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Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Jul 17, 2009

A cool show at Shiseido with the Helsinki School

Finland may seem like a cold, distant land better known for Nokia and reindeer than photography and art. But the Helsinki School, an art cooperative formed about 15 years ago, is heating up the international photography and video art world. Showing in Asia for the first time, the Helsinki School's photography...
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Jul 17, 2009

Go swim with fishes high in the sky

Does the ocean glitter like a cool mirage in your overheated mind this summer? Rather than trek out to the real thing, all you have to do is dive up to the "Sky Aquarium III" exhibit running through Oct. 4 at Tokyo City View on the 52nd floor of Roppongi Hills' Mori Tower.
Reader Mail
Jul 16, 2009

Motivation for planning an exit

As a foreigner married to a Japanese national and living in Japan legally, I find the new laws with regard to immigration quite troubling. I do not disagree with the Japanese government's desire to have a more effective system for visas and immigration of foreigners. However, I do have an issue with...
EDITORIALS
Jul 16, 2009

Universal organ donorship

The Upper House on Monday enacted a bill to revise the Organ Transplant Law. Current law does not recognize brain death as actual death and allows, with family approval, organs to be taken only from people aged 15 or over who not only had accepted brain-death as actual death but indicated in writing...
JAPAN
Jul 14, 2009

DPJ's historic win in Tokyo seen as inevitable amid LDP disarray

The Democratic Party of Japan's historic victory in Sunday's Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly election was no surprise, many local voters said Monday, expressing dissatisfaction with the Liberal Democratic Party, with some already saying they will vote DPJ in the general election even though they are not...
COMMUNITY / Voices / HAVE YOUR SAY
Jul 14, 2009

'Discontinuous minds' and discrimination: some responses

Following are some readers' views on Dan O'Keeffe's June 16 Zeit Gist article " 'Discontinuous minds' block progress on discrimination":
JAPAN
Jul 13, 2009

DPJ scores big win in Tokyo assembly

The Democratic Party of Japan was cruising Sunday night to a clear victory in the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly election, taking over as the No. 1 force from the Liberal Democratic Party.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Jul 12, 2009

Drifting through life; in a good way

When an American journalist, remarking on Yoshihiro Tatsumi's growing popularity in the United States, suggested that the manga master must be similarly well-known in his own country, Tatsumi laughed and explained that there are not, at present, any venues in Japan willing to publish his work. That being...
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Jul 12, 2009

Crimes happen, but are the criminals 'one of us' or 'one of them'?

Crime may not pay like it used to, but the way it is described in the media has not changed much throughout the millennia.
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Jul 12, 2009

Crimes happen, but are the criminals 'one of us' or 'one of them'?

Crime may not pay like it used to, but the way it is described in the media has not changed much throughout the millennia.
EDITORIALS
Jul 10, 2009

Another milestone in Iraq

More than six years after invading Iraq and deposing its leader, Saddam Hussein, U.S. combat forces have withdrawn from Iraq's cities. The redeployment is an important step forward in the reclamation of Iraqi sovereignty, and a political victory for Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.
JAPAN / G8 ITALY SUMMIT
Jul 10, 2009

G8 eyes 80% emissions cut by 2050

Leaders of the Group of Eight industrialized nations agreed on the first day of their summit to seek an 80 percent cut in their greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 compared with 1990 or more recent years.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jul 10, 2009

Bleach "Bleach Stone"

Citing the old standby, "artistic differences," on June 10, all-girl Okinawa hard-rock trio Bleach (who used the modified moniker Bleach03 overseas) announced they had disbanded. Formed in 1998, they gigged extensively throughout Japan and toured the United States 11 times, establishing a small cult...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jul 10, 2009

Measuring influence in Funky Meters

Funky Meters is a good name for any band. However, the band that actually calls itself Funky Meters contains two original members of the legendary New Orleans R&B quartet The Meters and basically plays the same repertoire. In that regard, affixing "funky" to Meters is like calling snow "cold."
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jul 10, 2009

'Wallace & Gromit in 'A Matter of Loaf and Death''/'Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince'

It's summertime, and the livin' is easy; cicadas are chirping and skirts are riding high. And we all know what that means for the cinema: a wave of sequels and franchise movies to last us until there's a chill in the air once again. The "Transformers" sequel is already out there, proving that the fanboy...
Reader Mail
Jul 9, 2009

Foreigners viewed as nuisance

If there is anything that makes me more determined to improve my Japanese, it is to fight racist claptrap like that (reported in the article "Visa overstayers given too many breaks: rightist"). Instead of being considered a benefit to the country, foreigners are seen as nothing short of a nuisance that...
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 8, 2009

Will Europe's economies regain their footing?

