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COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Dec 19, 2006

Pensions, residency and driving

At this time of the year, it is good to think about what exactly the "holiday" is. It is Christmas -- the birthday of Jesus Christ -- and Hanukkah -- the Jewish festival of lights. They are both important times of the year to remember, say "thanks" and reflect.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Dec 19, 2006

Go global at Christmas

Belle Vue Tokyo This authentic Italian restaurant boasts a magnificent and romantic view of the city and from Dec. 22 will be serving its 18,000 yen per person Christmas menu. The restaurant has a unique open kitchen where guests can watch Belle Vue's chefs prepare a variety of dishes, including a fish...
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Dec 17, 2006

McSato et al prompt mastication over whose 'real' is really real

I've been running around lately like a headless chicken -- and the simile is more literal than you might think. I have been spending my evenings going around Tokyo restaurants, doing a survey strictly in the interests of scrupulous journalism.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Dec 12, 2006

Students spread their wings

Ever since Japan opened its doors to the West, English has been zealously studied in Japan's high schools, night schools, universities and companies.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Dec 10, 2006

Setting it straight about Matsuzaka's free agency status

As the deadline (Dec. 14) approaches for the Boston Red Sox to sign posted Seibu Lions Japanese pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka, let me clarify -- once and for all -- one key point seemingly misunderstood by many.
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Dec 10, 2006

Rediscovering a neglected tradition

THE BOOK OF INCENSE, by Kiyoko Morita. Tokyo/New York/London: Kodansha International, 2006, 136 pp., illustrations XX, 1,600 yen (paper) Incense came early to Japan. According to the fifth-century "Nihonshoki" (Chronicles of Japan), a whole aloeswood tree drifted ashore at Awaji. When the fisherfolk...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art / CERAMIC SCENE
Dec 7, 2006

New forms of old traditions at the Japan Society

Over the past several years there have been quite a few exhibitions of Japanese ceramics overseas, but "Contemporary Clay/Japanese Ceramics for the New Century," which is now at the Japan Society Gallery in New York, is the most brilliant by far.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Dec 5, 2006

Shelter reaches out to abuse victims

Her hands were clenched into fists, and patches of lightened skin mottled her skin up to her elbows. Addressing the four foreign women sitting in the office of the domestic violence shelter in Okayama City, the young woman quietly told us of the years of abuse she endured at the hands of her husband....
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle / ON THE BOOK TRAIL
Dec 5, 2006

"Bad Kitty," "Junie B. Jones ... is on Her Way!"

"Bad Kitty," Michele Jaffe, Puffin Books; 2006; 294 pp. It's ha-ha-hard being a teenager, particularly if you're Jas Callihan, all of 17, half-Jamaican half-Irish, with a height to rival King Kong's and a nonexistent chest. In author Michele Jaffe's hands, nothing could be more hysterical than the gaffes...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Nov 28, 2006

The rules of the road

Obtaining a driver's license can be an expensive and frustrating experience, and doing so in Japan is no different in that regard. But for many foreign residents in Japan, transferring their home license into a Japanese one can be a fairly simple and inexpensive procedure, while for others it's an advisable...
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Nov 26, 2006

Fan power fails this time, as 'Guts' bolts Fighters for Giants

Despite the best efforts of those Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters fans who sought to convince star player Michihiro Ogasawara to remain with the club, the infielder decided to use his free agency and switch to the Yomiuri Giants.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Nov 25, 2006

Living among aliens on Planet Japan

Japanese entrepreneur Daisuke Enomoto was going to pay $20 million to go into outer space. Not me. I can go into outer space anytime I want. All I have to do is walk out my door.
JAPAN
Nov 24, 2006

National smoking rate falling: JT poll

Fewer Japanese are lighting up as the country tightens regulations on public smoking and health awareness among adults increases, according to a survey by Japan Tobacco Inc.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 24, 2006

Suicides lay bare bullying menace

Eight years ago, Shinichiro and Midori Komori's 15-year-old daughter, Kasumi, committed suicide.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 22, 2006

For entrepreneur, 21, being a 'gal' is pure fashion, not fringe

Shiho Fujita was once a typical "gal," as the tribe of deep-tanned, garishly dressed young women who wander the streets of Tokyo's trendy Shibuya district in search of the latest fashions are called. Now a company president, Fujita is at the forefront of what she calls a "gal revolution."
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Nov 17, 2006

Tale of two con men in kids musical

Every November, the volunteer, nonprofit organization Tokyo Theatre for Children present a children's musical at the Tokyo American Club in Nishi-Azabu to give English-speaking children a taste of live theater. Formed in 1974, the troupe has previously staged "Cinderella," "Aladdin" and "Alice in Wonderland"...
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Nov 14, 2006

Boyfriends of today bring out the prince in Genji

Boyfriend stories used to be boring.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Nov 14, 2006

Beneath the surface

A converted bean storehouse in a Kyoto back-street is the unusual venue for an innovative introduction to traditional Japanese culture. During just one busy day, participants in the Origin Arts Program can try their hand at the ancient martial art of "Waraku," tea ceremony, calligraphy and Noh theater....
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Nov 12, 2006

Cameron Diaz presses all the right buttons for SoftBank

For some insight into the ruckus that SoftBank kicked up when it relaunched its mobile phone service with a zero-yen-per-call plan, check out its new ads and compare them with the competition's. NTT DoCoMo's ads showcase no less than seven famous personalities (eight if you count female comedy duo Othello...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Nov 9, 2006

The art of the machine

The phenomenal success of MTV's "Pimp my Ride," a show in which everyday folk have their unglamorous vehicles jazzed up with chrome wheels, fancy paint jobs and state-of-the-art sound systems, has sparked huge interest in the art and practice of motor-vehicle customization. So it wasn't long before a...
JAPAN
Nov 8, 2006

Miyauchi the key schemer, Horie testifies

Former Livedoor Co. President Takafumi Horie denied in court Tuesday that he had control over accounting at Livedoor Co., saying he had no knowledge of day-to-day transactions that allegedly violated securities laws.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Nov 4, 2006

Hooked on the concept of sustainable fishing

Tokyo's Tsukiji fish market -- the largest in the world -- is oddly quiet early afternoon. Yet climb a steep flight of steps above a small warehouse and the pace is frenetic.
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Nov 3, 2006

Noh finds inspiration in playwright

To mark the centenary of the birth of modernist Irish playwright Samuel Beckett, the Embassy of Ireland is organizing "A Beckett Evening" at the Tessenkai Noh Theatre in Aoyama, Tokyo on Nov. 4 and 5.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Oct 28, 2006

Seguignol Shimmy, Shinjo's tears . . . and more

SAPPORO -- The Japan Series wrapped up Thursday in Hokkaido, and Japan Times baseball writer Stephen Ellsesser is taking the first train out of here, before hopping a plane for Tokyo.

Longform

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