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Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Jun 15, 2007

A star in the ascendant returns

Since his first Tokyo performance in 1997 aged 13, Nikolai Tokarev has cemented his reputation as one of the most popular young international pianists in Japan by performing more than 100 concerts here. Moscow-born Tokarev will add to that impressive tally when his forthcoming nationwide tour starts...
CULTURE / Music
Jun 15, 2007

Hikari Ichihara "Stardust"

If you are looking for a way into the music of trumpeter Hikari Ichihara, forget the techno-jazz pop of her synthesizer-heavy debut of originals or even her second album, "Sara Smile," in which she delved into standards, and start with "Stardust," her latest solo album.
LIFE / Travel
Jun 15, 2007

A budget day in Kobe

"I'll meet you at 9.30 p.m. outside the convenience store at Hanshin Uozaki Station," said the pleasant voice on the other end of the phone. It belonged to Aiko, who one year ago founded Kobe Dears, a backpacker hostel a 10-minute train ride from central Kobe proper that she runs with her British husband,...
EDITORIALS
Jun 15, 2007

More meddling in education

An advisory body to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has disclosed a second set of recommendations on improving the quality of public education. Among them is a call for upgrading moral education. Elementary and junior high schools already have a class on morality once a week, but it is not a course based on...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film / SHORT TAKES
Jun 15, 2007

All the Invisible Children

Director: Mehdi Charef, Emir Kusturica, Spike Lee, Katia Lund, Jordan Scott and Ridley Scott, Stefano Veneruso, John Woo Language: Mandarin, English, Italian, Portuguese and Serbo-Croatian
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Jun 15, 2007

Bodies interlock in modern dance

Italian contemporary dance is not a cultural field very familiar to the Japanese. To put that right, Japan's 4th Skin Arts Network and Italy's own Associazione Culturale Danza Urbana will present a contemporary dance festival "Corpi Altri (Body Other)," to be held at three Tokyo venues June 23-28. The...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jun 15, 2007

'Le prix du desir'

It's a familiar story: The man seems to have everything; a bulging bank balance, a successful career, a house in the country, and a beautiful wife — but he's still bored.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jun 15, 2007

Losing his head on Rachmaninov

Russian piano virtuoso Boris Berezovsky is on the phone and he's very excited, though not as excited as he should be when he plays the Pacific Music Festival in Sapporo this summer. There, Berezovsky will be performing Rachmaninov's Concerto No. 3 in D minor Op. 30, a work he considers "infamous" because...
CULTURE / Music
Jun 15, 2007

Caede "The Queen Of"

Having spent more than a decade flashing toothy grins across Japanese magazine covers and TV ads, Japanese model Kaede is looking to diversify her portfolio with the release of her first long player on the hip Harajuku label/record shop/cafe Escalator.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Jun 15, 2007

Tofuya Ukai: Below the Tower a Garden of Edo

Tofuya Ukai is one of those "only in Japan" experiences. In the heart of the city, minutes from Roppongi and at the very foot of Tokyo Tower, you round a corner and find yourself in front of a samurai-era merchant's residence, its low-slung wooden gateway announced by an imposing white lantern and a...
SOCCER
Jun 14, 2007

Reds face uphill climb in quarters

Urawa Reds have been handed a tough quarterfinal draw in the AFC Champions League against defending champions Chonbuk Motors of South Korea.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jun 14, 2007

Adventurer forges bond with nature, poet Basho

Adventurer Mitsuro Oba discovered a different kind of unexplored terrain last summer, a decade after he trekked across Antarctica and became the first person in history to walk unaccompanied to both the North and South poles.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 14, 2007

Europe, open your borders

PRAGUE — It is time for Europe's politicians to admit to voters that governments cannot stop people moving across borders. Despite efforts to build a Fortress Europe, over a million foreigners bypass its defenses every year; some enter covertly, but most just overstay their visas and work illicitly....
EDITORIALS
Jun 14, 2007

Is tax diversion a good idea?

Liberal Democratic Party politicians are touting a proposal to allow citizens to divert a portion of their residential tax payment to local governments of their preference. The idea is called "furusato nozei" (tax payment diversion to one's native place, or hometown) and the Abe administration is pushing...
JAPAN
Jun 14, 2007

Ruling bloc gets office expense bill past panel

Amid strong protests, the ruling coalition rammed through a House of Representatives panel Wednesday a bill requiring that lawmakers' fund management bodies report all office expenses exceeding 50,000 yen, hoping to quell the furor over last month's suicide of corruption scandal-tainted farm minister...
BUSINESS
Jun 14, 2007

Pepsi Cucumber hits store shelves

Consumers can stay cool as a cucumber this summer with Pepsi Ice Cucumber, a new soda based on the crisp green gourd.

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