STOCKHOLM — What will Europe's growth trajectory look like after the financial crisis? For some Europeans, still nervous that their economies and banking systems might collapse, this is a little like asking a passenger on the Titanic what they plan to do when they arrive in New York.
SUMO / SUMO SCRIBBLINGS
Jul 8, 2009

Nagoya the testing stage once more — just as in 2008

As the long hot summer descends on Japan, and the people of Nagoya prepare for the annual visit of the Japanese Sumo Association, this year's basho, like that held last year, looks like being make-or-break basho for at least one rikishi in terms of reaching a career high.
COMMENTARY
Jul 8, 2009

Bolstering Japan-U.S. ties

The Obama administration has shown great good will toward Japan. This was evidenced by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's testimony at her Senate confirmation hearing, her choice of Japan as the first country she visited after taking office and the fact that Prime Minister Taro Aso was the first foreign...
JAPAN
Jul 7, 2009

Balanced news key for Yahoo Japan

While Yahoo Japan's news service has grown bigger and more powerful with the rise of the Internet, it has become tougher for the media to broadcast news with important value to its audience, said Michihiro Okumura, who leads a team that selects Yahoo Japan's news topics for its front page.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL
Jul 7, 2009

Hobbs replaced as Japan's basketball coach

The Japanese national basketball team almost seems cursed. Every time it tries to move forward, there is some kind of disturbance.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / JUST BE CAUSE
Jul 7, 2009

Cops crack down with 'I pee' checks

My blog has been getting periodic pings about rumblings in Roppongi: Tokyo cops cleaning out pesky foreign touts before Olympic inspectors see them; the U.S. Embassy warning Americans to stay away from the area after reports of drugged drinks and thefts.
Japan Times
Events / WHERE IT'S AT
Jul 7, 2009

Charity clothes swap proves big hit, perfect fit with Tokyo ladies

For many people, clothing has a way of accumulating. Heaps of clothes rise ever higher in rooms and closets and stay there for months on end. Much of the clothing is outgrown, unwanted or rarely worn at best. It's a familiar scenario, especially for those people who love to shop.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jul 5, 2009

Hong Kong tourism week peaks with bagpipes, wine, giveaways

A weeklong celebration of Hong Kong climaxed Saturday at Roppongi Hills in Minato Ward, Tokyo, as various events were launched to promote travel to the city.
Reader Mail
Jul 5, 2009

Rapid change in our atmosphere

Andrew Sheldon's June 28 letter, "Warming up to third-grade math," was an interesting but not enlightening read. As a physicist, I am skeptical of initial claims but am always willing to accept them after getting sufficient proof. The proof of global warming lies in our knowledge of the amount of greenhouse...
Reader Mail
Jul 5, 2009

Approach to a stable food supply

Regarding the June 27 article " 'Veggie factories' find fertile ground": I would like to add the perspective of a farmer from the lettuce-producing village in Nagano Prefecture mentioned in the article — Kawakami — which by the way was misspelled in the article. I first heard of "veggie factories"...
LIFE / Travel
Jul 5, 2009

Taking an Izu Islands tonic

Through half-closed eyelids, the sea sparkles. A bamboo screen dapples the sunlight, and the world is reduced to contrast, to flashes of light and shade. The air is a hot, distilled essence of summer. Each time the salt dries on my skin, I make the small commute from towel to waves and dive in. The water...

Longform

Sumadori Bar on Shibuya Ward's main Center Gai street targets young customers who prefer low-alcohol drinks or abstain altogether.
Rethinking that second drink: Japan’s Gen Z gets ‘sober curious’