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COMMUNITY
Feb 3, 2002

Sake's never been better -- so why the poor business?

Sake is so central to life in these islands that the name of the fermented rice drink is also the Japanese word for all alcoholic drinks.
COMMUNITY
Feb 3, 2002

Mix a little something in your sake

Lining the back alleyways of the Minami district of Osaka there are dozens of small restaurants that just serve fugu -- blowfish -- world-famous for its potentially fatal flesh. Outside these shops there invariably rests a wooden board of some kind that is plastered with what appear to be decorative...
COMMUNITY
Jan 27, 2002

We've lost that food-loving feeling

Feeling hungry? Luckily, those of us living in the here-and-now can eat almost anything we want, anytime we want -- and as much as we like.
BUSINESS
Jan 24, 2002

Tertiary activity up after five months

Activity in Japan's tertiary industries rose 1.7 percent in November over the previous month for the first gain in five months, thanks to higher consumer spending on amusement and recreation, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said Wednesday.
COMMUNITY
Jan 20, 2002

Kabukicho: where worlds collide

About 1 a.m. on the morning of Sept. 1, 2001, a fire of undetermined origin swept through the No. 56 Myojo Building in Shinjuku's Kabukicho district, resulting in the deaths of 44 people on the upper two floors. While investigators say they have ruled out arson, stories in the tabloid press continue...
COMMUNITY
Jan 13, 2002

Seafood central: Tokyo's Tsukiji market

"For Japanese, fish is the very best thing in the world," Sadao Ohashi declares with pride as he pushes his medieval-looking, two-wheeled wooden cart at jogging speed, maneuvering a load of mackerel, squid and sea bream through the moving maze of carts, people and battered one-man trucks that throng...
JAPAN
Jan 3, 2002

Chinese teas overcome coffee boom as Japan turns new leaf in Asia

Unlike Starbucks coffee, it can be drunk steadily over three or four hours, with no risk of caffeine addiction.
Japan Times
JAPAN / INTERNATIONAL RATIONALE
Dec 19, 2001

Foreign retailers relying on adaptability to survive

When French retailer Carrefour and U.S.-based Costco Wholesale Corp. opened their outlets in Makuhari, Chiba Prefecture, a year ago, many saw the foreign stores as a threat to domestic supermarkets.
LIFE / Food & Drink / VINELAND
Dec 16, 2001

If you're going to pop the cork, do it in style

Recently, we asked professionals from the Tokyo restaurant-and-wine scene to share their tips for worthy holiday wine splurges and to tell us their favorite dishes to match. Their ideas may inspire the right present for a wine aficionado. You might also consider sampling these top picks in a New Year's...
JAPAN / LAST CALL FOR SAKE
Dec 13, 2001

Sake brewers seeking to please palates overseas

NIIGATA -- When movie star Robert De Niro visited Hokusetsu Shuzo's cellar in the village of Akadomari on Sado Island in fall 1998, he reportedly held up a 10-year-old bottle of sake and said he wanted it shipped to his restaurant in the United States.
COMMUNITY
Dec 2, 2001

'Float on Earth' at Japan's snow resorts

You draw in a sharp, crisp breath of clean air, point your board straight ahead and blast off full speed down a short, steep drop, then up a narrow slope that launches you high in the air. Landing in a meter-deep pillow of fluffy, white snow that swallows your board, your bindings and your knees brings...
LIFE / Travel
Nov 27, 2001

A divided isle's dramatic past

KYRENIA, Cyprus -- The wail of the muezzin drones from the high balcony of the minaret, down through the cobbled streets to the harbor and out across the water to the massive ramparts of the castle.
LIFE / Food & Drink / THE WAY OF WASHOKU
Nov 18, 2001

Kawatare : a fleeting taste of twilight

What's in a name? Often, for a restaurant, a lot rides on the naming of dishes. There is a science — and a whole consulting industry — devoted to food-item names and their placement on menus. Cooks everywhere, even before it became a science, have labored to find names suitable for their latest creations....
BUSINESS
Nov 3, 2001

Sumitomo to build mall near USJ

OSAKA -- The group of companies led by trading giant Sumitomo Corp. plans to build a second shopping mall along the road linking Osaka's Universal Studios Japan theme park and the JR Universal City Station, possibly next year, group officials said Friday.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Sep 23, 2001

Striking out at playtime on a plate

OSAKA -- It's a hot and humid night in the Kujo district, but nobody seems to mind. That's because just a few blocks away, at the Osaka Dome, the Kintetsu Buffaloes are locked in a battle with the Seibu Lions for the Pacific League pennant.
LIFE / Food & Drink / THE WAY OF WASHOKU
Sep 16, 2001

