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COMMUNITY / Voices / HOTLINE TO NAGATACHO
Sep 1, 2009

Lay off the linguistics to address English lag

Dear education minister Ryu Shionoya,
Japan Times
JAPAN
Sep 1, 2009

Interest high among foreign media in 'historic' election

The Democratic Party of Japan's landslide victory election has stirred interest among foreign media, who generally view the ousting of the conservative Liberal Democratic Party, which has ruled almost without interruption for 54 years, as a positive sign of change.
JAPAN
Aug 31, 2009

Voters, fed up with LDP, say it's time for change

As the Democratic Party of Japan's stunning victory and the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's resounding defeat was reported Sunday night, many voters on the streets of Tokyo said they savored their chance to vote for change.
SOCCER
Aug 30, 2009

Barca lifts European Super Cup

MONTE CARLO, Monaco (AP) Barcelona substitute Pedro Rodriguez scored the only goal deep into extra time to lead the European Cup holder 1-0 over UEFA Cup winner Shakhtar Donetsk in the European Super Cup on Friday.
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Aug 30, 2009

Japan at a crossroads of government and of its citizens' values

Charles de Gaulle, the magisterial president of France from 1959-69, was inordinately fond of the phrase, "Moi ou le chaos" — "Me or chaos." It was not much of a choice.
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Aug 30, 2009

The artistic influence of the East

This large and lavish volume is the catalog of an important art exhibition at the New York Guggenheim Museum that ran from Jan. 20 to April 19 this year. Since the show itself is not traveling to other venues, this excellent account of its purposes and content is now all that remains of one of the most...
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Aug 30, 2009

Ryuichi Sakomoto on 'Bakusho,' dishes worth tears and 'The Host's Wife'

This week the subject of "Bakusho Mondai no Nippon no Kyoyo" (Bakusho Mondai's Japan Education; NHK-G, Tues., 10:50 p.m.) is music, but not necessarily Japanese music.
Japan Times
LIFE
Aug 30, 2009

no night to be alone

The typhoon swept into Okinawa, bringing rain and cannon-shot thunder, sheets of lightning almost low enough to sear the TV antennas on the blue-tiled roofs. The winds ripped branches from palm trees and left them flapping in the mud like broken-backed seagulls. Even the American helicopters on the nearby...
EDITORIALS
Aug 30, 2009

U.S. Senate loses a lion

Edward Kennedy, the senior U.S. senator from the state of Massachusetts, died Tuesday night after a yearlong struggle with cancer. Mr. Kennedy's death deprives the United States of one of its most powerful and eloquent voices, a man who demanded justice and equal opportunities for the country's weakest...
Japan Times
SOCCER / J. League
Aug 29, 2009

Omiya's Neretljak makes it clear that compensation comes first

SHIKI, Saitama Pref. — As the European transfer window slams shut for another summer, Omiya Ardija's Croatian defender Mato Neretljak can afford himself a wry smile.
Japan Times
JAPAN / ELECTION 2009
Aug 29, 2009

Game almost up for LDP in Aomori

AOMORI — Perched on the upper tip of Honshu, Aomori Prefecture is tired of being left behind.
BUSINESS
Aug 29, 2009

Bonds may fall if DPJ wins: insurer

Government bonds may fall on concern that a landslide win by the Democratic Party of Japan in Sunday's election will lead to an increase in spending on social programs, according to Mitsui Sumitomo Kirameki Life Insurance Co.
BUSINESS
Aug 29, 2009

In 'sinking world,' geisha turn barmaids

In the stifling summer heat at the roadside Yebisu Beer stall in Kyoto's Gion district, Sakiko, dressed in a thick floral kimono, face plastered in white makeup, looks flustered as two foreign tourists photograph her. "Pouring beer here is different but fun," said Sakiko, one of about 90 apprentice geisha,...
Japan Times
JAPAN / ELECTION 2009
Aug 28, 2009

