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CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
May 16, 2004

Whispers as loud as shouts

BREASTS OF SNOW: Fumiko Nakajo -- Her Tanka and Her Life, by Hatsue Kawamura and Jane Reichhold, preface by Makoto Ueda. Tokyo: The Japan Times, 2004. 152 pp., 2,000 yen (paper). Fumiko Nakajo's short life (1922-54) was both illustrated and illuminated by the tanka that she began writing after she developed...
Features
May 16, 2004

A guide by any other name

We don't know when she was born, or when she died -- was it April 9, 1812, at age 25, or perhaps Dec. 20, 1884, aged nearly 100? We don't even know her real name, but the Shoshone woman who accompanied Lewis, Clark and the Corps of Discovery has a fair claim to being the most celebrated woman of color...
EDITORIALS
May 16, 2004

Women, heritage and holy places

Imagine if women were not allowed to set foot on Mount Fuji or Kyoto's Mount Hiei. It's hard to envisage, isn't it? Women are as natural a sight there now as birds or stones -- or men. But little more than a century ago, it would have been hard to imagine them even approaching such places. A scholar...
JAPAN
May 16, 2004

SDF vs. NGO -- an Iraqi tale of cost-effectiveness

Self-Defense Forces troops are not the only ones using Japanese cash to provide humanitarian aid in southern Iraq.
CULTURE / Music
May 16, 2004

Avril under the skin of consumers

Walking out of Shibuya Station on May 12, you couldn't help but be aware that Avril Lavigne's second album, "Under My Skin," had just gone on sale. There she was, belting out her new single, "Don't Tell Me," up there on the big screen above the 109 Building. Tsutaya had a booth set up with Avril's kohl-eyed...
JAPAN
May 16, 2004

Japan asks U.S. to pardon abductee's American husband

Japan has asked the United States to pardon a former American soldier living in North Korea whose Japanese wife was kidnapped by the reclusive regime and repatriated in 2002, government sources said Saturday.
CULTURE / Music
May 16, 2004

The Beta Band: "Heroes to Zeros"

Features
May 16, 2004

On the trail of manifest destiny

Two hundred years ago this week, Meriwether Lewis, William Clark and their Corps of Discovery set out to explore the American West. Sunday TIMEOUT asks what the expedition, its leaders and the Shoshone woman who was their guide still mean to us today
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
May 16, 2004

TBS's "Sekai Fushigi Hakken" and more

Uniqlo, the no-frills clothing store that took the retail trade by storm in the late '90s, saw its fortunes take a nose dive after the turn of the century. The company has attempted to remedy the problem of poor sales with an expanded product line. However, the chairman has decided that what the company...
CULTURE / Music
May 16, 2004

Animal Collective: "Sung Tongs"

JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
May 16, 2004

Shooting politicians in a barrel more fun than addressing pension problem

In the past two weeks the pension scandal that has touched so many lawmakers has progressed from a political embarrassment to pure farce. The offered reason for regret is that the people's "trust in politics" has been damaged, a suggestion that's risible even under normal circumstances.
CULTURE / Music
May 16, 2004

Claudia Acuna: "Luna"

Events
May 16, 2004

KANSAI: Who & What

Indian handicrafts on sale for charity Mustard Seeds, an organization providing support for children and nongovernmental organizations in Kolkata, India, is holding a charity exhibition and sale of Indian handicrafts in Kyoto and Nara.
COMMENTARY / World
May 16, 2004

Iraq has thrown off Bush's game plan

LONDON -- When the legendary New York Yankees manager Casey Stengel left the dugout for the pitcher's mound, there was only one question. Would he stick with his pitcher or signal to the bullpen for a reliever? Sometimes there was a brief discussion and Casey would walk back to the dugout. Often, however,...
CULTURE / Music
May 16, 2004

Farmers Market

JAPAN
May 16, 2004

Cabinet bureau ruling on al-Sadr could pose legal problem for troops

The Cabinet Legislation Bureau considers militant Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr's following in Iraq a "quasi-government," government sources said Saturday, which could pose legal problems for Japan's deployment of troops in Iraq.
BASEBALL / MLB
May 16, 2004

Hawks shell Komiyama, crush Marines 21-0

Catcher Kenji Jojima drove in five runs Saturday afternoon as the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks cruised to a 21-0 pounding of the struggling Chiba Lotte Marines.
CULTURE / Music
May 16, 2004

Norman rises to any challenge

Veteran soprano Jessye Norman calls her upcoming performances in Tokyo and Nagoya a "big challenge."
COMMENTARY
May 16, 2004

U.S. drug laws threaten public health

WASHINGTON -- The current and previous presidents of the United States used marijuana. So has presumptive Democratic nominee John Kerry. California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has admitted to drug use. Conservative radio talk-show host Rush Limbaugh, who once beat the drums for jailing white junkies,...
JAPAN
May 16, 2004

Experts are forecasting 60 more cases of mad cow

About 60 more cases of mad cow disease are expected to occur in Japan, with the number likely to peak in 2005 and 2006, according to a Cabinet Office report.
COMMENTARY / THE VIEW FROM MOSCOW
May 16, 2004

EU stretching the envelope

MOSCOW -- Nobody truly knows where Europe ends. Geographically, it is supposed to run all the way east to the Ural Mountains, but few would argue that this definition should be taken seriously. What matters is culture and politics and the allegiances resulting from both. With the recent expansion of...
BASEBALL / MLB
May 15, 2004

Davey pitches Carp past Tigers

Tom Davey tossed a three-hitter over the distance Friday as the Hiroshima Carp edged the Hanshin Tigers 3-1.

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