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SUMO
Jan 21, 2005

Asashoryu a win away from title

Mongolian grand champion Asashoryu defeated Tochiazuma at the New Year Grand Sumo Tournament on Thursday but will have to wait another day to wrap up his 10th Emperor's Cup.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Jan 21, 2005

Inakaya East: Performance art of the robatayaki

As you slide open the door and enter, a chorus of yells assails your ears, echoing around the room. Before you are even seated, there will be more shouts and responses unleashed by the same bevy of full-throated floor staff. And then again when you order that first drink. And so on all evening. Welcome...
EDITORIALS
Jan 20, 2005

Unfinished tasks for Mr. Koizumi

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, speaking at the Liberal Democratic Party's annual convention Tuesday, again expressed his resolve to privatize postal services, saying that "without constant efforts for reform, possibilities for Japan's development will be closed." Mr. Koizumi defines postal privatization...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jan 19, 2005

Not a whodunit but a whydunit

Coming last in a daylong round of media interviews, I was expecting my 40 minutes with Shinji Aoyama to be strained, as in "I'm so tired I can hardly stand." Instead, he came into the meeting room at Toho with a smile and a brisk manner, as in "I'm just getting warmed up." While he was obviously there...
COMMENTARY
Jan 18, 2005

Same old contrived hysteria

Japan seems headed for yet another bout of emotional confrontation with North Korea and China.
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Jan 18, 2005

Repairs, old CDs and disaster information

Apartment problems My wife and I have lived in our small apartment for 7 years. In that time, we have had virtually no contact with our landlord or real estate agent.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / NATURE TRAVEL
Jan 16, 2005

There's white gold on them thar African isles

'Where there's muck, there's brass." In the north of England "brass" means "cash," but the old adage about dirt and money still rings true. And you don't get much muckier than an overcrowded seabird colony on a small Atlantic island.
JAPAN
Jan 15, 2005

South Asia to get tsunami warning system

leader when it comes to predicting tsunamis based on simulations," Inoue said. According to Tatsuo Kuwayama, head of the Meteorological Agency's tsunami research section, 100,000 tsunami patterns have been calculated based on such things as magnitude and fault direction for earthquakes that could occur...
COMMENTARY
Jan 14, 2005

Busting tired political myths

LONDON -- Opinion polls continue to put the British Labour Party well ahead of other parties, and the general expectation of the political pundits is that Prime Minister Tony Blair will win yet again when the general election comes, most probably on May 5.
JAPAN
Jan 13, 2005

Flesh traders targeting Western women

A 23-year-old Russian woman became intrigued with the idea of working as a hostess in Japan a few years ago after a friend returned home flush with cash from hostessing and opened a boutique.
EDITORIALS
Jan 12, 2005

A permanent Security Council seat

Japanese diplomacy faces formidable challenges in 2005, the 60th anniversary of the end of World War II. With momentum building for reform of the United Nations, this will be a crucial year in Japan's bid for permanent membership on the powerful U.N. Security Council.
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Jan 9, 2005

The occupied days of the ultimate observer

THE JAPAN JOURNALS: 1947-2004, by Donald Richie. Stone Bridge Press, 2004, 494 pp., $29.95 (cloth). In "The Japan Journals," American writer Donald Richie has acted to the letter on Rimbaud's conviction that the first study for the man who wants to be a poet "is to know himself, completely. He must search...
SOCCER / PREMIER REPORT
Jan 7, 2005

Hysterical reaction to 'Worst Decision Of All Time'

LONDON -- The reaction was as predictable as it was hysterical and misplaced.
JAPAN
Jan 7, 2005

Fans follow suit after 'Yon-sama' tsunami donation

Japanese women are rushing to offer donations for Asian tsunami survivors after their idol, a South Korean movie star, chipped in 300 million won (about 30 million yen).
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 6, 2005

Finding succor in tragedy

WASHINGTON -- It is said that even the darkest cloud has a silver lining. So what positives could possibly be connected with the sorrowful destruction from Sumatra's tsunami? The catastrophe has shown us several things:
COMMENTARY / WASHINGTON UPDATE
Jan 6, 2005

Lessons from last year's landmark U.S. election

WASHINGTON -- The last election that we just endured is still being quantified and dissected. From the seemingly endless forums and reviews that have flowed since Nov. 2, we are learning a bit about how our elections are run and won.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Jan 5, 2005

Momix: taking it to the top

Moses Pendleton remembers well his first taste of live performance. He was an elementary school kid when his father -- a dairy farmer in northern Vermont -- hired his young son to show off his prized Holstein cows at the county fair. "My job was to walk the animals around and make them look good in order...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Jan 5, 2005

Following the line to enlightenment

In order to write an article about renowned Zen master Tanchu Terayama's Hitsuzendo calligraphy exhibition, I was offered the rare opportunity to visit his mountain retreat in Ibaraki Prefecture to participate in a workshop with Terayama himself. I first got a call from Terayama's most dedicated student,...
COMMENTARY
Jan 4, 2005

Britain governed by nannies

LONDON -- British Prime Minister Tony Blair is often accused of being a "control freak," meaning someone who places the emphasis on presentation rather than content, but the accusation that he and his colleagues have become obsessed with "political correctness" is closer to the mark.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 4, 2005

Home schooling finds foothold but not official favor

Mariko Komuro was of the firm belief that children should go to school even if they experienced problems -- at least until her 8-year-old son, Kazutoshi, began to feel sick and throw up in the morning on school days.
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Jan 4, 2005

Aged care, drivers' license woes and an alert

'Kaigo hoken' I have been in Japan many years but have never applied for permanent residence. I had personal insurance under Pacific Star until last year. Their present carrier will not insure past renewal at age 64. I do not know how much longer I will be in Japan but I am positive that at the time...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / VIEWS FROM THE STREET
Jan 4, 2005

Why has literacy dropped so dramatically?

Ana Mickle Stay at home mom, 34 There's been an upsurge in new forms of entertainment in recent years. I don't think school hours should be extended. I think students should do better with the time they have -- the kids should have a life. Schools should work on truancy rates.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Jan 4, 2005

Racism is bad business

The Community Page has commented at length on socially-sanctioned exclusionary practices in Japan. However, it has rarely touched upon their quantifiable, longer-term effects.
SUMO
Jan 1, 2005

2004 was the year of Asashoryu in sumo

When he went undefeated at the New Year meet to kick-start his 2004 campaign, the message hit home like an 18-wheeler barreling full-throttle down a highway: Move out of the way, or get squashed like a grape. The choice was simple.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / PERSONALITY PROFILE
Jan 1, 2005

F.W. de Klerk

In his autobiography. "Long Walk to Freedom," Nelson Mandela wrote: "On February 2, 1990, F.W. de Klerk stood before Parliament to make the traditional opening speech and did something no other South African head of state had ever done: he truly began to dismantle the apartheid system and lay the groundwork...
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Dec 31, 2004

Reincarnated banks pitch brighter, better service

With their long lines and officelike interiors, typical Japanese banks can be a turnoff for customers.

Longform

Dangami House is a 180-year-old former samurai residence of the Kato clan, who ruled over Ozu, Ehime Prefecture, until the Meiji Restoration.
A house, a legacy and the quiet work of restoration in rural Japan