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BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
May 15, 2005

Long overdue interleague action playing to good reviews

The concept of the koryu-sen (interleague play) in Japanese baseball is getting great reviews so far from players, fans and media members. Typical comments from participants are, "We should have been doing this 10 years ago" and "It's great to see some different ballparks and towns for a change."
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
May 15, 2005

Little Barrie

The importance of the less-is-more principle waxes and wanes in popular music, but Little Barrie, a new power trio from England, seems to understand it better than most rock minimalists do these days. Though the group refers to its sound as "stripped-down," they're only talking about the instrumentation...
Japan Times
Features / WEEK 3
May 15, 2005

No laughing matter

O n the stage, Charlie Chaplin was known as the tramp who made millions laugh without saying a word. But in his heart of hearts, it seems the great comic wanted to be a statesman whose words could change history.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
May 15, 2005

Composing with an eye on the big picture

The Aichi Expo, with its theme on "Nature's Wisdom" and its pavilions packed with technological wonders, obviously sees no irony in its situation. This contradiction may be highlighted, however, when composer Philip Glass brings his ensemble to perform the music of "Koyaanisqatsi." Directed by Godfrey...
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
May 15, 2005

The great corporate escape: Blame it on the factotums and avoid responsibility

The news media's breathless coverage of the train derailment in Amagasaki that claimed 107 lives last month operated on several levels. On one level was an investigation into the details of the accident itself. On another was the coverage of victims and their families. And on a third was the gradual...
BUSINESS
May 14, 2005

'Indoor dogs' on rise as small pets become part of the family

"Beware of Dog" signs are becoming increasingly rare as a growing number of people choose to keep their pets inside with them and not outside to guard the house.
EDITORIALS
May 13, 2005

Revitalizing the startup spirit

Small businesses play an important role in creating jobs and invigorating markets. Since the mid-1990s, however, the number of small-business startups has declined, according to this year's white paper on small and medium-size enterprises. The question is how to reverse the trend. The report calls for...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
May 13, 2005

A Tokyo hotline to Bangkok

Hyakunincho, Tokyo's most polyglot district, is only a two-minute train ride from the heart of Shinjuku, but it almost feels like leaving the country. In the 1980s, when Southeast Asian food was still a novelty in other parts of town, this was where we came to forage, lured by the exotic perfume of lemongrass,...
JAPAN / Science & Health / NATURAL SELECTIONS
May 12, 2005

Fetuses found to inherit mother's trauma

Stress can motivate us, but it can also get us down. And though it might just make us feel blue, it can also kill us. It depresses levels of sex hormones and people stressed by deadlines are more likely to suffer heart attacks.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / ANIMAL TRACKER
May 12, 2005

Brown-eared bulbul

* Japanese name: Hiyodori * Scientific name: Ixos amaurotis * Description: These are medium-size songbirds that grow to about 28 cm long. They are mainly olive brown with a white face and eyebrow, throat and belly; they have a small crest. The bill, feet and eyes are black. Males and females look...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
May 11, 2005

The eternal flamenco

The fiery folk art of flamenco is more than just a dance -- it's an entire culture. And that culture -- the dances, songs, guitar-playing and rhythms -- are all fueled by the mysterious spirit of duende.
BUSINESS
May 11, 2005

BOJ to retain 5.5 billion yen to cover Yamaichi loan loss

The Bank of Japan on Tuesday asked the finance minister's approval to place 24.9 billion yen in legal reserve for fiscal 2004, including 5.5 billion yen in connection with special loans to the now-defunct Yamaichi Securities Co., to maintain the central bank's financial soundness, the BOJ said.
BUSINESS
May 10, 2005

Chairman quits but JAL is back in black

Japan Airlines Corp. said Monday that Isao Kaneko will resign as both chairman and board member at the end of this month and become an adviser to the company.
BUSINESS
May 10, 2005

McDonald's profit rockets 79%

McDonald's Holdings Co. Japan said Monday its operating profit for the first quarter jumped 79 percent to 3.01 billion yen, as it lured back customers by opening many outlets earlier and making operational improvements.
COMMENTARY
May 9, 2005

Relax, war unlikely in Asia through 2008

LOS ANGELES -- We here in the West -- despite our ritualistic (and sometimes loud-mouthed) advocacy of democracy -- do appreciate the decision of the people in charge in Beijing to clamp down on those anti-Japanese protests, clear out the streets, order people to get out of those incendiary anti-Tokyo...
EDITORIALS
May 8, 2005

Mr. Blair's historic victory

The Labour Party of British Prime Minister Tony Blair won a third consecutive parliamentary election on Thursday. The victory is vindication for Mr. Blair, although he has been wounded by the results: His parliamentary majority is much reduced. The key question is how much time the prime minister has...
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
May 8, 2005

TV show scrapes bottom of barrel in bringing Asia to Japan

One of the hoariest cliches of international politics is the idea that governments only have beefs with other governments, not with their citizens. The tragic irony is that the citizens suffer anyway. Maybe the majority of Iraqi people didn't like their tyrant, but one has to wonder how much they accept...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / PERSONALITY PROFILE
May 7, 2005

Adrienne Westmore

Audiences at the dramas presented by Tokyo International Players exclaim at the costumes the actors and actresses wear on stage. Period costumes invite special praise and wonder. How is it possible for a volunteer organization to put on shows with people so authentically and richly dressed? The answers...
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / OLD NIC'S NOTEBOOK
May 5, 2005

Swallow tales to silence those who speak with forked tongues

It was 1969, and I was driving our open-topped Mercedes Unimog to Asmara to get some building supplies and other gear not available in Gondar, the nearest town to the Simien Mountain National Park in Ethiopia where I was then a game warden.
Japan Times
Features
May 1, 2005

Heading for the stars on high

KONA, Hawaii -- The big white 4WD driven by Yasuhiro Nishida left the hotel in Kohala Coast at 2:50 p.m. with 13 people on board. It was another windy afternoon on the west coast of the island of Hawaii -- "the Big Island," as this, the largest and youngest in the Hawaiian chain, is known.
SOCCER / PREMIER REPORT
Apr 29, 2005

Chelsea deserves credit for achievement, but may not get it

LONDON -- When Arsenal won the Premiership title last year even supporters of Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United, the Gunners' two biggest rivals, had to acknowledge -- albeit through gritted teeth -- that it had been a fabulous achievement.
JAPAN
Apr 28, 2005

Cabinet OKs postal reform package amid chaos in LDP

The Cabinet of Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi finalized a package of postal privatization bills Wednesday night after executives of his Liberal Democratic Party rammed the bills through a series of internal meetings.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / WILD WATCH
Apr 28, 2005

A dream comes true as one mighty ocean-dweller nests under myriad stars

It was as dark a night as I can ever remember, and one I will never forget.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / ANIMAL TRACKER
Apr 28, 2005

Gray-headed Lapwing

* Japanese name: Keri * Scientific name: Vanellus cinereus * Description: Lapwings are attractive, plump, medium-size birds (body length 30 cm; wingspan about 85 cm) with large orange eyes, yellow legs and a yellow bill with a black tip. The head and neck are gray, as are the tops of the wings,...
JAPAN
Apr 26, 2005

Residents heard screech, then roar, then silence

AMAGASAKI, Hyogo Pref. -- A screech, followed by a roar, and then silence.
JAPAN
Apr 23, 2005

Ban on 37 alien species approved

The government on Friday endorsed an ordinance to prohibit the importing and breeding of 37 nonnative species seen as endangering the ecosystem.

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