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CULTURE / Books
Apr 17, 2011

Shining a light on Korean sorrow in Japan

INTO THE LIGHT: An Anthology of Literature by Koreans in Japan. Edited by Melissa L. Wender. University of Hawai'i Press, 2011, 226 pp. $22 (paper) The eight stories in this anthology span nearly 60 years, from 1939, when Korea was a resentful and mutinous Japanese colony, to 1997, when South Korea was...
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Apr 17, 2011

In this time of trials, a new nationalism would aid Japan's recovery

The worst form of bondage is the bondage of dejection, which keeps men hopelessly chained in loss of faith in themselves."
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 16, 2011

The enemies of a digital universal library

Scholars have long dreamed of a universal library containing everything that has ever been written. Then, in 2004, Google announced that it would begin digitally scanning all the books held by five major research libraries. Suddenly, the library of utopia seemed within reach.
CULTURE / Books
Apr 3, 2011

Sojourner of the mystical realm

THE PASSING SUMMERS, The Japanese Mystique: Charm and Consequence, by Ivy C. Machida. Printed Matter Press, 2010, 280 pp., $20 (paper) The 21st century has seen a proliferation of memoirs entering the book market — from James Frey's memoir-fiction "A Million Little Pieces" to the slew of ghosted celebrity...
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Apr 2, 2011

This earthquake still felt all over Japan

When my friends back home contacted me to see if I was OK after the March 11 disaster, I told everyone the same thing. "We're OK. We live 500 miles (800 km) from the disaster zone. We haven't been affected at all." We didn't even feel the earthquake, not even slightly. We have had no blackouts. We continue...
JAPAN
Mar 29, 2011

Season of special poignancy

The cherry trees will soon blossom in Japan.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Science & Health / NATURAL SELECTIONS
Mar 13, 2011

Study chips away further at humans' uniqueness

Time for some self-love, people: We're pretty damn cool. As animals, we're special.
EDITORIALS
Mar 13, 2011

Centennial for an artist

Japanese artist Taro Okamoto died in 1996 at the age of 84, but his ever-young artworks and attitude toward life are gathering new attention 100 years since his birth in 1911. What would have been his 100th birthday on Feb. 26 was commemorated with a Google-logo homage to Okamoto, original music at an...
EDITORIALS
Mar 10, 2011

Harmony-breaking words

The assemblies of Okinawa Prefecture and two cities in the prefecture — Naha and Urasoe — on Tuesday unanimously adopted resolutions protesting comments by a U.S. official that allegedly disparaged the Okinawans. Other Okinawan assemblies will follow suit.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Mar 8, 2011

Byzantine temp rules need permanent fix

Back in the days when I was a corporate drone in Tokyo, I had a wonderful secretary who had the good fortune to get pregnant. Bad news for me, though, since I had to endure a series of temps, some good, some bad, and one who marinated herself in enough perfume to make everyone ill. But what I found most...
Reader Mail
Mar 6, 2011

Socking away national treasures

Regarding the March 2 Kyodo article "Yakushiji pagoda (in Nara) open first time in 1,300 years": As a long-term resident of Japan, I have a very strong passion for Japanese history, arts and places of significant historical interest. I have found, though, on numerous occasions that historical places...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / CLOSE-UP
Mar 6, 2011

Tadao Sato: 'Japan's single finest film critic'

Tadao Sato laughed an embarrassed laugh as he recalled that three years ago, in London, he had been referred to as a "legend." Though adding to his discomfort, I had to admit that in my university days I had thought of him in the same way. And I still do.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Mar 4, 2011

Korean craft works that embody our desire to live forever

Something that all cultures share is a fascination with longevity and immortality, and the art world is filled with imagery that addresses this. In Korean works of the Goryeo (918-1392) and Joseon (1392-1910) dynasties, this often took the form of auspicious symbolism.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Mar 4, 2011

Punk icon Lydon shows fondness for Japan in book

"The best night I've ever had was to be accused of being a bad Johnny Rotten in Kyoto," laughs John Lydon, frontman of punk pioneers The Sex Pistols and groundbreaking postpunk band Public Image Ltd. Speaking on the phone from his adopted home of Los Angeles, the 55-year-old Irish-born, London-raised...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 3, 2011

Geisha cuts into kimono market

Wearing a kimono can be a daunting task, where one must follow numerous steps and protocols steeped in tradition to prevent making a fool of oneself.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Mar 3, 2011

The busy lives of Japan's super furry creatures

When first-time visitors arrive in Japan, a few things they may notice right off the bat include the juxtaposition of the high-tech and the ancient, the unfailing politeness of locals, and a curious fixation with cuteness — to wit, all the cute mascots that promote regions, historic sites, local specialties...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / VIEWS FROM THE STREET
Mar 1, 2011

Nagano: What are your thoughts on cross-cultural marriage?

JAPAN / ELEMENTARY ENGLISH
Feb 26, 2011

Chiba city gets the jump, boasts team approach

Fifth- and sixth-graders at elementary schools will get their first taste of English learning come April, setting off on a journey into a world of grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Feb 19, 2011

Monk brings global view to Buddhism

At some point or another, a child nibbles at the world of questions: "Why are we here, where did we come from, how did the world start?"
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 15, 2011

Italians slam orgy-bent Berlusconi

More than 100 Italian and Japanese staged an angry demonstration in Tokyo against Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi over his alleged orgies, including with a 17-year-old girl.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Feb 15, 2011

Japan, be confident!

On the day of his departure from Hokkaido on April 16, 1877, at the end of his tenure as the first president of what later became Hokkaido University, William Smith Clark left his charges, and Japan, with a parting message: "Boys, be ambitious." For the next century plus, Japan was ambitious, creating...
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Feb 13, 2011

Furano: A winter wonderland

Here I am, taking a holiday in minus-20 Hokkaido instead of plus-20 Okinawa. I'm either losing my marbles or just a normal Canadian pining for a winter wonderland.
Reader Mail
Feb 10, 2011

When will the Japanese loosen up?

Regarding Philip Brasor's Jan. 30 Media Mix column, "Cultural insensitivity no laughing matter": Japan's hypersensitivity to "outsiders" laughing at something connected to Japan looks even more ridiculous and blind when lined up against the constant insensitive commercial TV "comedy shows" that grossly...
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design / ON: FASHION
Feb 10, 2011

Blue moon rising over Tokyo

Comme des Garcons' Marunouchi: no longer alone
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Feb 6, 2011

Ailing Japan Inc. must combine tradition with a new world view

One of the clearest memories I have of my Los Angeles childhood revolves around a car. By the early 1950s, my parents had managed to eke their way into the middle class; and for Los Angelenos, nothing signified that social status more than the automobile. For my dad, the symbol of this par excellence...
COMMUNITY / Voices / HAVE YOUR SAY
Feb 1, 2011

Rural alien attacks 'insult' in Arudou almanac; 'Love it/leave it' lacks logic

Following are responses to "Arudou's Alien Almanac" by Debito Arudou (Just Be Cause, Jan. 4):
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Jan 22, 2011

German braumeister puts Otaru brewery on map

While Japan's major breweries continue to report flat beer sales amid an ailing economy, there is one Hokkaido-based beer maker that's brewing up a storm.

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