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Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Nov 22, 2007

A taste for blood, arts and culture

One haunting image that lingers in the mind after seeing the exhibition "Legacy of the Tokugawa — The Glories and Treasures of the Last Samurai Dynasty" at the Tokyo National Museum is a carved-wood statue of Ieyasu (1543-1616), the first of the Tokugawa shoguns, now the deity of the Shiba Tosho-gu...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Nov 22, 2007

Festival swaps mobsters for something 'safe'

In days past, a film festival held within rough-and-tumble Kabukicho might be assumed to feature a sampling of the work from gangster-flick director Seijun Suzuki ("Tokyo Drifter," "Branded to Kill"), or perhaps "Yojimbo," the Akira Kurosawa classic where a samurai arrives in a village run by two groups...
Reader Mail
Nov 22, 2007

Half-baked antiterror measure

Regarding Hideo Kaito's Nov. 20 letter, "Common protection and control": While Kaito's comment seems sensible, it is in fact completely mistaken and filled with false truths.
ENVIRONMENT / WILD WATCH
Nov 21, 2007

Biodiversity to take your breath away

I promised that I would write more about my recent visit to South America, and as the first snows are now regularly dusting the mountains on view from my window here in Hokkaido — and even coating my balcony — it's hard not to reflect on times spent in warmer climes.
LIFE / Digital
Nov 21, 2007

iPod DJs gear up and face off at music event in Tokyo

Everyone knows the iconic image of the DJ — the permanently worn headphones, satchel full of vinyl, twin Technics 1200 turntables — but that could all be about to change with iPod Battle Tokyo: The Clash this Friday, where nine DJ teams will fight it out using nothing but a pair of slimline, portable...
JAPAN
Nov 20, 2007

Hiramatsu's win in Osaka mayoral race boosts DPJ

OSAKA — Kunio Hiramatsu, who beat incumbent Junichi Seki in Sunday's mayoral poll in what is seen as a stunning defeat for the ruling coalition, vowed to reform the city government but offered no specific steps to remedy the city's ballooning debts.
LIFE / Language
Nov 20, 2007

Dial up a good impression with denwa echiketto

"Moshi-moshi. Kochira wa Japan Taimuzu no Shuraibaa to moshimasu. Itsumo wo sewa ni natte orimasu" ("Hello, this is Schreiber of the Japan Times. Thanks as always for your kind support.")
COMMENTARY
Nov 20, 2007

Robbed of childhood, bereft of a future

NEW YORK — Looking at photographs of Iraqi children maimed by the war makes the conflict unforgettable. Reflecting on the causes that led to that war makes it unforgivable. New information is steadily coming out on the effects of the war on children, and how it has affected not only their health but...
LIFE / Lifestyle / WEEK 3
Nov 18, 2007

Cup-and-ball master turns his 'toy' into an art form

Do you play kendama? Probably not, on an everyday basis at least, though you may well have tried it a few times if you live in Japan.
Reader Mail
Nov 18, 2007

Magic feeling of being exempt

Both Susan Menadue-Chun's letter, "SPRs have suffered enough," and William Wetherall's letter, "Exemptions not based on nationality," on Nov. 15 provided thought-provoking information and context to the Ministry of Justice's biometric data-collection program directed at "terrorists" trying to enter...
COMMUNITY
Nov 17, 2007

Lend the children an ear

LONDON — Samuel L. Jackson, Natalie Portman and other Hollywood celebrities have joined a global campaign to raise $1 billion over 10 years in support of disadvantaged children around the world.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Nov 17, 2007

Hopi activist brings two messages to Japan

Playing drum and chanting an eagle song, Ruben Saufkie Sr. — a Hopi messenger and silversmith — brings East and West into balance at the leading shrine in Zushi, Kanagawa Prefecture.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / MAKING A DIFFERENCE
Nov 17, 2007

No holds barred in fight for dolphins

Within minutes of meeting Allison Lance, one might start to wonder if she was a dolphin in a past life. Her enthusiasm and passion in her drive to protect her animal friends is so strong that it touches just about every area of her life.
BUSINESS
Nov 17, 2007

Global turmoil kept BOJ from hiking interest rate

The Bank of Japan refrained from raising interest rates in October because of concern "unstable" global financial markets could derail economic growth, minutes show.
EDITORIALS
Nov 16, 2007

Shopping rules tourists

Tourist-wise, Japan has a somewhat divided character. Despite Japan's fascinating history and vast cultural treasures, tourists apparently come here primarily to go shopping. A recent Japan National Tourist Organization survey found that nearly 35 percent of the visitors were in Japan for the shops....
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Nov 16, 2007

Indian puppetry pulls strings

This month, for the first time ever, audiences in Japan will be able to enjoy puppet plays performed in the ancient Yakshagana tradition of the South Indian state of Karnataka.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / HOTELS & RESTAURANTS
Nov 16, 2007

Christmas in Hakone

Christmas in Hakone For those who would like a quieter seasonal setting away from bright lights and crowded stores, the Hyatt Regency Hakone Resort & Spa is offering a Christmas Celebration accommodation package from Nov. 28 to Dec. 25.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Nov 16, 2007

'A Mighty Heart'

When "The Road To Guantanamo" came out a year ago, a lot of people were ready to jump all over director Michael Winterbottom. His film, which portrayed three British men of Pakistani origin who were picked up and incarcerated at the U.S. military base in Guantanamo, Cuba, was seen by some as one-sided...
COMMENTARY
Nov 15, 2007

The fusillade against China

In some ways China is not my favorite country. I once went to some trouble to learn its language. I have often had to court rightwing hostility for trying to explain its foreign policies in less than demonic terms. Back in 1971 I even organized, single-handedly and over Canberra's opposition, an Australian...
Japan Times
CULTURE / OTAKOOL
Nov 15, 2007

Remix this: anime gets hijacked

Tim Park sits at home in his one-man studio in Ontario, Canada surrounded by piles of anime DVDs and a ton of tech.

Longform

Atsuyoshi Koike, the president and CEO of Rapidus, says there is a “sense of urgency” when it comes to Japan’s efforts in manufacturing semiconductors. “We have to make sure we are successful,” he says.
Atsuyoshi Koike’s big game: Fourth down and 2 nanometers to go