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CULTURE / Books
Oct 21, 2001

In the realm of crime, torture and depravity

THE DARK SIDE: Infamous Japanese Crimes and Criminals, by Mark Schreiber. Kodansha International, 2001, 251 pp., 2,700 yen (cloth) It's unfortunate but true that the names of notorious criminals usually outlive those of their victims. We remember Jack the Ripper, not the London prostitutes he butchered....
CULTURE / Music / HOGAKU TODAY
Oct 21, 2001

Autumn brings a treasury of traditional music

The fall months are ideal for hearing the best of hogaku. This is partly owing to the natural increase in musical activity after the slow, sultry summer months, but also because of an annual arts contest, sponsored by the Agency for Cultural Affairs, from Oct. 12 to Nov. 10. Winning this contest can...
LIFE / Food & Drink / THE WAY OF WASHOKU
Oct 21, 2001

The satisifying taste of less is more

At its finest hour, the Japanese food served at the old inns and tea houses of Kyoto is so elegant and delicate that it almost becomes homeopathic. Like the doctor who follows the homeopathic principle — the less medicine prescribed, the better the results — chefs in the well-worn kitchens of the...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Oct 21, 2001

Swallowed up by a passion for baseball

"Spurred on by energetic cheerleaders and the pounding rhythm of taiko drums, horns, whistles and other noisemakers, (the typical Japanese fan) becomes a veritable wildman, yelling and screaming nonstop for nine solid innings." -- Robert Whiting, "You Gotta Have Wa"
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Oct 21, 2001

Meeting baseball's Dr. Ichiro and Mr. Suzuki

Last Sunday, Nihon TV did something interesting. At the last minute, they pulled the scheduled installment of their biography series "Shitteru Tsumori" and replaced it with a hastily produced documentary about "Mr. Baseball," Shigeo Nagashima, who a few weeks ago announced that he was stepping down as...
JAPAN
Oct 21, 2001

December deadline for SPEs: draft

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi will finalize a plan on reforming special public entities in early December if the government fails to reach a consensus on the issue, according to a final draft of the plan released Saturday.
LIFE / Food & Drink / VINELAND
Oct 21, 2001

A gem of a wine shop in the rough of Nerima

A good, little neighborhood wineshop is a rare treasure in Tokyo. Imagine a friendly place around the corner, where the owner is a passionate wine aficionado. A few times a week, you stop by after work and ask him or her for some tips on an affordable, delicious bottle to go with your home-cooked dinner....
LIFE / Food & Drink / BEST BAR NONE
Oct 21, 2001

This size fits all

West Shinjuku is a showcase of sleek, modern high-rises. East Shinjuku, by contrast, is a low-rise mishmash of department stores and restaurants, which are gradually replaced by movie theaters and hostess clubs the farther north one moves. And if you find yourself surrounded by street hawkers instead...
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHEN EAST MARRIES WEST
Oct 21, 2001

Like father, like son

My elder son sits across from me during supper and clubs me with the following questions: "Why can't Japanese die, Dad? How come it's so hard for them?" Not your usual dinnertime poser, perhaps, but we dads have to be ready for anything. I pause only briefly before delivering what I consider to be a...
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Oct 21, 2001

Playing to the home crowd

JAPANESE SPORTS: A History, by Allen Guttmann and Lee Thompson. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 310 pp., plates, 25. $50, cloth; $24.95, paper. When Commodore Perry arrived in Japan as an unwelcome guest in 1853, a small part of the initial interactions between the visitors and their reluctant...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Oct 21, 2001

Autumn's harvest among the bamboo

Autumn is here, the season of antipasti misti and fruitful mellowness. It's also the time of year, of course, for bountiful supplies of mushrooms and other miscellaneous fungi known collectively as kinoko -- like the excellent assortment we enjoyed the other day at Aburiya, an atmospheric dining bar...
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Oct 21, 2001

Tune in, there are big things on the horizon

The cult of dieting takes on new meaning in Nippon TV's fall comedy serial "Kangei! Danjiki Goikko-sama," literally, "Welcome, Honorable Party of Fasters" (Saturday, 9 p.m.). The series is set at Rakuraku-jin, a Buddhist temple that accepts civilians who want to do the ascetic thing.
BUSINESS
Oct 20, 2001

Daiei's losses come to 3.99 billion yen

Struggling supermarket-chain operator Daiei Inc. on Friday reported unconsolidated net losses of 3.99 billion yen for the March-August term.
JAPAN
Oct 20, 2001

China ODA set to be trimmed

The government and ruling coalition parties on Friday approved a development assistance plan that would scale back aid to China and shift the focus to environmental conservation measures, officials said.
BUSINESS
Oct 20, 2001

CO2 output up two years running

Carbon dioxide emissions from industrial activities totaled 486.09 million tons last year, marking the second consecutive year of increase, the Japan Federation of Economic Organizations (Keidanren) said Friday.
JAPAN
Oct 20, 2001

'Miscellaneous' institutions facing double standard?

International schools in Japan are classified as "miscellaneous schools" under the School Education Law, which means they are not accredited domestically.
JAPAN
Oct 20, 2001

Japan, Austria to halt terror funds

Japan and Austria agreed Friday on the need to sign an international treaty to stop the flow of funds linked to terrorism. The countries said they hope to sign by the end of the year and work for an early ratification of the treaty.
BUSINESS
Oct 20, 2001

Yamaha revs up restructuring plan

Motorcycle maker Yamaha Motor Co. said Friday that it will give full management independence to sales unit Yamaha Motor Marketing Japan Co. in April.
BUSINESS
Oct 20, 2001

Convenience store sales down 2.6%

Sales at convenience stores fell 2.6 percent in September from a year earlier, marking the third straight month of decline, the Japan Franchise Association said Friday.
BUSINESS
Oct 20, 2001

State tries to beat road-project delays

The infrastructure ministry said Friday that it will give money to local governments if they declare a target deadline to complete urban road construction, which has long been hindered by delays in land procurement.
MORE SPORTS
Oct 20, 2001

Japan pulls out of World C'ships

on Thursday decided to cancel its plans to send a team to the gymnastics World Championships getting under way in Belgium at the end of this month. The decision comes a week after the JGA decided not to dispatch a team to this week's rhythmic gymnastics World Championships in Spain as a precautionary...
BUSINESS
Oct 20, 2001

Protest made over supercomputer bid

A complaints panel for government procurements said Friday that it has accepted a complaint from IBM Japan Ltd. over a failed bid for a supercomputer.
JAPAN
Oct 20, 2001

Kato linked to tainted talent agency

A senior official at a scandal-hit talent agency loaned 100 million yen in 1999 to the private secretary of Koichi Kato, a former secretary general of the Liberal Democratic Party, agency sources said Friday.

Longform

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