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Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jul 26, 2007

And the beat goes on

Weatherbeaten and remote, the fishing port of Ogi hardly seems like a cultural magnet. Yet the unassuming little community on the southern peninsula of Niigata Prefecture's Sado Island has achieved worldwide renown as the site of Earth Celebration, a music festival with a twist.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 26, 2007

An energy tax for the European Union

PALO ALTO, Calif. — U.S. President George W. Bush's disastrous war in Iraq has put Europe in a bind. The United States long has been Europe's protector. Now, because of a war it wanted no part of, Europe finds its security undermined.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Jul 26, 2007

The monochrome beauty of Japanese snow

When an important date comes around — like a centenary — and an artist has to be commemorated and celebrated, the problem museums and galleries often have is how to get hold of artworks that best represent him.
EDITORIALS
Jul 26, 2007

Time to pass judgment

As the Upper House election campaign enters its final phase, polls suggest that the Liberal Democratic Party and its coalition partner Komeito are facing a tough battle. But as Democratic Party of Japan leader Ichiro Ozawa has said, the results will not be known until the ballot boxes are opened. In...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Jul 26, 2007

Demented in NY

It's almost counterintuitive — in the midst of the glorious chaos that is China as it modernizes itself, Chinese painters are technically spotless. In their hands, paint has been tamed, a tool with which they slickly create canvases with flawless surfaces that almost hide their workmanship.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jul 26, 2007

Toyota's plug-in hybrid approved for road tests

Toyota Motor Corp. said Wednesday its new plug-in hybrid vehicle has become the first car of its kind authorized by the government for public road tests in Japan.
JAPAN / UPPER HOUSE SHOWDOWN
Jul 26, 2007

Once unthinkable, farmers may vote DPJ

KUMAMOTO — The city of Yamaga, at the northern edge of Kumamoto Prefecture, is a landscape marked with rice paddies. The farmers who tend them are a socially conservative lot — a loyal source of support for the ruling Liberal Democratic Party.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jul 26, 2007

Nintendo profit jumps fivefold on surging sales

Surging sales of the Wii and DS video game players lifted Nintendo's quarterly profit fivefold, prompting the company to raise its annual earnings forecast 40 percent.
BUSINESS
Jul 26, 2007

Sharp profit advances on LCD sales

Sharp Corp. reported Wednesday that its first-quarter profit rose 1.4 percent, driven by sales of LCD TVs and mobile phones.
BUSINESS
Jul 26, 2007

Honda raises forecast on strong U.S. sales, weak yen

Honda Motor Co., Japan's second-largest carmaker, said Wednesday it raised its full-year profit forecast after demand for fuel-efficient models in the U.S. and a weaker yen boosted first-quarter profit 16 percent.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jul 26, 2007

The village of the dammed

Shortly after being relocated to other towns in the late 1980s to make way for Japan's largest dam, about 10 aging former residents defiantly returned to the abandoned village of Tokuyama, in western Gifu Prefecture, determined to live there as long as possible. They sheltered in their old homes or makeshift...
SOCCER
Jul 25, 2007

Japan sticks to same lineup for semifinal clash against Saudis

HANOI — Ivica Osim has thrown a protective arm around his Japan players ahead of their Asian Cup semifinal, saying he will take the flak if the defending champions lose to Saudi Arabia.
Reader Mail
Jul 25, 2007

Admirable, humorous production

The popular American TV cartoon "The Simpsons" is universally and consistently described as America's, or TV's, "favorite dysfunctional family." So it was in the July 12 Associated Press article "Vermont town named home of 'The Simpsons.' "
Reader Mail
Jul 25, 2007

More garbage seen off the trail

An article last month regarding trash on the trail to Mount Fuji quoted a 20-year-old volunteer university student as saying, "I'd hate for people to see the trash around here and think it means Japan is a culture of garbage."
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jul 25, 2007

Unseated champ Takeru Kobayashi practices whole dog

Takeru Kobayashi prepares for the annual Nathan's International July Fourth Hot Dog Eating Contest the same way an Olympic athlete would prep for a track meet.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Jul 25, 2007

Homers power 'Stars past Giants

Kimiyasu Kudo and the Yokohama BayStars did everything they could in the first five innings to build a big lead against the Yomiuri Giants Tuesday night at Tokyo Dome. Though in the last three, it took everything they had just to hold on.
SPORTS / MULLY'S MISSIVES
Jul 25, 2007

Takahara confident in scoring skills

HANOI — Well, you can't accuse Naohiro Takahara of being short on confidence.

Longform

Mount Fuji is considered one of Japan's most iconic symbols and is a major draw for tourists. It's still a mountain, though, and potential hikers need to properly prepare for any climb.
What it takes to save lives on Mount Fuji