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Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Dec 1, 2006

Journey into the mind of a musical genius

Agnieszka Holland has long been known for translating classical/historical material into pop-culture matter (in "Total Eclipse," for instance, she cast Leonardo di Caprio as a punkish Arthur Rimbaud) and her latest, "Copying Beethoven," is a fictional biopic of the famed composer during the last years...
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Dec 1, 2006

High-end dining: two of our best

Change and entropy, as the philosophers might say, are the only constants. Nowhere is that more evident than in this mighty metropolis and its ever-evolving restaurant scene. New places open, others fade away, but the very best understand how to keep moving with the times.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / JAZZNICITY
Dec 1, 2006

Ub-X freely tinkers with the engine of jazz

Piano, bass and drums form the engine of jazz. Most jazz bands build on this foundation by adding other instruments, while a select few work from within to upend the conventions of the piano trio and fashion a completely new sound. Ub-X, one of the latter, is a group that sounds like no other.
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Dec 1, 2006

New York Grill and Les Saisons: two of our best

Change and entropy, as the philosophers might say, are the only constants. Nowhere is that more evident than in this mighty metropolis and its ever-evolving restaurant scene. New places open, others fade away, but the very best understand how to keep moving with the times.
JAPAN
Nov 30, 2006

Ex-diplomat warns of reliance on U.S.

, a former ambassador to the United States, Keiko Chino, chief editorial writer at the Sankei Shimbun, and Hatsuhisa Takashima, a former Foreign Ministry press secretary, debate at a Wednesday forum in Tokyo. YOSHIAKI MIURA PHOTO
JAPAN
Nov 30, 2006

DPJ might back collective defense

," the proposal says. "Under no other circumstances shall force be used," it says. In disclosing the policy draft, Hirotaka Akamatsu, chairman of the nine-member panel that compiled the proposal, and DPJ policy chief Takeaki Matsumoto did not provide further clarification of the party's definition...
JAPAN
Nov 30, 2006

ElBaradei in Tokyo for nuke talks

Mohamed ElBaradei, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, arrived Wednesday in Japan for talks with officials on the nuclear disputes with North Korea and Iran, officials said.
EDITORIALS
Nov 30, 2006

Flush times for banks

The aggregated net profits of the nation's six major banking groups have reached a record 1.73 trillion yen for the April-September half-year period, with four of the groups realizing record profits. A special factor contributed to the soaring profits. Brighter business performances among their borrowers...
JAPAN
Nov 30, 2006

Obituary: W.G. Beasley

Eminent British historian and specialist in modern Japanese history W.G. Beasley died of pneumonia Nov. 19 in Britain. He was 87.
COMMENTARY
Nov 30, 2006

The sleeping dog has woken in Canada

LONDON -- "Michael Ignatieff strode back into Canada bearing gilt-edged promises that he had kept a close watch on our political evolution during his decades on foreign soil and that he would be appropriately sensitive to our sociopolitical nuances. He then, by stating a position on Quebec as a nation,...
EDITORIALS
Nov 30, 2006

LDP's opportunistic move

The Liberal Democratic Party's move to readmit into its fold 11 Lower House members who were kicked out of the party for opposing postal service privatization bills is widely regarded as an act of political expediency. It is designed to use the political resources of these Diet members, who have strong...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Nov 30, 2006

A RETURN TO THE REAL

The dominant image of contemporary architecture in Japan is one of serene simplicity: spaces that are light, bright and weightless, in which structure and materiality are reduced to the minimum.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Nov 30, 2006

Japanese researchers found stunning, unrecorded ukiyo-e at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

When you hear the term ukiyo-e, do images such as Katsushika Hokusai's big wave or his red Mount Fuji immediately come to mind? If so, "The Allure of Edo" exhibition currently at the Edo-Tokyo Musem will completely change your perception of the art form, as there is much more to ukiyo-e than that.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Nov 30, 2006

Moving beyond nonsense

Born Kazumi Kobayashi in Tokyo, 43-year-old Keralino Sandroviich -- or Kera, as he is best known -- started his career with the techno band Uchoten (Rapture) which he formed in 1982 when he was a student at the Japan Academy of the Moving Image. Although he had planned to be a film director, when Uchoten...

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