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CULTURE / Music
Jun 29, 2007

Malajube "Trompe L'oeil"

If the first you hear of Malajube is the single "Montreal -40 C," you may dismiss them as an undistinguished, shiny-happy Euro-pop rock act thrown together in homage to The Cardigans. This would be a tragic, but understandable, error, since it's not until the fourth track of "Trompe L'oeil" that the...
EDITORIALS
Jun 29, 2007

Insult to meat consumers

The product mislabeling scandal at Meat Hope Co. in Tomakomai, Hokkaido, will deepen consumer distrust of food manufacturers. Police must carry out a thorough investigation. The company not only misled consumers about product content but also carried out practices that compromised product safety. Both...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jun 29, 2007

'Live Free or Die Hard'

Dear John:
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jun 29, 2007

'Sidecar ni Inu'

Kichitaro Negishi has a typical resume for a Japanese baby boomer director: Graduation from an elite university (Waseda), apprenticeship in the porno industry (Nikkatsu), awards for his first straight feature ("Enrai," 1981), followed by success as a maker of TV commercials and music videos. Meanwhile,...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film / SHORT TAKES
Jun 29, 2007

Shrek the Third

Director: Chris Miller and Raman Hui Language: English
COMMENTARY
Jun 29, 2007

Chief executive who serves two masters

This is the first in a series of columns on the political and economic status of Hong Kong. On Sunday, the former British crown colony will mark its 10th anniversary as a special province of China.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jun 29, 2007

Office weighs less in the work-life balance

After his son was born last April, Hyogo Prefecture civil servant Akira Hirabayashi decided to cut back on overtime at work. He yearned for more time with little Susumu and also wanted to give his wife, Chie, a chance to return to her teaching job at an elementary school.
CULTURE / Music
Jun 29, 2007

Low Low Low La La La Love Love Love "Ends Of June"

Based on their long-winded name, some may dismiss Low Low Low La La La Love Love Love as pretentious indie rockers or a mere novelty act. The British sextet are neither. Influenced by the fragile pop of Elliott Smith and alt-folk of Iron & Wine, their sophomore effort, "Ends Of June," is full of well-written...
CULTURE / Film
Jun 29, 2007

Steel sells hard story

Eric Steel is a Yale graduate who's been active in publishing and producing for some 20 years now, but has only just made his own feature debut as director with "The Bridge." Inspired by an article in The New Yorker ("Jumpers," by Tad Friend), Steel set out to record the phenomenon of suicide at the...
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Jun 29, 2007

Slow train is a coming

Not many sane people jump out of bed at 2 a.m. on a Saturday morning and speed to the coast to see the sunrise. Unless, that is, you're making your way to Cape Inubosaki, Chiba Prefecture, the Kanto region's furthermost eastern point.
COMMENTARY
Jun 29, 2007

Hope for six-party talks lives

SEOUL — It's not exactly clear what Assistant U.S. Secretary of State Christopher Hill told (or promised) North Korean officials during his surprise visit to Pyongyang last week — or if the mere continuation of the long sought after one-on-one direct dialogue was sufficient — but the DPRK has finally...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jun 29, 2007

David Helfgott: Genius reborn

Critical praise — not public adulation — has eluded piano virtuoso David Helfgott since his life inspired the hit movie 'Shine.' But that's fine by him
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jun 29, 2007

Patrick Wolf and Earl Greyhound

To retire at the ripe age of 23 is something most have dreamt of, but few have actually accomplished.
JAPAN
Jun 29, 2007

Pension bills rammed past panel

The ruling bloc forced three controversial bills through a House of Councilors panel Thursday night in a hasty attempt to put a lid on the nation's pension data woes.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jun 29, 2007

'The Bridge'

On a trip to San Francisco last month, I drove out to Marin County with a friend. We parked our car in the Vista Point parking lot, got out, and there, towering over a rise in the ground, was the Golden Gate Bridge. The bridge's two, 230-meter-high towers loomed majestically, wrapped in a shroud of drifting...
BUSINESS
Jun 29, 2007

TBS wins proxy fight to get takeover-defense measures

Tokyo Broadcasting System Inc. scored a victory in a proxy fight Thursday with Rakuten Inc. as its shareholders approved the broadcaster's plan to introduce takeover-defense measures that could foil the Internet mall operator's attempt to increase its stake in TBS to more than 20 percent.
BUSINESS
Jun 29, 2007

Toyota, Honda lead rise in May domestic auto output

Toyota Motor Corp. and Honda Motor Co. led Japanese automakers in raising domestic output last month, because of increased exports and an extra day of production compared with last year.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film / SHORT TAKES
Jun 29, 2007

Marcello, Una Vita Dolce (Marcello, A Sweet Life)

Director: Mario Canale and Annarosa Morri Language: Italian
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / NIHONSHU
Jun 29, 2007

Taste receptors bow to flavor god

It used to be said that the human tongue perceived flavor in the form of four basic tastes: sweet, sour, salty and bitter. Then a Japanese scientist, Ikeda Kikunae (1864-1936), detected a rich, satisfying taste common to meat, cheese and Japanese dashi (stock) — among other things — which couldn't...

Longform

Once smoky, male-dominated spaces, today's net cafes, like Kaikatsu Club, are working to make their operations more attractive to women customers.
The second life of Japan's net cafes