

In the crowded world of Scandinavian hard rock, where dozens of subgenres vie for the attention of fans who just want power chords, the Finnish death-metal band Children of Bodom are iconoclasts.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jun 20, 2008

The rhythm is gonna Gotye

"There are just tons of bands in Melbourne, and I think there is a bit of a chip on the shoulder that too many of them are going unrecognized." So says Wally De Backer, aka Gotye.
CULTURE / Music
Jun 20, 2008

Babyshambles "Oh! What a Lovely Tour"

If Babyshambles frontman Pete Doherty farted out Britain's national anthem accompanied by a barking dog, I would fork out cash for it. Pete is not just a rock star — he's a religion.
CULTURE / Film
Jun 20, 2008

'Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull'

Every now and then I'll hear a rant from some friend who just doesn't get dance music. "It's the same doof-doof-doof kick-drum over and over," they'll say — and they're right. But above, behind, around the kick-drum is where the variation is happening. You won't hear it if you can't get past the kick,...
EDITORIALS
Jun 20, 2008

A North Korean about-face

North Korea has promised to begin a "reinvestigation" of the fate of Japanese nationals abducted by its agents and to hand over the four remaining members of the nine leftists who hijacked a Japan Airlines jet to Pyongyang in 1970 along with two wives of the leftists.
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Jun 20, 2008

International Tokyo Toy Show

Where else could the Pocket Monsters, Tomica Hero Rescue Force, Miffy and Yattermen all share the same stage?

Longform

Ichiro Suzuki, one of the most iconic players in NPB and MLB history, was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame with 99.7% of the vote.
With Hall of Fame induction, Ichiro makes himself heard loud and clear