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Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / NATURE TRAVEL
Jun 11, 2002

On the pagoda path of the Irrawaddy

"On the road to Mandalay, Where the flyin' fishes play, An' the dawn comes up like thunder outer China 'crost the bay." -- Rudyard Kipling.
SOCCER / World cup
Jun 10, 2002

Mexico knocks out minnow Ecuador

SENDAI, Miyagi Pref. -- Tiny Ecuador is appearing in its first-ever World Cup finals and the experience is almost certain to be short-lived after it lost 2-1 on Sunday at Miyagi Stadium to a Mexican side growing in confidence. Goals on either side of halftime by Jared Borgetti and Gerardo Torrado in...
SOCCER / World cup
Jun 9, 2002

Croatians stun Italy to stay alive

IBARAKI -- After an opening match loss to Mexico, it looked like the Croatian soccer team would be here just long enough to sample a little sushi, maybe check out Tokyo Tower and then jet off back to Europe.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHEN EAST MARRIES WEST
Jun 9, 2002

The walls that connect us

"Good fences make good neighbors." Which means -- if we extrapolate this bit of Robert Frost wisdom a little further -- Japan should have some of the best neighbors in the world.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / THE WAY OF WASHOKU
Jun 9, 2002

Yasai no Yoshino-ni: Now here's some real food for thought . . .

This past week I tagged along with veteran New York Times food writer Elizabeth Andoh to Hakuun'an, a Buddhist vegetarian restaurant and teahouse associated with Manpukuji Temple near Uji City in Kyoto Prefecture. Manpukuji is the head temple of the Obaku sect of Zen Buddhism, Japan's third largest after...
BUSINESS
Jun 8, 2002

DSL subscribers crack 3 million mark

The number of subscribers to DSL high-speed Internet access services has surpassed 3 million for the first time, the telecommunications ministry said Friday.
BUSINESS
Jun 8, 2002

Government may relax messenger-service deadline

The government may relax a requirement that any messenger service entering the mail-delivery sector deliver express parcels within three hours, posts minister Toranosuke Katayama said Friday.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Jun 8, 2002

To World Cup soccer fans: Uerukamu!

In Japan, we have only two languages: Japanese and a dialect of English called Japanese English. JE is Japan's second language. I call it Zen English because you can't translate it directly. A lot of the meaning is left up to the listener. Entire sentences are often expressed in just two words. For example,...
BUSINESS / ON THE FRONT LINE
Jun 7, 2002

Market likely to struggle for some time

The Tokyo stock market opened the month moderately higher Monday, but the rally soon fizzled, dashing hopes that the Nikkei average would soon hit 12,000.
JAPAN
Jun 6, 2002

Insecticide found on Lawson spinach

Large quantities of insecticide residue have been found on frozen spinach from China used in prepared meals sold at Lawson Inc. convenience stores, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government announced Wednesday.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / OLD NIC'S NOTEBOOK
Jun 6, 2002

Why do forests flourish on fish?

Ever since I went on my first expedition to the Canadian Arctic in 1958 I have kept a notebook, and this habit is still with me. Now, with this column on the first Thursday of each month, you too, Dear Reader, can share in these jottings from over the years.
JAPAN
Jun 5, 2002

Politicians turn to fundraising parties

In one night, you may be able to earn as much as 100 million yen.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jun 5, 2002

Shigenobu daughter pushes peace

OSAKA — While international calls are growing for another round of peace talks between Israeli and Palestinian leaders, May Shigenobu, daughter of the Japanese Red Army guerrilla group's founder, said little progress will be made unless Palestinian grievances are recognized.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jun 5, 2002

She's with the band

Basking in the spotlight has never been the way of jazz instrumentalists; they know how much they owe the band. But for jazz vocalists, the opposite tends to be true. Female singers, in particular, tend to be seen as center-stage divas more than an integral part of the group.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / J-POPSICLE
Jun 5, 2002

With Shina, the songs don't have to remain the same

All too often, albums of cover songs are just stopgap efforts put out by artists whose creative juices have run dry. So when I heard that Ringo Shina was making her comeback in the form of a covers album after taking a year's maternity leave, I was skeptical. But my expectations were raised as the names...
SOCCER / World cup
Jun 4, 2002

