Search - special

 
 
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Jun 17, 2007

First woman was the sun, then there came man

IN THE BEGINNING, WOMAN WAS THE SUN: The Autobiography of a Japanese Feminist — Hiratsuka Raicho, translated with an introduction and notes by Teruko Craig. New York: Columbia University Press, 2006, 432 pp., $35 (cloth) One of the earliest among those who battled to reform the social and legal position...
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...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jun 13, 2007

Pensioners place little premium on pledges to mend record fiasco

Lawyer Tadahiko Tanizawa has spent his 40-year career upholding the principles of law and order, both of which he found lacking during a visit last year to a social insurance office.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / ANIMAL TRACKER
Jun 13, 2007

Buchi salamander

* Japanese name: Buchi-sansho-uo * Scientific name: Hynobius naevius * Description: This is a lizard-like animal growing from 8 to 15 cm long, including the tail. Also known as the blotched or spotted salamander, it is dark brown with a purple tinge, and has blotches of silver and white spots over its...
LIFE / Digital / IGADGET
Jun 13, 2007

Dancing penguin ups the cute factor for iPods

Teddy bears might be the tradi tional cute characters of choice but the animal shape of the moment in Japan is undoubtedly the penguin. This is in no small part due to JR's Suica card advertising campaigns. Sega Toys are not a company to miss a trend and so, perhaps in tribute to the animated movie "Happy...
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design / ON: FASHION
Jun 12, 2007

Sobocki, Swatch, etc.

Sobocki, so good
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WORDS TO LIVE BY
Jun 12, 2007

Horiyoshi III

Horiyoshi III is revered by tattoo enthusiasts as possibly the world's greatest horishi, or full-body tattoo artist. (Horimono are tattoos done purely for fun, while irezumi are tattoos that mark criminals.) Friendly and too cool for words, the 61-year-old loves digging his needle into people — he...
Japan Times
LIFE
Jun 10, 2007

In praise of morning's glory

Hima Furuta sits across the table from me in a cafe in the Marunouchi business district of central Tokyo. It's only 10 a.m., and although he looks fresh and full of life, he's almost finished his main work for the day.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film / SHORT TAKES
Jun 8, 2007

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End

Director: Gore Verbinski Language: English
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jun 8, 2007

'Zodiac'

Newton's third law of motion tells us that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. This certainly applies to the physics of Hollywood releases: As the studios increasingly turn to bombastic, over-the-top SFX movies, the critics react by praising every studio release that still has...
JAPAN
Jun 6, 2007

Nakayama considers Upper House

Kyoko Nakayama, a special adviser to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on the abduction issue, said Tuesday she is considering running for a seat in the House of Councilors on the ruling Liberal Democratic Party ticket.
EDITORIALS
Jun 5, 2007

Avoid the security dilemma in Asia

Military modernization is a constant process. Securing the state and protecting its citizens are the first tasks of any government. Militaries are vital to achieving these objectives, even though they are not the only means for doing so. Moreover, wise governments recognize that security is not absolute...
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 3, 2007

Religion: prop or antidote to capitalism?

PRINCETON, New Jersey — A provocative book written by a Japanese mathematician has reignited the debate about whether there are specifically "Asian" values.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / WALKING THE WARDS
Jun 1, 2007

To infinity and beyond

At the southern end of Edogawa Ward, Kasai Rinkai Koen Seaside Park dips its toes in the Pacific Ocean. From there, it's possible to see Tokyo Disney Resort across the water in Urayasu.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
May 31, 2007

A rare reunion of Jakuchus in a Kyoto temple

For the first time in 120 years, the 30 scroll paintings by Ito Jakuchu (1716-1800) known as "The Colorful Realm of Living Beings" are being shown together with the "Sakyamuni Triad" — three hanging scroll paintings of a central Buddha and two attendant bodhisattvas — at the Shokokuji Temple in Kyoto....
LIFE / Digital / IGADGET
May 30, 2007

DIY bread makers fill big gap in Japanese menus; robot cubes mimic people

Japanese cuisine does for seafood what French wineries do for the gift of the grape. But what it does for bread is more akin to the imposition the English have made on the world's palate. The alleged loaf consisting of six thick white slices with not a crust in sight at either end of it, and apparently...
SUMO
May 29, 2007

Hakuho wrestles his way into the history books

The 2007 Natsu Basho is over, and it will only ever be remembered for one thing: the 15-0 unbeaten zensho yusho winning record of Mongolian ozeki Hakuho that etched his name forever in the annals of Japanese sporting and cultural history.

Longform

Sumadori Bar on Shibuya Ward's main Center Gai street targets young customers who prefer low-alcohol drinks or abstain altogether.
Rethinking that second drink: Japan’s Gen Z gets ‘sober curious’