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COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Jul 31, 2012

How would changing jobs affect my visa?

S.E. has been working at the same English school for 16 years but is thinking of leaving her job and moving to another part of Japan.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Jul 29, 2012

Vancouver fest offers a warm (but not humid!) welcome

Summers in Tokyo, indeed in most of Japan except for Hokkaido or Okinawa, are often unbearably hot and humid, with temperatures in the mid to high 30s and humidity reaching as high as 90 percent. This summer, in the wake of last year's Fukushima nuclear power plant meltdown, use of air conditioning will...
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Jul 27, 2012

Yukata tour to show there's more to Sumida Ward than just the Skytree

The Tokyo Skytree has been hogging the spotlight in Sumida Ward recently. With lineups to get in still pretty long, people in the area want tourists to check out the more historic parts of the neighborhood.
SPORTS / ODDS AND EVENS
Jul 27, 2012

London will launch dreams for millions

You can't put a price tag on dreams. And that alone has created worldwide fascination for the Olympics for decades now.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jul 27, 2012

'Madagascar' director Darnell returns to complete his trilogy

After a four-year wait, the third installment in DreamWorks Animation's "Madagascar" series will screen this summer in Japan. Opening Aug. 1, "Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted" is directed by Eric Darnell, who also made the first two films.
COMMUNITY / Voices / HAVE YOUR SAY
Jul 24, 2012

'Flyjin' feel vindicated, worry for those left in Japan: some readers' responses

Responses to Patrick Budmar's June 12 Zeit Gist article, " 'Flyjin' feel vindicated, worry for those left in Japan:"
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Jul 24, 2012

From baby massage to fostering pets, many options for volunteers

Reader M.S. is looking for volunteer opportunities in Tokyo that don't require fluent Japanese ability, as many — if not most — do. In particular, she'd like to work with animals.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Jul 23, 2012

This summer, signs of setsuden will again be all around us

Now that all but one of Japan's usable nuclear reactors have been halted as a result of the Fukushima No. 1 power plant disaster — which followed the March 11, 2011, earthquake and tsunami — the nation's households, small businesses and factories will once again plow forward through the hot summer...
Reader Mail
Jul 22, 2012

Put a lid on 'malignant' shills

Regarding the July 16 Kyodo article "Public reactor hearing (Sendai) rocked by alleged government shill": A Japanese seminar or workshop usually has a question-and-answer time at the end for audience members. People are so shy that none wants to ask the first question. An awkward silence may ensue. To...
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Jul 22, 2012

Spies and their watchers in a tense war of nerves

What in the world is China going to do with 5,000 tsubo — about four acres — of land in Niigata City? Build a new consulate general, it says. But that seems like an awful lot for a consulate in a regional city whose main activity since it initially opened has been issuance of commercial visas.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Jul 22, 2012

Power spots and prehistory in beautiful Aomori Prefecture

The government of Aomori Prefecture which straddles the whole of the northern end of Japan's main island of Honshu — and is best known as the nation's apple capital — broke new ground in its tourism promotion campaign late last year, when it announced it would start selling the prefecture as the...
Japan Times
LIFE
Jul 22, 2012

A century of Tokyo taxis

The year 1912 is recorded in Japan both as the 45th year of Meiji Era and the first year of the Taisho Era. After a protracted illness, Emperor Mutsuhito expired, age 61, on the night of July 29 (although the official announcement came the next day). Through the remainder of the summer, the front pages...
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Jul 20, 2012

Get the scoop on Edogawa's goldfish

The goldfish is a member of the carp family — some say it's related to the Crucian carp, others the Prussian carp. They were originally discovered in China during the Jin Dynasty (265-420 CE), and the Chinese began selectively breeding them as exotic pets during the 12th century. It was not until the...
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Jul 20, 2012

