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CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
May 26, 2002

Where art and religion meet

DANCE OF LIFE: The Mythology, History and Politics of Cambodian Culture, by Julie B. Mehta. Singapore, 2001, 304 pp., $96.15/2,800 baht (cloth) In this beautifully illustrated book on Cambodian classical dance, Julie B. Mehta examines the richness of Khmer culture, the horror of the Pol Pot era and the...
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHEN EAST MARRIES WEST
May 26, 2002

Waxing monstrously about the first Japanese I ever got to know

The first Japanese I fell in love with was a little taller than my wife.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / PLAY BUTTON
May 26, 2002

Phew: There and back again

Hiromi Moritani looks like a typical, well-heeled matron. Her chic black ensemble is a touch artier than the average mother's wardrobe, but sitting in her record label's office, her conversation dwells on the perils and pitfalls of being a mom. Hearing her fret over her young son and the evening's dinner...
JAPAN
May 26, 2002

Consultants changed advice after Suzuki visited Kunashiri

A consulting company that had submitted a report to a government panel stating that no new power plant was needed on Kunashiri Island rewrote the report and claimed the facility was of "great significance" following a visit by controversial lawmaker Muneo Suzuki to the island, sources close to the case...
CULTURE / Music
May 26, 2002

And with a wave of his wand . . .

As cofounder and artistic director of the Asian Youth Orchestra, Richard Pontzious says one of his greatest delights is providing talented youngsters with an experience that might become the most significant musical memory of their lives.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / NIHONSHU
May 26, 2002

Romancing the sake rice

With wine, it's all about the grape, and this leads to boundless potential for conversation and enjoyment above and beyond flavors and aromas.
COMMUNITY
May 26, 2002

Art and life in a bowl

Like a gossamer web, drifting in mist, the threads that link Japan's traditional arts can be hard to grasp. Yet some links become visible as soon as a keen observer points them out.
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
May 26, 2002

Wartime suffering that didn't count

JAPAN'S COMFORT WOMEN: Sexual Slavery and Prostitution During World War Two and the U.S. Occupation. By Yuki Tanaka. Routledge, London, 2002, 212 pp. $24.95 This is by far the best book available on this sordid chapter in Japan's history. Yuki Tanaka's sophisticated and textured assessment of Japan's...
Japan Times
JAPAN / WEEKEND WISDOM
May 26, 2002

Soccer coach for the intellectually challenged lets 'em play

After being made head coach of the national soccer team last August, Hiroshi Ohashi's first order was for the grown-ups to get off the pitch.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
May 26, 2002

The pick of the crop

IRUMA, Saitama Pref. -- Despite global warming and technological developments in agriculture worldwide, still some things have never changed. Just ask tea farmer Toshiharu Kato.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
May 26, 2002

Pro-whalers living on a harpoon and a prayer

The increasing media flurry over the upcoming World Cup must be frustrating to the Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry, which had been preparing for a year to make sure that this past week would be their moment in the spotlight. As the de facto hosts of the 54th annual plenary session of the...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / THE WAY OF WASHOKU
May 26, 2002

You say tomato, we say delicious

As summer starts to roll out its smothering blanket of heat across Japan, the markets begin to fill with some of the best produce of the year. Though tomatoes are now often grown in hothouses and available year-round, they are at their best when raised outdoors during the months when the sun beats down,...
COMMUNITY
May 26, 2002

Tea to soothe the soul

Outside, evening commuters splash through the Tokyo rain and a train conductor is shouting to be heard above the rush-hour din.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
May 26, 2002

Let the coverage begin!

