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COMMENTARY / World
Feb 15, 2014

Iran's religious war on minority Arab poets

It is a sad time for the world when Iran, birthplace of humanity's more revered writers and intellectuals, decides instead to kill its poets, the latest being the Ahwazi Arab poet Hashem Shaabani on Jan. 27.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Feb 15, 2014

Samuragochi scandal shows that tin-eared classical music fans can be suckers for stories

What makes Mamoru Samuragochi's story interesting is not that he got away with his subterfuge for so long, but that the media, the public and even professional musicians accepted the story as being proof of his value as an artist.
Japan Times
CULTURE
Feb 13, 2014

Japan gets in the mood for love this Valentine's Day

Love is all around at this time of year, but on Valentine's Day in Japan it isn't so evenly distributed. The festival of romance has long suffered from a gender imbalance here: Feb. 14 is traditionally a day for women to give presents to men — not just their partners, but also often fellow students,...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Feb 9, 2014

Getting the colors clear when filing taxes in Japan

Filing a tax return isn't easy at the best of times, but doing it in another country can be particularly challenging. Fortunately, if you work for a company and that's your sole source of income in Japan, they will take care of everything for you. However, those who are self-employed or have multiple...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Feb 5, 2014

Tokyo Ballet turns 50 in romantic style

This year marks the 50th anniversary of The Tokyo Ballet, and the company plans to celebrate every step of the way.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Feb 2, 2014

It's never too early to start juken

It's that time of year again, when hundreds of thousands of soon-to-be high school graduates are busy taking university entrance exams for the coming academic year. This activity is commonly known as juken (受験), and usually translated into English as "taking an examination." The translation is somewhat...
SOCCER / PREMIER REPORT
Jan 31, 2014

Rampant City set to expose Mourinho's hypocrisy

We are in for a masterclass of offensive football on Monday when Chelsea travel to the Etihad stadium to attack Manchester City. No sitting back or parking the bus, no defensive strategy in the hope of being the first team to win a Premier League point at Fortress Etihad this season. Ambitious Chelsea...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Jan 29, 2014

Once admired from afar, now enjoyed up close

Billed as an exhibition of masterpieces from the Cleveland Museum of Art (CMA), 'Admired from Afar' is the latest in a number of exhibitions of Japanese art from American collections.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Jan 28, 2014

SAS Plus inaugural sale, Garuda to join Skyteam, Hong Kong trip on Cathay

SAS Plus inaugural sale
Japan Times
Figure Skating / ICE TIME
Jan 28, 2014

Murakami surging toward Sochi with style, confidence

When you work in this business, there is nothing more rewarding than watching an athlete truly come into their own.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 27, 2014

Why the world must remember the Holocaust

This year's observance of the International Remembrance Day — the anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz concentration camp — fell at a time when there are reminders all around us of the dangers of forgetting.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Jan 24, 2014

From the ditches of Nara to the Otohime, a lav story

Ever wondered what's with the toilet slippers in Japan? Surely I am not the only foreigner to question whether we need to be entirely reshod before entering the restroom in a Japanese house.
EDITORIALS
Jan 19, 2014

Trouble for U.S.-India relations

The speed with which last month's arrest an Indian diplomat on charges of perjury and visa fraud escalated to become a full-blown diplomatic crisis reveals the weakness of ties between the U.S. and India.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Jan 18, 2014

After Aum, post-9/11 lull, weeklies rediscover faith

March 20 will mark the 19th anniversary of the toxic nerve-gas attack on the Tokyo subway system by members of the Aum Shinrikyo (Supreme Truth) doomsday cult. That attack, which shook Japanese society to its very foundations, resulted in 13 deaths and thousands of injuries. Thirteen high-ranking Aum...
Japan Times
BASEBALL
Jan 17, 2014

Nomo inducted into Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame

People don't remember Hideo Nomo by his records. They remember him as a trailblazer.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Jan 16, 2014

Hit Hokkaido's slopes for tasty seasonal fare

Kutchan, near Niseko, is probably the only town in Japan where convenience stores stock pinto beans and Vegemite. In fact, Hokkaido's ski paradise, internationally known for its powder snow, is steadily forging a new reputation, one bite at a time.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / HOTELS & RESTAURANTS
Jan 16, 2014

Luxury dining at the Imperial Hotel

The Imperial Hotel Tokyo has invited Laurent André, executive chef at Le Royal Monceau Raffles Paris, one of the most renowned luxury hotels in Paris, to prepare a special fair from Jan. 20-26 at the hotel's traditional French restaurant, La Brasserie.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
Jan 15, 2014

Marketers capitalize on university entrance exam time

Special snacks, underwear, aquatic friends and more suddenly appear in support of academic victory for Center Test takers.
Japan Times
LIFE
Jan 11, 2014

The return of Godzilla, the king of kaiju

'Godzilla' first appeared in cinemas across the country in November 1954 but its story line was heavily influenced by an incident eight months earlier at Bikini Atoll in the Marshall Islands.
LIFE
Jan 11, 2014

Everything you ever wanted to know about Godzilla but were afraid to ask

COMMENTARY / World
Jan 10, 2014

Focusing on the business of Korean reconciliation

Despite its flaws, including an Orwellian feel, the Kaesong Industrial Complex, a joint venture of the North and South Korean government, helps to build an environment of collaboration. Pyongyang's recent announcement that it will open another 14 special economic zones is a positive development.
Japan Times
JAPAN / CHUBU CONNECTION
Jan 10, 2014

Chubu won't stop at just 10 million tourists

The government achieved its target of seeing 10 million tourists in 2013, thanks largely to the easing of visa requirements for Southeast Asian travelers and the weakening of the yen to fight deflation.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jan 9, 2014

Takenaka touts Nikkei surge

Stocks could surpass a level not seen since 2007 if the Abe administration pushes through in its drive to loosen business regulations, said Heizo Takenaka, a member of a government council on special economic zones.
Japan Times
Events / Events In Tokyo
Jan 9, 2014

Winter could be the best season to visit the zoo

Winter is not the season most people would think of as a good time to visit the zoo, but it is actually one of the most eventful times of the year for many animals as they adapt to the colder temperatures. See for yourself this month as the Tokyo Zoological Park Society kicks off its Visit Hot Zoo 2014...
EDITORIALS
Jan 4, 2014

Not all kids can fete the new year

The extreme poor in Japan make up a larger percentage of the poor than in all except five other OECD nations. The children of this group do not have the basics for learning.
EDITORIALS
Dec 31, 2013

A year to become politically active

In 2014 the Japanese people risk having their rights to freedoms of the press, thought expression curtailed as a result of the state secrets protection bill that the Abe administration rushed through the Diet in December.

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