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Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Feb 23, 2007

Ninagawa paints a vivid picture

Born in 1972, Mika Ninagawa is a photographer with a long list of awards, gallery shows, photo books and credits, from fashion magazine spreads to CD covers. Known for her vivid sense of color and composition, Ninagawa has been branching out into video production and now film, with her first feature...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 23, 2007

Mag on foreigner crimes not racist: editor

"Now!! Bad foreigners are devouring Japan," screams the warning, surrounded by gruesome caricatures of foreigners who look like savages, with blood red eyes and evil faces.
EDITORIALS
Feb 23, 2007

Reaffirming a commitment

Nothing dramatic happened -- no new demands or agreements -- during U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney's meetings with Japanese leaders this week. His visit should be interpreted as a U.S. effort to reaffirm its close ties with Japan and thus help enhance its image as a world leader as it faces difficult...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Feb 23, 2007

'The Secret Life of Words'

There are some things that defy and/or reject the use of words, some occurrences in life that just refuse to be caged within the frames of meaning and logic. Still, philosophers and writers stake their faith in words and its cathartic effects; Jean-Paul Sartre once wrote that to "speak and express oneself...
BUSINESS
Feb 23, 2007

Autos, electronics yield January trade surplus

Japan posted a 4.4 billion yen trade surplus in January, against a deficit of 353.5 billion yen a year ago, thanks to increased exports of automobiles to the United States and electronics components to China, the Finance Ministry said Thursday.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Feb 23, 2007

Carlos Johnson

Chicago bluesman Carlos Johnson is the whole package: deep gravelly voice, thick-timbered guitar and a knack for wry lyrics.
CULTURE / Music
Feb 23, 2007

Shiina Ringo "Heisei Fuzoku"

You could never call Yumiko Shiina predictable. Finding success as a solo artist and then forming a band, her nine-year career has been as topsy-turvy as her music. And on "Heisei Fuzoku," her first solo album in four years and the soundtrack to the Edo Period movie "Sakuran," she and composer/ violinist...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Feb 23, 2007

'Sakuran'

How did "Memoirs of a Geisha" ("Sayuri" here in Japan) get it so drearily wrong -- and Mika Ninagawa's new film, "Sakuran," get it so gloriously right?
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Feb 23, 2007

'A Prairie Home Companion'/'Bobby'

Director Robert Altman checked out of this world last November at age 81, and he was working right up till the end. His last film, "A Prairie Home Companion," is a cinematic spinoff of the popular show on American public radio, and while it's not up there with Altman's best -- "Short Cuts" or "Nashville"...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Feb 23, 2007

A spiritual conversation

The foreign music press has a weakness for weird Japanese music.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / BEST BAR NONE
Feb 23, 2007

Put on your red shoes and dance

In December 1981, a small bar named Red Shoes opened in the basement of a building next to the bus stop near Nishi-Azabu crossing. Though only a stone's throw from what is now a busy intersection, in those days as soon as the sun went down the area was deserted. In terms of partying, Roppongi was the...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Feb 23, 2007

Damo Suzuki networks with younger generation

'My home is everywhere. I am a nomad of the 21st century; my address is my e-mail address," writes Damo Suzuki in English via, naturally enough, e-mail.
SOCCER
Feb 22, 2007

Japan Under-22s held to scoreless draw by U.S.

Japan was twice denied by the woodwork as the United States held on for a scoreless draw in an Under-22 friendly soccer match in Kumamoto on Wednesday evening.
BASKETBALL
Feb 22, 2007

Oita's Marshall gets player award

Oita HeatDevils swingman Mikey Marshall is the Circle K Sunkus Player of the Week, the bj-league announced.
BUSINESS / SOUTH KOREAN JOURNALIST SYMPOSIUM
Feb 22, 2007

Rules change, but Japan, S. Korea game the same

See related stories: Japan, South Korea can pull Asia together China's rise may force Tokyo, Seoul to reassess business tie-ups
BUSINESS / Q&A
Feb 22, 2007

Rate hike means both pain and gain

The Bank of Japan's Policy Board on Wednesday raised the key short-term interest rate by a quarter point to 0.5 percent. Following are some explanations on how the interest rate hike will impact the Japanese economy:
BUSINESS / SOUTH KOREAN JOURNALIST SYMPOSIUM
Feb 22, 2007

Japan, South Korea can pull Asia together

See related stories: China's rise may force Tokyo, Seoul to reassess business tie-ups Rules change, but Japan, S. Korea game the same

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