This week, there will be lots of television activity to help soccer enthusiasts prepare for the World Cup, which starts Saturday.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
May 26, 2002

Marketing message in a bottle

Wherever you go, wherever you look, shelves are stacked with it, vending machines are loaded with it and people are toting it in their burando bags and natty knapsacks. And that's not to mention all those billboards, magazine ads and TV spots keeping green tea up close and personal to residents of these...
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
May 26, 2002

Victor Segalen: searching out the strange to find a way home

VICTOR SEGALEN AND THE AESTHETICS OF DIVERSITY: Journeys Between Cultures, by Charles Forsdick. Oxford University Press, 2000, 242 pp., 40 pounds (cloth) In 1919, 41-year-old Victor Segalen was found dead in a Breton forest, a copy of Shakespeare beside him, the pages opened to "Hamlet." Thus ended the...
JAPAN
May 26, 2002

Kawaguchi seeks talks on islands

Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi is hoping to inject fresh momentum into bilateral peace treaty negotiations with Russia by holding talks with her Russian counterpart, Igor Ivanov, on the sidelines of the upcoming meeting of the Group of Eight foreign ministers in Canada, sources said Saturday.
COMMUNITY
May 26, 2002

The great green elixir?

The list of foods and beverages that supposedly prevent cancer is a long one and is constantly being updated. Everything from apples and mushrooms to red wine and the seeds of mandarin oranges has been cited as preventing the disease.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
May 26, 2002

Enough to make Spanish eyes smile

In case you hadn't noticed, Spanish food is big right now -- or at least that's what the vernacular magazines would have us believe. This, of course, is not the first time it's been touted as the next big thing. But somehow a critical mass of popularity was never achieved, and Spain's culinary profile...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / BEST BAR NONE
May 26, 2002

Where to get your kicks

As Japan braces itself for the influx of soccer fans, the media is keeping a careful eye on potential hot spots -- including Roppongi, Tokyo's gaijin HQ. Though no World Cup matches will be played inside Tokyo, Roppongi is expected to take the brunt of post-game soccer fans out to celebrate their wins...
COMMUNITY
May 26, 2002

Fired with flavor

The Hagi yunomi (teacup) on my desk is stained from years of use, and some might even say it looks a bit shabby. I prefer to call it full of aji (flavor), the way a pottery connoisseur describes an item with character and patina.
EDITORIALS
May 25, 2002

'Media bills' require changes

The Diet debate on media-related legislation has stirred controversy over freedom of expression. The main concern, expressed by legislators from both the ruling and opposition camps, is that it would put unreasonable restraints on the media. Even former members of the government panels that drafted the...
SOCCER / World cup
May 25, 2002

Guidelines for changes on tickets given

The Japanese World Cup Organizing Committee on Friday announced the details for changing the name of World Cup ticket holders following an agreement reached with FIFA to broaden the reasons for the change in Thursday's FIFA ticketing sub-committee meeting.
JAPAN
May 25, 2002

IWC meeting ends in a bitter divide

SHIMONOSEKI, Yamaguchi Pref. -- The International Whaling Commission's weeklong annual plenary meeting ended Friday with a ban on commercial hunting in place for another year but nations bitterly divided over aboriginal whaling.
JAPAN
May 25, 2002

Tokyo-Seoul panel on history ready to meet for first time

Japan and South Korea will hold the inaugural meeting of their joint history research committee Saturday in Seoul to promote better mutual understanding of history among scholars, Foreign Ministry officials said Friday.
JAPAN
May 25, 2002

LDP weighs law to close Diet loophole

The government and the ruling Liberal Democratic Party decided Friday to consider legislation that would force Diet members who are elected as a party's proportional representation candidate to step down if they leave their party, LDP Secretary General Taku Yamasaki said.
Japan Times
JAPAN / MUSEUM MUSINGS
May 25, 2002

Museum offers its visitors hands-on experience for drumming up a storm

On the fourth floor of a small building near the Sumida River in old-town Tokyo, people are making a racket in Megumi Ochi's museum.
SUMO
May 25, 2002

Musashimaru falls

Ozeki Chiyotaikai beat Musashimaru at the face-off and the yokozuna leader never had a chance, getting bulldozed out of the ring to his first loss at the Summer Sumo Grand Tournament on Friday.
Japan Times
JAPAN
May 25, 2002

Secret funds have oiled wheels for decades

The practice of using the Cabinet secretariat's discretionary funds for "Diet affairs" -- buying off both ruling camp and opposition lawmakers to ensure important legislation gets passed smoothly -- dates back decades, according to Upper House member Sadao Hirano.

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