search

 
 
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / THE SECOND ROOM
Mar 25, 2004

System rebooted: 2004 is about to get cool

By the looks of things, I'm not the only one who's been a little busy this winter.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Mar 24, 2004

He loves me, he loves me not

Hana to Alice Rating: * * 1/2 (out of 5) Director: Shunji Iwai Running time: 135 minutes Language: Japanese Currently showing [See Japan Times movie listings] "Shunji Iwai has a shojo manga (girls' comic) sensibility," producer Takenori Sento once explained to me.
JAPAN
Mar 24, 2004

Violating privacy of students costs Waseda 15,000 yen

The Tokyo High Court ordered Waseda University on Tuesday to pay a total of 15,000 yen in damages to three students whose names were given to police in connection with their attendance of a lecture in 1998 by then Chinese President Jiang Zemin.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Mar 24, 2004

Columbine, sanitized for your protection

Elephant Rating: * (out of 5) Director: Gus Van Sant Running time: 81 minutes Language: English Open March 27 at saison Shibuya [See Japan Times movie listings] Gus Van Sant's latest film is called "Elephant," and no, it's not about Babar, or Hannibal's epic crossing of the Alps. It...
JAPAN
Mar 24, 2004

Hokkaido police skimming tip of iceberg?

After earlier denials, Hokkaido police officially came clean and admitted in early March that one of the force's stations had misappropriated funds meant for rewarding informants.
SUMO
Mar 24, 2004

Asashoryu rolls on, remains unbeaten

Grand champion Asashoryu sent rank-and-filer Tosanoumi flying off the raised dirt mound Tuesday to maintain his perfect record at the Spring Grand Sumo Tournament.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Mar 24, 2004

Sculptor who molded open-air art

I have been a professional sculptor for 20 years, and in that time Henry Moore has toppled from the pedestal I put him on when I was 14 and first saw his "Helmet Head" series of bronze sculptures on display in my home city of Edinburgh.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Mar 24, 2004

Japan sells its soul, again and again

Thirteen years ago, when Hideki Noda's Yumeno Yuminsha theater company was all the rage, the acclaim that greeted his then-new play "Tomei Ningen no Yuge (The Hot Air of an Invisible Man)" caused him nothing but artistic distress.
JAPAN
Mar 24, 2004

Rice harvested by children to be donated to Cambodia

The U.N. World Food Program and a Japanese nongovernmental organization will ship to Cambodia 32 tons of rice harvested by children in Japan to help poor women and children in developing nations.
JAPAN
Mar 24, 2004

LDP lawmakers ganging up for post-Koizumi struggle

Around 30 Liberal Democratic Party lawmakers who are critical of Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's management of the economy will launch a forum next week, the lawmakers said Tuesday.
JAPAN
Mar 24, 2004

318 universities offer foreign languages

A total of 318 universities in Japan offered course work in English or other foreign languages in fiscal 2002, up from 256 the previous year, according to a survey released Tuesday by the education ministry. The figure equals about 46 percent of the nation's universities, according to the Education,...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Mar 24, 2004

Room without a view

No Quarto de Vanda Rating: * * * * (out of 5) Director: Pedro Costa Running time: 178 minutes Language: Portuguese Currently showing [See Japan Times movie listings] Behold Vanda's face. Presumably, she's still in her early 20s but her skin already has the swarthy lifelessness of a junkie's,...
BUSINESS
Mar 24, 2004

Hitachi PDA uses five-hour fuel cell

Hitachi Ltd. said Tuesday it has developed a prototype personal digital assistant powered by a fuel cell that runs for about five hours.
BUSINESS
Mar 24, 2004

Small companies to get bird flu aid

The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said Tuesday it will increase measures to help small and midsize companies that could be affected by outbreaks of bird flu.
BASEBALL / MLB
Mar 24, 2004

Wada hot as Lions pound Giants

Kazuhiro Wada went 3-for-3 with a walk and hit a solo homer with one out in the top of the third inning, and Hiroyuki Oshima followed with a two-run shot as the Seibu Lions went on to trounce the Yomiuri Giants 8-1 in a preseason game on Tuesday.
JAPAN
Mar 24, 2004

DPJ targets actress over ad fiasco

The Democratic Party of Japan said Tuesday it will demand that actress Makiko Esumi be summoned as an unsworn witness to the Diet over her failure to pay her pension premiums. Esumi starred in a 380 million yen government ad campaign calling on the public to make proper payments into the mandatory scheme....
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 24, 2004

Koizumi fears backlash over Yasukuni ire

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi indicated Tuesday that Beijing's anger over his visits to Yasukuni Shrine could fuel anti-Chinese sentiment in Japan and thus hurt bilateral ties.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Mar 24, 2004

Prince of Darkness

Why did Melt Banana, a local avant-punk band, open for Bonnie "Prince" Billy on his first-ever concert tour of Japan. Simple: Melt Banana like the music of Will Oldham, the man behind the moniker, and wanted to be part of his final show at O'Nest in Shibuya.

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