The infamous queen of style

For fashion fans who harbor a love of vintage looks, "La Vie de Marie Antoinette" should prove an inspiration. Arranged in sections to reflect different aspects of her short but significant life, this exhibition charts the rise and fall of the infamous 18th-century Queen of France through portraits,...
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / BJ-LEAGUE NOTEBOOK
Jul 20, 2012

Longtime Sendai guard Takahashi moving to Iwate

As they prepare for their second season, the Iwate Big Bulls recognize the need to add experienced bj-league players.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Jul 20, 2012

Yoshitomo Nara puts the heart back in art

The induction of manga-style painting into Japan's contemporary art canon over the last 15 years can be put down to the work of not one but two artists. Sure, it was Takashi Murakami who laid the theoretical foundations, spelling out links with classical painting and ukiyo-e prints. But it was another...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / IN THE RECORD
Jul 19, 2012

Hiroshi Watanabe

Tokyo-based DJ and producer Hiroshi Watanabe, who has also worked under the monikers Quadra, Tread and more recently Kaito, recently released the mix compilation "Contact To The Spirits 2." Watanabe is now on the final leg of a tour to promote it and stopped for a moment to tell The Japan Times about...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Jul 19, 2012

China and Japan: A 40-year friendship worth singing about

Forget allegations of spies and economic intrigue. Put aside the controversial Senkaku Islands and celebrate as the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing unites with the New National Theatre in Tokyo to commemorate the 40th anniversary of normalized relations between Japan and China. Two...
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 18, 2012

East Asian miracle revisited

Almost two decades ago, the World Bank published its landmark study "The East Asian Miracle," analyzing why East Asian economies grew faster than emerging markets in Latin America, Africa and elsewhere. These economies, the study concluded, achieved high growth rates by getting the basics right, promoting...
EDITORIALS
Jul 17, 2012

No child care leave

One in four Japanese companies want their female employees to quit after giving birth, rather than taking child care leave, according to a new survey by Aidem Inc., a publisher of a magazine on job information. The results are yet more evidence that many Japanese companies do not consider the contributions...
Japan Times
LIFE / WEEK 3
Jul 15, 2012

Better late than never for Japan's first, "slowest" Olympian

Have you heard the one about the Japanese runner who took 54 years to finish the Olympic marathon?
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives
Jul 14, 2012

NPO's projects seek to help Tuvaluans facing global warming issues

For many years people have been acquainted with the word "refugee." Though it usually brings to mind wars, genocide and ethnic cleansing, more and more often it has been linked to climate change and natural disasters. We may now be entering the age of the "environmental refugee."
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Jul 13, 2012

It's music to children's ears

"I got this idea from children," said Japanese pianist Mayumi Tokugawa when asked about her upcoming performance — a collaborative effort involving poetry and music. "When we have concerts for children and we read out stories, they respond better," she said, explaining that she has always wanted to...
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Jul 13, 2012

Miraikan turns comic-book fantasies into high-tech reality

When you were a kid, did you dream of having marvelous tools and supernatural powers like the characters in comics had? If so, your dream might be about to come true. Welcome to "Experience Manga Through Science," a new exhibition at the National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation (Miraikan) in...
BUSINESS
Jul 12, 2012

Kepco to boost bond sale fivefold

Kansai Electric Power Co. is planning to sell ¥100 billion in bonds Thursday, five times the amount originally planned, according to a source with direct knowledge of the matter.
BUSINESS
Jul 11, 2012

Sharp's TV business to remain in the red

Despite its much-touted alliance with Taiwan's Hon Hai Precision Industry Group, Sharp Corp. is likely to continue drowning in red ink amid sluggish demand for TVs and persistent high inventories, experts said.

Longform

A small shrine perched atop rocks braves the waves hitting the shoreline during a storm in Shimoda, Shizuoka Prefecture. The area is under threat of a possible 31-meter-high tsunami if an earthquake strikes the nearby Nankai Trough.
If the 'Big One' hits, this city could face a 31-meter-high tsunami