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Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / SWEET INSPIRATIONS
Jun 7, 2013

Japanese desserts with an alcohol kick

"There are two types of people," my dear old landlady used to say, handing me a bowl of frothing matcha tea: "Those who like alcohol, and those who like sweets."
Japan Times
WORLD / Society
Jun 3, 2013

Join Wall Street, save the world: The rise of the benevolent class

Jason Trigg went into finance because he is after money — as much as he can earn. The 25-year-old certainly had other career options. An MIT computer science graduate, he could write software for the next tech giant. Or he might have gone into academia in computing or applied math or biology. He could...
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / CLOSE-UP
Jun 2, 2013

Language no barrier to multimedia Jon Kabira

With a long rousing cry of “Goooooooood Mooooorning Tooookyoooooooooooo!” Jon Kabira launches into his weekly radio show “JK Radio — Tokyo United” every Friday at 6 a.m. on J-Wave.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 1, 2013

Obama no friend of free press

Barack Obama's tendency to bypass the press for social media and friendly bloggers amounts to the White House reporting on itself, thus avoiding tough questions.
COMMENTARY / World
May 31, 2013

Harder battle over Benghazi

Many conservatives suspect that the U.S. State Department, with the White House in a supporting role, deceived the public about the 2012 attack in Benghazi, Libya, that killed four Americans. This conspiratorial narrative is, in all probability, false.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
May 29, 2013

Four core 2008 Clinton staffers would pass on a 2016 bid

Howard Wolfson, the 2008 communications director for Hillary Rodham Clinton, has said he will not return for a 2016 presidential campaign. Neither, for that matter, will Neera Tanden, the campaign's policy director. Ditto for Mark Penn, the chief strategist, and Patti Solis Doyle, the embattled campaign...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / VIEWS FROM THE STREET
May 28, 2013

Osaka: What do you make of Mayor Toru Hashimoto’s comments about “comfort women” and his suggestion that U.S. forces in Okinawa use local brothels?

He's a perfect example of why 'diapers and politicians should be changed often, and for the same reason'! He's too incompetent for Osaka, and should be 'promoted' to national government. I've lived here for 30 years; I miss the old days when mayors and governors concentrated on administering Osaka and stayed out of the limelight. Hashimoto should take his showboating to Tokyo and leave Osaka under the radar.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
May 27, 2013

Delta ups ante in battle for New York fliers with $1.4 billion terminal

Delta Air Lines Inc. sharpened the jockeying for the highest-paying passengers in New York, the biggest U.S. aviation market, as it opened a $1.4 billion terminal at John F. Kennedy International Airport.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
May 23, 2013

Guitarist Dustin Wong brings singer Takako Minekawa out on a 'Toropical' journey

Guitarist Dustin Wong hesitates for a split second. It's a pause that would go unnoticed during most other sets, but Wong has spent the last 40 minutes seemingly in a trance while playing guitar and looping the notes via an array of pedals in front of him. The flurry of interlocking sounds he's produced...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / VIEWS FROM THE STREET
May 21, 2013

Yokohama: What do you think of the prime minister's 'Abenomic' strategy so far?

Businesses are getting better, and at least finance types are strong. But in my business salaries are not going up.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / VIEWS FROM THE STREET
May 14, 2013

Tokyo: What do you make of Gov. Naoki Inose's comments about Muslims and Istanbul's Olympic bid?

I think many people in Japan see all foreigners as fighting with each other, not just Muslims. But, focusing on the positives [and ignoring Inose's negative comments], I see Istanbul as the better option [to be 2020 host].
CULTURE / Film
May 10, 2013

Hawke film exploits the gruesome myth of snuff

In "Sinister," the new horror movie starring Ethan Hawke, a man explores the attic of his new home and finds a box of old Super 8 film reels. After his family goes to bed, he pours himself a whiskey and watches them: At first it's normal home-video sort of stuff, a family goofing around in their backyard...
WORLD / Science & Health
May 6, 2013

Experts question value of DNA tests

What does your DNA really reveal about your health?
BUSINESS
May 4, 2013

China struggles to unlock its huge shale gas potential

In a remote corner of southwestern Sichuan Province, in an area of lush, terraced hillsides, oil exploration teams have been scaling cliffs to lay seismic charges and struggling to move heavy equipment along winding mountain roads.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
May 2, 2013

