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Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / JAPAN TIMES BLOGROLL
May 16, 2012

Tokyo Green Space

What do you see when you look at Tokyo? Hypermodern constructions of steel and concrete? Cubic, characterless office buildings? Jared Braiterman sees green ... in the back streets, in the small cracks of dirt on the sidewalks and on his balcony. He finds patches, slivers and swaths of nature that tourists...
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
May 15, 2012

Name on deeds shouldn't affect divorce asset split

Mr. A writes: "I'm a foreigner who has been married to a Japanese for more than 20 years. We bought a house in her name a few years ago, with a loan that's due after 30 years. Every month I pay half of the monthly installment.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
May 15, 2012

The women who get go

On a chilly Sunday afternoon in January in downtown Osaka, a group of young Japanese women in kimono were drinking green tea and eating chocolate cake while excitedly chattering away. The topic was their respective rankings in the ancient Asian mind sport of go. Later, when the talk died down, six of...
Reader Mail
May 13, 2012

'Rule of law' has its challenges

Regarding the May 10 letter "Due process of lese-majeste law": Many thanks to Ambassador of Thailand Virasakdi Futrakul for impressing three points on readers. These points are as relevant in Japan as they are in his country:
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
May 11, 2012

Entertainers to hit the streets

For moms in Osaka, a family getaway to Midosuji Boulevard may turn out to be a pretty good gift this Mother's Day weekend. Expect plenty of fun when the area holds its annual festival.
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
May 11, 2012

Global photo organization to open Tokyo chapter with 3/11 event

Originally started in San Francisco in 2008, the photography event organization Open Show has spread to Cairo, Paris and more than 30 other cities around the world. On May 15 it will hold its first event in Japan.
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
May 11, 2012

Tao goes back to Japan's roots for new shows

Energetic? Aesthetic? Maybe acrobatic? No single adjective is enough to describe the versatility of a Tao performance.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
May 11, 2012

Filmmaker says don't worry, be happy

"Wow, the weather turned bad quickly, huh?"
Reader Mail
May 10, 2012

Due process of lese-majeste law

Regarding Pavin Chachavalpongpun's May 3 article, "If you don't think the king deserves to be feted, don't say so in Thailand": I wish to impress upon readers the following points:
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
May 10, 2012

group_inou

Tokyo-based duo group_inou are one of those acts that seems like a perfect fit for the Fuji Rock Festival, which is held annually in Naeba, Niigata Prefecture. This summer will mark the band's third time at the event.
COMMENTARY / World
May 10, 2012

Put Palestine first to stop Iran-Israel posturing

Not long ago, a Dutch journalist interviewed me about the Iranian nuclear question. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has allegedly banned politicians from giving interviews on the subject, so the journalist had no choice but to seek other candidates, perhaps more "intellectual," but with no...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
May 10, 2012

Shakespeare's Globe hails a Japanese 'Coriolanus'

In fewer than 100 days time, athletes and spectators from around the world will be pouring into London to fill the great steel and concrete "O" of the Olympic Stadium. But there's another major venue that is already welcoming international audiences and stars — the "wooden O" of Shakespeare's Globe....
CULTURE / Books
May 6, 2012

Mistakes that line a successful road

An Unprogrammed Life: Adventures of an Incurable Entrepreneur, by William H. Saito. John Wiley & Sons, 2012, 241 pp., $24.95 (paperback) William H. Saito has enjoyed many successes in his short career as an information technology entrepreneur, but he is keen to stress the importance of failure.
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
May 6, 2012

Weeklies take a look at faiths, (misplaced) hopes and charities

Which religious groups were most successful in raising funds for earthquake victims in the devastated parts of Tohoku? In its Golden Week double issue, Flash (May 8-15) ran an article about the heretofore unreported nexus between last year's disaster and religion. The most generous donor by far, which...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
May 4, 2012

Sintok festival brings Singapore's growing movie scene to Tokyo

How long does it take to develop a unique national culture? Perhaps the answer can be found in Singapore. The "Lion City" has been independent for just half a century and maybe, judging from the splash the country has made at international film festivals in the last couple of years, its film directors...
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
May 4, 2012

Babies set to tear up the ring

While the grown-up sumo wrestlers prepare for the upcoming grand sumo tournament in Tokyo (starting May 6), a somewhat younger field of competitors will face off in Hiroshima. Dressed in colorful kimono, the contestants will compete in speed and stamina in the noble sport of crying.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
May 3, 2012

Kyte promise new songs, special treat for fans at upcoming gig

The music of indie-pop group Kyte may be created in a bedroom in Leicester, England, but the band says its spacious and electronic sound seems to resonate best with audiences in Japan.
BUSINESS
May 3, 2012

Japan firms to help create Myanmar bourse

Myanmar, the so-called last frontier for business opportunities in Asia, will be establishing a stock market by 2015 with the help of Japan's Daiwa Securities Group Inc. and Tokyo Stock Exchange Group Inc.
CULTURE / Music
May 3, 2012

Avengers in Sci-Fi "Disc 4 The Seasons"

Avengers in Sci-Fi have graced the stages of large-scale local festivals such as Fuji Rock, Summer Sonic and Rock in Japan. The band have also performed at Texas' South by Southwest (SXSW) festival as part of the Japan Nite lineup, and earlier this year they toured Taiwan with fellow Japanese talents...
BUSINESS
May 2, 2012

Isuzu eying alliances, even with GM

Isuzu Motors Ltd., Japan's largest maker of trucks, said Tuesday it's considering forming business alliances with companies including General Motors Co.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / How-tos / HOME TRUTHS
May 1, 2012

Who you buy a home from can make a big difference in price

We met the real estate agent at Honda Station on the Sotobo Line in Chiba Prefecture. As we drove to the property we talked about the area. Though a typically cramped Japanese bedroom community, it's a bit older than most, so the houses were more varied in shape and size, with wider spaces between them,...
EDITORIALS
Apr 30, 2012

Sorting out bills for careful debate

A special committee was set up in the Lower House on April 26 to mainly discuss tax and social welfare reform bills, including a bill to raise the consumption tax. The political parties should have careful discussions in the committee because the bills will directly affect people's lives.

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