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Japan Times
BASKETBALL
Oct 14, 2011

Gardow has expansion Jets prepared for takeoff

The bj-league's Eastern Conference is overflowing with newness this season.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Oct 14, 2011

'Captain America: The First Avenger'

Anyone who grew up reading comic books from decades past will surely recall the ubiquitous "Hey Skinny!" ads for the Charles Atlas bodybuilding program. They featured a pigeon-chested weakling named Joe who gets humiliated in front of his girlfriend by a beefy bully; after trying the Atlas program, Joe...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Oct 13, 2011

The Human League know you still want them

Emerging out of the late-1970s new-wave scene in the English industrial town of Sheffield alongside fellow electronic and synthpop luminaries such as ABC, Cabaret Voltaire and Heaven 17, The Human League was one of the bands that defined the sound of the '80s, with their distinctive plastic-glamour fashion...
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Oct 9, 2011

Early days of Ayako Koshino; miracle-worker maid; CM of the week: Japan Tobacco

Last Monday, NHK's latest six-month asa-dora (morning drama series) started. "Carnation" (NHK-G, