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Japan Times
BASKETBALL / HOOP SCOOP
Sep 27, 2009

Source says JBL teams in trouble, league not viable in long term

Japanese basketball is suffering from an identity crisis. Besides Yuta Tabuse, the average citizen cannot name a handful of other top-level Japanese players. Indeed, this is problem No. 1.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Dec 4, 2008

One wicked tale from the other Japanese puppets

Founded in 1635 by Youki Magosaburo I, Youkiza is the oldest marionette theater in Tokyo and the only remaining troupe among the five theaters from the Edo Period (1603-1867) — three kabuki and two marionette — that were officially recognized and financially supported by the Tokugawa Shogunate. Designated...
Reader Mail
Nov 30, 2008

Aso prefers form to content

Regarding the Nov. 25 editorial "Mr. Aso needs to be serious": One can only hope that Japan's prime minister will not make a comic twist of this advice, given that he is a self-proclaimed manga fan. I am not quite sure if Taro Aso is doing the job of a prime minister, but he undoubtedly enjoys the job....
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Sep 18, 2008

Hitting skins to find sound's color

'It is amazing that I have participated in 12 out of the 31 performances of the 'Nihon no Taiko' program that started at the National Theater of Japan in 1977," says the drummer Eitetsu Hayashi, who helped start the wadaiko (Japanese drums used in festivals) boom that has lead to the formation of more...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Aug 14, 2008

Street players give hoops diplomacy a shot

On one sunny Sunday afternoon this spring, dozens of people of various ages and nationalities converged on the basketball courts at Yoyogi Park in Tokyo. Juking, dunking, shooting and scoring, they played with grit as their competitive juices flowed.
Japan Times
MORE SPORTS / ICE TIME
Jun 22, 2008

Suguri turns to Morozov in attempt to regain form

In an effort to reignite her career, five-time Japan national champion Fumie Suguri has joined forces with coach Nikolai Morozov, the man who led Shizuka Arakawa to the gold medal at the 2006 Olympic Games and Miki Ando to the 2007 world championship.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Mar 11, 2008

The lowest form of flattery?

In order to avoid the entry of terrorists into Japan, it has been decided to impose fingerprinting and photography at immigration.' So begins the Foreign Ministry video explaining the November changes to the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act.
Japan Times
SOCCER
Aug 22, 2007

Beckham returns to form with perfect timing

CARSON, Calif. (AP) A month into his hugely hyped arrival with the Los Angeles Galaxy, David Beckham has finally made a splash on the field.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Mar 25, 2007

NHK upholds freedom of the press so long as it doesn't annoy anyone with its content

It has been two months since the Tokyo High Court ruled in favor of the Violence Against Women in War Network in its lawsuit against NHK regarding coverage of a December 2000 international people's tribunal, and while the verdict did not receive much press when it was first announced, it continues to...
EDITORIALS
Mar 30, 2006

DPJ has dawdled long enough

With the Diet's passage of the fiscal 2006 budget, the Koizumi administration has cleared an important hurdle. But the Diet is in a sad state following the Democratic Party of Japan's blunder in its handling of an e-mail message presented by a DPJ lawmaker alleging shady financial ties between disgraced...
BUSINESS
Oct 19, 2005

50 years of showcasing cars: You've come a long way baby

No one could have imagined the remarkable advances of Japanese automakers 50 years ago, when owning a car was only a dream for most people.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Jun 29, 2005

Where did we go right?

When it opened on Broadway in the spring of 2001, Mel Brooks' musical comedy "The Producers" became an instant cultural phenomenon steeped in irony. The day after its premiere, 33,000 tickets were sold at $100 each, a record high price, and the production was able to pay off its initial investment of...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Dec 15, 2004

Godzilla is dead, long live Godzilla

What do most non-Japanese, Western or otherwise, know about Japanese films? About Japanese pop culture, period? More than they did a decade ago certainly, but let's get real: Go to a typical family gathering in America — blue state or red, it doesn't much matter — and ask those assembled for the...
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / NATURE TRAVEL
Feb 2, 2003

Sexuality takes a suggestive form in Eden

First of two parts The Vallee de Mai, on Praslin Island, the second-largest island in the Seychelles archipelago, is a heavenly spot. But for some, it is also a glimpse of hell or, as Milton put it, "Paradise Lost."
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Aug 22, 2002

Cyclists ride the wave of local crackdown

Japan's authorities never set out to make their communities bicycle friendly. Rather, history, climate and population density have contributed to making much of Japan a cyclist's dream.
LIFE / Food & Drink / BEST BAR NONE
Jul 28, 2002

He's got jazz izakaya to an art form

Many newly opened bars and stores proudly display their year of establishment on the signage out front -- even if it just opened. Vagabond, a funky jazz izakaya in Shinjuku, is no exception. The signboard outside proudly boasts "Tavern Since 1976." When I arrived in 1981, this made me laugh. But now...
COMMENTARY
Apr 30, 2002

How long will Koizumi last?

LONDON -- Voter disillusionment with Junichiro Koizumi's performance as prime minister has grown from an apparent lack of progress in clearing up bad bank loans, his inability to force through privatization of public corporations, limited action on deregulation and his failure to reform the Liberal Democratic...
CULTURE / Art
Oct 24, 2001

Life's odd journey and the wonder of Y

With the press conference and vernissage just hours away, workers were hurriedly making final adjustments to the Hara Museum's big new Tadanori Yokoo show when one of them turned to me and said, "You know, many curators were trying for this exhibition." At least that's what I thought she said. As Yokoo,...
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 4, 2000

Two Koreas grapple with a long history

U.S. Secretary of State Madeline Albright's recent remark that "my glasses aren't rose-colored" when it comes to North Korea has touched a deep chord in South Korea. The pace and productiveness of North-South exchanges has noticeably slowed since the summer, and off-again, on-again North-South meetings...
MORE SPORTS
Oct 9, 2000

Penguins find form, rally past Predators

OMIYA, Saitama Pref. -- Maybe it was the jet lag. Maybe it was the adjustment to new head coach Ivan Hlinka's system. Whatever the reason, it took the Pittsburgh Penguins a game and two-thirds to break out of their Japan doldrums and rally for a 3-1 win over the Nashville Predators on Sunday at Saitama...
SOCCER / J. League
Jan 4, 2000

Reds' Ono looking to recover his form before seeking new challenges abroad

For Shinji Ono, 1999 started with glory and ended in agony. In April, Ono captained Japan's under-20 team to a runnerup finish at the World Youth Championship in Nigeria and went on to boost Japan's Olympic campaign in summer.
JAPAN
Dec 21, 1999

NTT, Korea Telecom form alliance to handle demand

NTT Communications Corp. and Korea Telecom have agreed on a comprehensive business alliance to jointly offer global services for multinational corporate users, the two firms announced Tuesday. Under the agreement, NTT Com and Korea Telecom, the largest telecom company in South Korea, will also cooperate...
JAPAN
Dec 9, 1999

Nuclear energy firms form safety network

In an effort to regain public trust in the nuclear energy industry, 35 companies and research institutions formed an association Thursday that subjects members to safety inspections by competitors. September's criticality accident at JCO Co.'s uranium processing plant in Ibaraki Prefecture has jeopardized...
CULTURE / Art
Jun 19, 1999

A little madness goes a long way

Madness sells.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film / CULTURE SMASH
Apr 20, 2023

New Niigata film festival brings out the big names in anime

Mamoru Oshii, Katsuhiro Otomo and Shinichiro Watanabe all attended last month’s Niigata International Animation Film Festival, which showcased 50 films from 16 countries.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Apr 14, 2023

Long story short, abbreviated Japanese is good value for your time

In English, acronyms are a way to communicate what you want to say quickly. The Japanese tend to shorten their speech by shortening their words.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / Sac Bunts
Mar 19, 2023

True test arrives for Samurai Japan in the form of resilient Mexico

Samurai Japan and its collection of MLB and NPB stars will be favored against Mexico in their WBC semifinal, but the team will have to rise to meet its toughest challenge yet.

Longform

Professional cleaner Hirofumi Sakurai takes a moment to appreciate some photographs in a Gotanda apartment whose occupant died alone.
The last cleanup: Life and death in a lonely Japan