Help heal the spirit with comfort food

After watching live the two towers of the World Trade Center come down — the blessing and the curse of modern technology and communications — and spending a very sleepless night filling my head with the horrific images of the aftermath, I slipped away to the otherworldliness of a quiet Zen temple...
LIFE / Food & Drink / THE WAY OF WASHOKU
Sep 9, 2001

Grater expectations

Oroshigane, traditional Japanese graters, come in all shapes and sizes. From orosu (to grate or cut) and kane (metal or metal tool), this kitchen essential was originally made exclusively of copper or steel. Now stainless steel, aluminum and plastic predominate, but one can still find graters made of...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Sep 2, 2001

The growth of green cuisine

A decade ago, it was difficult for vegetarians in Japan to eat out, but now there are far more restaurants to meet their needs -- and those of anyone else who enjoys tasty, low-fat and nutritious food.
JAPAN
Aug 29, 2001

Pricey fish losing favor amid deflation, imports

Consumers are increasingly shunning high-priced fish and opting for lower-priced fare and imported fish as deflation hits the sluggish economy. Japan was once the world's top catcher of fish but has been overtaken by China because catches of popular fish such as sardines and mackerel have decreased due...
JAPAN
Aug 29, 2001

Unemployment rate reaches 5% threshold for first time

The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate hit a record high 5 percent in July, up 0.1 percentage point from June, according to government data released Tuesday.
ENVIRONMENT / OUR PLANET EARTH
Aug 23, 2001

Poachers, politics threaten Japan's Eden

"It is a pocket of the earth that has been protected, but it will not be like this much longer if we don't do something. It's a shame, because we have it in our grasp now."
LIFE / Food & Drink / THE WAY OF WASHOKU
Aug 12, 2001

Kakigori: a close shave doused in sweet syrup

This week my local shrine, Ishikiri Jinja (a destination for pilgrims seeking the healing of various unwanted growths), hosted its annual fireworks-filled summer festival. The pilgrim road was lined for several kilometers with stalls selling the usual summer-fair wares and, of course, the traditional...
LIFE / Food & Drink / THE WAY OF WASHOKU
Jul 15, 2001

A journey back to old 'new Japanese cuisine'

This week I saw a program on television that showcased shin-washoku, or "new Japanese cuisine," as the latest restaurant trend. The show visited several eateries where the chef/owners had gone abroad, mostly to America, to work in Japanese restaurants and since come back to Japan with a new twist on...
LIFE / Travel
Jun 19, 2001

Where the trade routes cross

Fifty years ago, travelers on American roads used to watch for trucks parked by roadside diners. Most people believed that truckers knew the best places to eat, and that any restaurant with trucks parked in front of it would serve good food.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
May 13, 2001

From the farm to your table

Finding restaurants that serve food seasoned with herbs isn't that difficult in Japan. In fact, it would be more difficult to find a French or Italian restaurant that doesn't have herbs in its pantry.
LIFE / Food & Drink / THE WAY OF WASHOKU
May 6, 2001

A flavor-enhancer to be handled with care

For a younger, less taste-aware version of myself, coal-black briny-sweet Chung King brand soy sauce was all I needed to accompany the corner Chinese restaurant's ubiquitous white rice. As I got closer to the bottom of the bowl the poor rice would become salty enough to render the last bites inedible....
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Apr 29, 2001

Cafe society goes to the dogs

Everyone has seen dogs sitting forlornly outside shops, tied to a railing, waiting for their owners. Not only are the pets unhappy, but how many owners have been distracted from their shopping or meals by guilty thoughts of their lonely pets waiting outside?
JAPAN
Apr 26, 2001

Koizumi dons many hats, fancies a good hairdo, too

Junichiro Koizumi, the Liberal Democratic Party's new president, has been dubbed by fellow lawmakers a maverick, an eccentric, a heretic and "the Don Quixote of the political world."
LIFE / Food & Drink / BEST BAR NONE
Apr 15, 2001

Check him out now, the funk, soul brother

If I told you I know of a great place to catch an excellent dinner show at an affordable price, you might think it a fairy tale. Well, pinch yourself, because this one is true.

Longform

A small shrine perched atop rocks braves the waves hitting the shoreline during a storm in Shimoda, Shizuoka Prefecture. The area is under threat of a possible 31-meter-high tsunami if an earthquake strikes the nearby Nankai Trough.
If the 'Big One' hits, this city could face a 31-meter-high tsunami