Back to school for two Tokyo DJs

Whether it's an annual soapbox derby or sending a man to the edge of space just because they can, energy-drink manufacturers Red Bull have never been afraid to throw their cash at projects that range from the sublime to the ridiculous. Red Bull Music Academy (RBMA) — the brand's foray into the world...
Japan Times
WORLD / Crime & Legal
May 1, 2013

A most dangerous spy

Ana Montes has been locked up for a decade with some of the most frightening women in America. Once a highly decorated U.S. intelligence analyst with a two-bedroom co-op in Washington, Montes today lives in a two-bunk cell in the highest-security women's prison in the nation.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 30, 2013

Anniversaries, talk shows showcase division in Russia

Opposition critics, left and right, of Russian President Vladimir Putin seem to be loud but toothless opportunists. In many cases, they are nostalgic for Josef Stalin.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / VIEWS FROM THE STREET
Apr 30, 2013

Tokyo: What are the best and worst things about living in Tokyo?

I love how Tokyo is a big, chaotic mess, unlike my hometown, and I also enjoy getting lost when I am out and about, but the best thing is that I can eat and drink 24/7.
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Apr 23, 2013

Service contracts and the 'mendokusai' factor

Do mobile service providers purposely make their terms impossible to understand?
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / VIEWS FROM THE STREET
Apr 23, 2013

Hiroshima: What sweets tickled your taste buds at the National Confectionery Exposition?

'A bag of cheap sweets and snacks from Osaka, as well as candies using tangerines from Sakurajima, Kagoshima Prefecture. I buy sweets mostly to give away to my kids and their friends.'
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Apr 23, 2013

Fujuri todoke: a valuable insurance policy if your marriage is on the rocks

A reader asks: "What is the name of the form used to 'block' a kyōgi rikon (divorce by mutual consent) proceeding? Do they have these forms at the local city office or do you have to go to a lawyer's office and have them prepared?"
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Apr 21, 2013

Slow pace of NPB games an ongoing problem

In response to my column of March 17, a couple of readers have come in with suggestions on how to pick up the notoriously slow pace of Japanese baseball games. From the Bay Area, fan Mike Colegate sent the following e-mail.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Apr 18, 2013

i-fls "Diary of Spectre" (self-release)

The first song I ever made — and I'm willing to wager many who graduated high school in the mid 2000s share this experience — was using Apple's GarageBand, a software application that lets people make music on their computers. "I made a killer techno track last night, dude," I overheard one classmate...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / VIEWS FROM THE STREET
Apr 16, 2013

Tokyo: What have been your best and worst jobs, and why?

My current job is the best I've had. Since 2008 I've worked for a university entrance exam company here. The worst was also here in Japan, when I was working as an assistant language teacher, because I had different bosses, and the job description was so loose that it was far from satisfying.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / VIEWS FROM THE STREET
Apr 16, 2013

Tokyo: Do you have a message for young North Korean leader Kim Jong Un?

Get a hobby. Play less Battleships. Kim should take up something else, such as darts. He really needs to show his generals who is boss, and needs to be a little more refined in how he demonstrates his power.
Events / KANSAI: WHO & WHAT
Apr 13, 2013

Welcome party for new residents of Kyoto

The Kyoto City International Foundation will hold a welcome party and seminar April 21 for newly arrived foreign residents.
BASKETBALL / NBA REPORT
Apr 3, 2013

Frustration brings out LeBron's passion

And we thought the Chicago Bulls last Wednesday breaking the Miami Heat's 27-game winning streak, the second longest in NBA history, was the big news.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / VIEWS FROM THE STREET
Apr 2, 2013

Osaka: If you could live in any city outside Japan, which would it be?

Amsterdam comes to mind, but on second thoughts, I would choose to live in Maastricht, the Netherlands, because I love the pastoral atmosphere there. It has many of the same benefits as the more famous capital — canals, nice people, coffee shops — but without the tourists, and combined with a wonderful countryside feeling, so for me it is the best of both worlds, combining city and country life.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 2, 2013

When freedom to make laws is license to restrict freedom

Since the presumably rigged elections of December 2011, Russia's Parliament/president machine has been stamping human-rights-restricting and authorities-power-enhancing laws one after another.

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