LDP heavyweight Koga running for his life

OMUTA, Fukuoka Pref. — For decades, voters in the Fukuoka No. 7 district, which encompasses the southern part of the prefecture, have always said, "Makoto ni arigato gozaimasu" come election time.
SOCCER / PREMIER REPORT
Aug 28, 2009

Liverpool already facing uphill battle

LONDON — Is Liverpool's season over before it has barely begun?
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Aug 28, 2009

'Martyrs'

What exactly is the definition of a horror film these days? The genre seems to have moved from its traditional goal of scaring the viewer to a more decadent phase in which extreme depictions of brutality and degradation seem to be its raison d'etre. Suspense and fright have been replaced by torture and...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Aug 28, 2009

Bathing in timeless memories

Artist Shinro Ohtake discusses with The Japan Times "inside-out" buildings, private memories, public meanings and other inspirations underlying the "I Love Yu" bathhouse at Naoshima.
Reader Mail
Aug 27, 2009

Dillon's witty take on differences

After reading Thomas Dillon's Aug. 22 column The right word and the right to choose it" and Amy Chavez's "Oscar the Grouch would be homeless here," I was struck by the contrast in tone by two long-term foreigners in Japan.
Reader Mail
Aug 27, 2009

The rural balance with nature

Winifred Bird's Aug. 23 Timeout article, "Japan's creeping natural disaster," was simply amazing. As an American foreign resident of Japan who has family living in rural Akita's Yonaizawa, I understand the point of the article completely. I believe that the balance of nature and human life is the most...
EDITORIALS
Aug 26, 2009

A challenge to Mr. al-Maliki

A series of bomb attacks in downtown Baghdad have exposed the weakness of the new Iraqi government. It is not clear who or what is responsible for the bombings, and the list of suspects is long. But a government's first responsibility is to provide for the safety and security of its citizens: By any...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Aug 26, 2009

Rural areas fear DPJ bid to ax big projects

AGATSUMA, Gunma Pref. — As media speculation mounts that the Democratic Party of Japan will win big in Sunday's Lower House election, Akiyoshi Toyoda, 44, is spending sleepless nights worrying about what may happen to his business if the opposition camp takes power.
Japan Times
Events / WHERE IT'S AT
Aug 25, 2009

Socializing on the volleyball court in Roppongi

Roppongi on Saturday morning tends to be quiet and empty, and pretty much all you see moving there apart from cars and trucks are a few sleep-deprived, hung-over remnants of the Friday night party crowd hobbling toward the station.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / HAVE YOUR SAY
Aug 25, 2009

One pocket knife, nine days' lockup

Following are a selection of readers' responses to the July 28 Hotline to Nagatacho column headlined "Pocket knife lands tourist, 74, in lockup."
Reader Mail
Aug 23, 2009

American off-color humor is rare

I am grateful to have Rick H.'s Aug. 13 letter, " 'Sexcentric' jokes abound in Japan," and agree with him that Japan, like any other nation, is far from pure. Space in my recent Counterpoint articles did not permit going into a host of other forms of humor, such as rakugo and manzai, which are still...
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / OUR PLANET EARTH
Aug 23, 2009

Imagine a time with no fish in the sea

BAR HARBOR MAINE — Each summer, our family visits this part of the New England coast, and each year I am reminded of the elemental connections humans share with the oceans.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Aug 23, 2009

On a high road of old

In stark contrast to many of today's passport-toting Japanese, their compatriots of old weren't a well-traveled bunch.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHEN EAST MARRIES WEST
Aug 22, 2009

The right word and the right to choose it

If you are a foreigner living in Japan, odds are high that language learning has played a key role in your residency.
JAPAN
Aug 21, 2009

Fundraising at click of a button

Fundraising is a big part of an elected official's life, especially in a country where individuals are not accustomed to offering donations to politicians or political parties.
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Aug 21, 2009

Laugh along with mangameister Fujio Akatsuka

Fans of pioneering manga artist Fujio Akatsuka (1935-2008) will be able to soak up more of his jokes, his manga works and details of his colorful life at an exhibition at the Matsuya department store in Tokyo's central Ginza district.

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