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CULTURE / Books
Aug 21, 2011

Poetry as stimulating as a stun gun

THE NEW YURI AND SELECTED YURI: Writing From Peeling Till Now, by Yuri Kageyama. Ishmael Reed Publishing Company, 2011, 134 pp., $19.99 (paper) In the babbling cosmos of contemporary literature, there have been a handful of distinguished cross-cultural writers who have made the English language their...
Japan Times
SOCCER / J. League
Aug 20, 2011

Strong play has Kofu's Havenaar out of father's shadow

Ventforet Kofu might be struggling to keep their heads above water this season, but striker Mike Havenaar is making a big splash in the J. League's first division.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Aug 19, 2011

'Kung Fu Panda 2'

So we've been told by news programs and eyewitnesses that the pandas at Ueno Zoo have been snacking and dining instead of diligently procreating, and now Tokyo's best-loved cubs from China are too hefty to do much more than lie around and chew. Bad.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Aug 19, 2011

'Usagi Doroppu (Bunny Drop)'

Movies about single guys who become suddenly burdened with the responsibilities of parenthood, whether from Hollywood ("Three Men and a Baby") or Japan (the underrated "Yukai Rapusodi [Accidental Kidnapper]"), follow a pattern set in stone: After rising to various patience- and character-testing occasions,...
Reader Mail
Aug 18, 2011

Risks from deadbeat tenants

I read with interest the Aug. 2 life & style article "Once settled in, chances are you'll have to pay to stay," as I can understand that the property rental system with its deposits, gratitude fees and renewal fees may be difficult for a foreign tenant to understand. But let's look at this from another...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Aug 18, 2011

Yokohama Triennale rewards leisurely visit

Yokohama Triennale 2011, the fourth installment of this large-scale art event, differs from its predecessors in that it is being held primarily in a venue designed for showing art — the Yokohama Museum of Art. This has allowed the curators — the director general, Eriko Osaka, and the artistic director,...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Aug 17, 2011

Tsunami spared Matsushima but swept away bay's tourists

Matsuo Basho, arguably Japan's most famous haiku poet, is said to have been at a loss for words when he first saw the hundreds of pine-clad islets scattered around Matsushima Bay during a 17th-century journey to the Tohoku region.
COMMENTARY
Aug 16, 2011

The Song of Chu and Japanese politics today

"Song of Chu all around" (si-mian-Chu-ge) is an old Chinese saying that means "being besieged or deserted on all sides."
Japan Times
JAPAN
Aug 16, 2011

NGOs, academics call for abolition of nuclear plants

Antinuclear nongovernmental organizations and academics called for the complete abolition of nuclear power plants in Japan on Monday, the 66th anniversary of the end of World War II.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 16, 2011

What is not blamed for the riots in Britain

To a watching world, the sight of Britain on fire last week has surely been shocking. The looting and torching has revealed an inner-city London, Birmingham and Manchester seldom glimpsed in the England usually offered for export via soft-focus period dramas, Hugh Grant movies or stories on Will and...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Aug 16, 2011

Volunteers feel for Tohoku, but their duties lie in Nepal

In the physiotherapy ward at Katmandu's Bir Hospital, a middle-aged woman lay in bed, her back strapped to a big mechanical device. Rukmini Roka, 56, who suffers from chronic backache, struggled to stretch her legs as required by the special therapy machine.
Reader Mail
Aug 14, 2011

Innate keys to a bright future

One of the many interesting and unique aspects of Japanese culture that I experienced as a foreigner in Japan from 2003 to 2010 was jishuku. Jishuku refers to voluntary moderation in one's actions, typically after a terrible event or occurrence involving loss of life or human suffering. Jishuku is a...
CULTURE / Books
Aug 14, 2011

Blavatsky's Book of the Dead

THE TIBETAN BOOK OF THE DEAD: A Biography, by Donald S. Lopez, Jr. Princeton University Press, 2011, 175 pp., $19.95 (hardcover) In 2005 a journalist telephoned the eminent scholar of Buddhism and Tibetan Studies, Donald S. Lopez, Jr., and asked him whether "The Tibetan Book of the Dead" was the most...
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Aug 14, 2011

Barriers to multiculturalism are as low as they've ever been in Japan

Second of two parts
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Aug 13, 2011

Returning the seaweed to the sea

Imagine yourself out on the Seto Inland Sea in a boat. You're by yourself, floating along happily. You open a beer and kick back for a while letting the boat drift in tranquility. You can see the shore, but it's a bit far to swim to. Ahhhhhh. But wait — the boat is sinking!
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Aug 12, 2011

Celebrate Earth with top beats

Enjoy an exciting weekend getaway to Niigata Prefecture for Japan's longest-running music festival, Earth Celebration. Now in its 24th year, this event takes place on Sado Island, which is home to the internationally acclaimed Kodo drumming group.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Aug 12, 2011

'In a Better World'

Woody Allen once said that it's easy to like people who make us laugh, but people who make us think don't get invited to a whole lot of parties.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Aug 12, 2011

Andy Bell glad to finally bring Beady Eye to Japan

Andy Bell may be in Stockholm but his thoughts remain focused on Japan. The guitarist's new band, Beady Eye, consists of the former members of Oasis who were left standing following Noel Gallagher's acrimonious departure two years ago. The quartet were in the process of launching their fledgling outfit...
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Aug 12, 2011

Tokyo theater to promote talent at fest

Komaba Agora Theater will stage a monthlong theater festival this summer, as they have done twice a year since 1989, aimed at exposing young, regional theater companies to a wider audience.
Japan Times
Reference / Special Presentations / WITNESS TO WAR
Aug 12, 2011

War memoirs digitized for posterity

27th in a series
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Aug 12, 2011

Machinery orders continue to rise on rebuilding efforts

Domestic machinery orders rose for a second month in June as companies increased spending to restore businesses and production lines disrupted by the March 11 quake and tsunami.
Reader Mail
Aug 11, 2011

All the best to elderly Japanese

I am saddened to learn that elderly people (over 65) in Japan are living alone and dying alone, and that their bodies often remain undiscovered for days. I feel that senior citizens are the foundation pillars of a country and deserve respect and proper care, not only from their own families but from...
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 8, 2011

Debt deal reveals empty toolbox

When President Barack Obama signed into law the bill increasing the debt ceiling to $16.7 trillion, Americans might have breathed a sigh of relief that the danger of default is over — for now (and probably until spring 2013).

Longform

Totopa in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward was picked by consultants TTNE as the best sauna of the year.
Japan’s sauna movement: Relax, refresh, repeat