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Japan Times
JAPAN / CHUBU CONNECTION
Apr 25, 2014

'Dream' rice expected to yield excellent sake

Aichi Prefecture has officially launched sales of Yume-ginga, a type of brewer's rice used to make high-quality sake.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Apr 25, 2014

Bill Granger's reciprocal love affair with Tokyo eating

Over the past few years, several American-style pancake joints — Eggs n' Things and Cafe Kaila, for example — have washed up on Tokyo's shores. Now, the tide is going the other direction.
Japan Times
WORLD
Apr 24, 2014

China chlorine suspected in new Syrian gas attacks

China's Foreign Ministry said it is investigating reports that a chlorine canister bearing the name of the country's biggest arms maker was shown in footage believed to document a gas attack in Syria this month.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 21, 2014

Is Japan a 'normal' country simply trying to stick out?

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's apparent aspirations for Japan to become a 'normal' country again are undermined by the government's attempts to impose conformity and limit freedoms.
EDITORIALS
Apr 21, 2014

Abe turns back clock on education

The Diet has begun deliberations on a bill that would give local government heads greater leeway to intervene in education as well as reverse some features of postwar education reform.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Apr 21, 2014

Artists' mission to revitalize an onsen town

It begins with a long, slow hiss. The valves open, and a thick fog is released into the air, pouring from the roof of Dogo Onsen Honkan, the famous three-tiered bathhouse built in Matsuyama, Ehime Prefecture, in 1894. It flows down the side of the building, past bathers in bathrobes on the open balcony...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Apr 19, 2014

Can a solo career help a mascot stand out?

Several weeks ago Fuji TV's morning news show sent a reporter to the Gunma Prefecture "antenna shop" located across the street from the Kabukiza theater in Tokyo's Ginza district. The store, which sells products made in Gunma, pays ¥64 million a year in rent for the small two-floor space, and an independent...
BASKETBALL / ONE-ON-ONE WITH ...
Apr 18, 2014

Aomori's Ocitti appreciates fans' unbridled support for first-year franchise

The Japan Times features periodic interviews with players in the bj-league. Stanley Ocitti of the Aomori Wat's is the subject of this week's profile
Japan Times
JAPAN / CHUBU CONNECTION
Apr 18, 2014

Nagoya appliance recycling drive reaps success

The city of Nagoya started collecting small household appliances for recycling in February and announced April 11 that it had received more than 31,000 kg of machinery in just two months — five times more than anticipated.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / ANALYSIS
Apr 18, 2014

Weibo's Nasdaq debut highlights Chinese censorship

Weibo Corp. executives on Thursday toasted the Chinese social media firm's debut at Nasdaq's New York headquarters.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LAW OF THE LAND
Apr 16, 2014

Hague jars with Japan's family law, a zero-sum game with only one outcome

A Japanese lawyer told me: 'To Westerners, marriage means 1+1=2. But in Japan it equals 1.' This made perfect sense to me, but perhaps I should explain.
CULTURE / Stage
Apr 16, 2014

Could England's lead cultural agency offer a long-term template for Japan as a whole?

Arts Council England, generally referred to as the Arts Council, is a national agency which, in its own words, "champions, develops and invests in artistic and cultural experiences that enrich people's lives."
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Apr 15, 2014

Record Store Day finds its groove in Japan

It won't be business as usual at Big Love Records this Saturday, April 19. The store, one of the best places to shop for records in Tokyo's trendy Harajuku neighborhood, will be selling limited-edition music from various artists, including film director David Lynch. Meanwhile, shadowy beatmaker Sapphire...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Apr 12, 2014

Capturing Contemporary Japan: Differentiation and Uncertainty

With subjects ranging from consumerism to female farmers, 'Capturing Contemporary Japan: Differentiation and Uncertainty' is a book that's geared toward students.
BASKETBALL / ONE-ON-ONE WITH ...
Apr 11, 2014

Fields playing pivotal role in first season with Shiga

The Japan Times features periodic interviews with players in the bj-league. Brandon Fields of the Shiga Lakestars is the subject of this week's profile.
Japan Times
JAPAN / CHUBU CONNECTION
Apr 11, 2014

Bike can turn into wheelchair if disaster strikes

Junji Nagayama, the head of a heavy equipment delivery company in Nagoya, has developed a bicycle that, in just a few minutes, can be transformed into a wheelchair.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Apr 9, 2014

Energy plan fails to set targets for renewables

The government of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's final version of a draft energy report reinforces the role of nuclear power in the country's future, but falls short of setting specific goals for renewable energy use.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Apr 9, 2014

'Lady Bess' set to make grand Tokyo entrance

April 13 is a big day for theatergoers in Tokyo, as it sees the world premiere of "Lady Bess," a musical by the world-renowned team of German writer Michael Kunze and Hungarian composer Sylvester Levay, with famed hit-maker Shuichiro Koike directing.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / KYOTO RESTAURANTS
Apr 8, 2014

Inakatei: Local Kyoto cuisine heavy on the fish and veg

When faced with a six-page menu allied with a supplementary page loaded with specials and all in a language that makes less sense to you than abstract art, what do you do? Get up and leave is one answer, as proven by the nearby holidaying couple, American I assumed by accent and attire, who left shortly...
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 7, 2014

Language of Indian politics

Even those Indians who are assumed will automatically vote their caste in the current election have choices and will make a number of fairly sophisticated mental trade-offs.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
Apr 7, 2014

Japan's Hutterites hold on to a dream for community

Otawara — yes, that's spelled with a "t" — is one of those places few people know and most confuse with somewhere else (in this case with Odawara, Kanagawa Prefecture).
Japan Times
JAPAN / CHUBU CONNECTION
Apr 4, 2014

Chubu airport retools to attract foreign tourists

Chubu Centrair International Airport in Nagoya has started various new services to cater to foreign visitors, including new bus services to the city, tourist information and announcements in Chinese and Korean.
COMMENTARY
Apr 4, 2014

African e-money is the next currency killer

All the talk of bitcoin in recent years has overshadowed the e-finance revolution in Africa, India and eastern Europe, where a service called M-Pesa has replaced banking for millions of people who don't have a bank account.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / HOTELS & RESTAURANTS
Apr 3, 2014

Luxurious lodging in heart of city; running around central Tokyo; not dead yet; disco lives on

Luxurious lodging in heart of city Andaz, Hyatt's upscale, boutique-inspired lifestyle hotel, will make its Japan debut in June, in one of Tokyo's newest and most distinguished business towers, Toranomon Hills.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Apr 3, 2014

No tickets available? Find a Bob Dylan-related event to get your fix

Not every Bob Dylan fan in Japan is going to nab a ticket for the musician's many shows, but don't worry — Dylan fever can be sated in other ways.
BASKETBALL / ONE-ON-ONE WITH ...
Apr 2, 2014

Big Bull Peppers proud to be underdog

The Japan Times features periodic interviews with players in the bj-league. Josh Peppers of the Iwate Big Bulls is the subject of this week's profile.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / A TASTE OF HOME
Apr 1, 2014

Pining for the communal flavor of Israeli cuisine

I thought I missed hummus. By which I mean: I missed being able to pick up a tub at the supermarket. But to hear an Israeli acquaintance talk of it is to learn that there is so much more to miss.

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