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Japan Times
LIFE / WEEK 3
Aug 20, 2006

Airs and grimaces

You don't even need a guitar to let your hot licks hang out anymore. Duckwalk like Angus (Young; AC/DC), windmill like (Pete; The Who) Townshend and bow like (Jimmy; Led Zeppelin) Page -- no prob; all with air, but not like (Michael; Nike Air) Jordan.
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Aug 20, 2006

The unique voice of Ryunosuke Akutagawa

RASHOMON AND SEVENTEEN OTHER STORIES, by Ryunosuke Akutagawa, translated by Jay Rubin, introduction by Haruki Murakami. London: Penguin Classics, 2006, 268 pp., £9.99 (paper). In what is still the finest assessment of Ryunosuke Akutagawa's life and work, Howard Hibbett complained that for most, the...
JAPAN
Aug 20, 2006

Okinawa to get school backed by U.S. military

The Japanese and U.S. governments are working to establish an international school in Okinawa Prefecture that promotes English education among Japanese children with the help of the U.S. military.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Aug 20, 2006

NHK's "Beatles Rainichi 103 Jikan," Nihon TV's "24 Hour TV" and more

Japan is still celebrating the 40th anniversary of The Beatles' only visit, and on Monday at 10 p.m., NHK-G will present "Beatles Rainichi 103 Jikan (The Beatles Come to Japan for 103 Hours)." The documentary will relive the Fab Four's arrival at Haneda Airport, which experienced a security crunch like...
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Aug 20, 2006

A nation of animal lovers -- as pets or when they're on a plate

The Japanese consider themselves a compassionate people when it comes to an animal's fate. Memorial stones have been erected in whaling villages since the early Edo Period (1603-1867), as they are today at slaughterhouses. Buddhist priests are hired to read the sutras before altars set with incense and...
Japan Times
LIFE / WEEK 3
Aug 20, 2006

Seniors go French with a 'little pig'

During the summer months in Japan, parks, baseball grounds and school yards come alive with the grimaces, grins, grunts and cries of triumph or dismay from people of advanced years who gather together to toss big metal balls at a little wooden one.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 20, 2006

Limits of long-term arrogance revealed

JERUSALEM -- Wars are won not only on battlefields, but also in people's minds. So, while Hezbollah has not decisively won its current war with Israel, by maintaining its ability to fight in the face of the might of the Israeli Army, it has captured the imagination of Arabs, restoring lost pride in the...
Japan Times
LIFE / WEEK 3
Aug 20, 2006

There's gold being panned in them thar hills

There may be many perfectly good reasons to spend a weekend sloshing around in water panning for gold. Trying to get rich isn't one of them.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / NATURE TRAVEL
Aug 20, 2006

Medieval gem to blow you away

Heidelberg's a blast! This German university town has something about it that simply says "style." It also has a history of revolutionary ideas, religious schisms, destruction, anarchy and heroic restoration.
CULTURE / Books
Aug 20, 2006

Summertime, and the dying is easy

RENDEZVOUS AT KAMAKURA INN by Marshall Browne. New York: Thomas Dunne Books, 2005, 288 pp., $23.95 (cloth). SAYONARA BAR by Susan Barker. London: Black Swan Books, 2006, 430 pp., £6.99 (paper). For Detective Inspector Hideo Aoki of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police, the sprinklings of misfortune have become...
JAPAN
Aug 20, 2006

Ex-lawmaker's former aide questioned over Mizutani scam

Prosecutors probing alleged tax evasion by engineering firm Mizutani Kensetsu Co. have questioned a former secretary to a retired Diet member who once served as a Cabinet minister and was a top executive of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, according to sources familiar with the investigation.
BASKETBALL
Aug 19, 2006

Coach K chooses three captains for Team USA

SAPPORO -- Even for mighty Coach K, it may have been too hard to choose just one man.
MORE SPORTS
Aug 19, 2006

Oyama strong as Japan tops Cuba

Kana Oyama scored a team-high 13 points to inspire Japan to a straight-sets victory Friday over powerhouse Cuba in their opening match of the women's volleyball World Grand Prix. Japan took control of the match from the outset against the Cubans and took the first set on its fifth set point when Sachiko...
BASKETBALL
Aug 19, 2006

Commish Kawachi tips U.S. for top prize

As the FIBA World Championship tips off Saturday, Toshimitsu Kawachi, the commissioner of the bj-league, Japan's first professional basketball league, shared his thoughts on the tournament, including the Japan national team, the American team and other topics in a wide-ranging interview at his Ginza...
BASKETBALL
Aug 19, 2006

Host Japan prepares for opener

HIROSHIMA -- The Japan National Team held a light, hour-long practice Friday afternoon at the Hiroshima Prefectural Sports Center.
OLYMPICS
Aug 19, 2006

JOC to give Tokyo 2016 nod

The Japanese Olympic Committee is set to issue a report in favor of Tokyo over Fukuoka in the bidding race between the two domestic candidates for the 2016 Summer Olympic Games, sources close to the move said Thursday.
JAPAN
Aug 19, 2006

Lobbying firm strives to be bridge to Diet

and Daniel Lintz of Nagatacho Forum pose at a Tokyo hotel in July. PETER CROOKES PHOTO
JAPAN
Aug 19, 2006

Aum sarin maker's death penalty upheld

," Tsuchiya's lawyers claimed in their concluding statement. But Shiraki dismissed that argument, saying Tsuchiya surely was aware that the chemicals he was synthesizing would be used to kill.
JAPAN
Aug 19, 2006

Bon traffic fatalities lowest since '70

The death toll from traffic accidents in Japan during the 10-day peak summer holiday period through Thursday dipped 0.6 percent from a year earlier to 175 people, the lowest since 1970 when comparable data was made available, the National Police Agency said Friday.
JAPAN
Aug 19, 2006

Horie trial to start Sept. 4, finish by December

The Tokyo District Court said Friday it will begin the trial of former Livedoor Co. President Takafumi Horie on Sept. 4 over alleged securities law violations, with 26 sessions scheduled to be held by Nov. 28, sources said.
JAPAN
Aug 19, 2006

Fertility treatment coverage upped

The health ministry will expand the coverage of public health insurance to include the cost of artificial insemination for infertile couples in an effort to combat Japan's falling birthrate, government sources said Friday.
BASKETBALL
Aug 19, 2006

German coach: Don't underestimate Panama

HIROSHIMA -- Panama is the lowest-ranked team in the tournament, possessing No. 34 on FIBA's world rankings list.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Aug 19, 2006

For guitar-loving Japanese, it's gotta be American and it better be Gibson

The hand-aged Gibson Les Paul Special is a replica of the 1960 original, but an American master craftsman made it exactly the way the guitar would look today, complete with aging, cracked paint and dents from scuffs and scratches.
JAPAN
Aug 19, 2006

Japanese turns Malawi pop star with AIDS song

A young Japanese man's song about AIDS education has become a big hit in Malawi.

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