Troussier confident on eve of first game

SAITAMA -- Japan coach Philippe Troussier confidently expressed his team's readiness for today's World Cup match against Belgium, the team's first game in Group H, to be played at Saitama Stadium 2002.
COMMENTARY
Jun 3, 2002

Time to leave European defense to Europe

WASHINGTON -- The 19 members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization have gathered in Rome to initiate a new partnership with Russia; they are also planning to add several new members to the alliance. The usual fatuous rhetoric emanating from the meeting cannot hide the fact that NATO is an organization...
SOCCER / World cup
Jun 3, 2002

England thwarted by Swedish jinx as teams draw 1-1

SAITAMA -- Thirty-four years and counting.
EDITORIALS
Jun 3, 2002

Mr. Arafat's failures

Real peace between Palestinians and Israelis will be preceded by two conditions: an Israeli withdrawal from most, if not all, of the occupied territories and genuine democracy in the Palestinian Authority. Attention has usually focused on the first factor, but it has become increasingly evident that...
BUSINESS / JAPANESE PERSPECTIVES
Jun 3, 2002

Balance of payments and intervention signal danger for economic reforms

Japan's international balance of payments for fiscal 2001, released by the Finance Ministry on May 15, highlighted a year-on-year fall in the trade and current account surpluses. But it also revealed a 24.4 percent increase in the nation's income surplus to a record-high 8.68 trillion yen.
SOCCER / World cup
Jun 2, 2002

Germany routs Saudi Arabia 8-0

SAPPORO -- The World Cup finally arrived in Japan on Saturday and Germany ensured that opening day will long be remembered. In one of the most one-sided games in World Cup history, Germany beat Saudi Arabia 8-0 at the Sapporo Dome in their Group E match.
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Jun 2, 2002

Tickling Japan's funnybone

THE CHRYSANTHEMUM AND THE FISH: Japanese Humor Since the Age of the Shoguns, by Howard Hibbett. Tokyo/New York: Kodansha International, 2001, 228 pp., with 40 woodcut-print illustrations, 3,000 yen (cloth) Toward the end of this most agreeable essay on the local comic spirit, Howard Hibbett observes:...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / FUZZY LOGIC
Jun 2, 2002

Still tastes like Shonen spirit

Raspberry rock? Pineapple pop? Just plain old vanilla? Osaka-based all-girl band Shonen Knife -- age 21 this year -- haven't been flavor of the month for many a moon.
COMMENTARY
Jun 1, 2002

Crisis threatens Pakistan's recent gains

ISLAMABAD -- The regime of Pakistani President Gen. Pervez Musharraf is eager to find a way out of the military standoff with India, knowing full well that a war between the two nuclear-armed neighbors could easily erase the few gains the country has made in the past six months.
Japan Times
JAPAN / CUP COUNTDOWN
May 31, 2002

Hooligan phobia triggers siege mentality

KAWAGUCHI, Saitama Pref. -- Soccer fans hoping to stop for a cup of coffee on their way to or from World Cup games at Saitama Stadium won't be able to do so at Katsura cafe here. Whenever matches are being played -- and hooligans might be in the area -- the cafe will be closed.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / ANIMAL TRACKER
May 31, 2002

Black soldier fly

* Japanese name: Amerika mizuabu * Scientific name: Hermetia illucens * Description: Black soldier flies look a bit like wasps, but they have no sting and are not interested in humans -- at least while we are alive. They are robust black flies about 15 mm long, with wings that lay over the body when...
Japan Times
JAPAN
May 31, 2002

Ex-DJ spins Japan-China differences

The biggest problem between Japan and China is their lack of mutual understanding -- due largely to prejudice and ignorance, said Akiko Aoki, a former host for China Radio International, the sole Chinese national radio station broadcasting programs overseas.
SOCCER / World cup
May 30, 2002

Passion break

The Foreign Correspondents Club of Japan will hold a "Book Break" on Thursday, May 30, with Louis Chenaille, coauthor -- with Japan manager Philippe Troussier -- of the book "Passion."

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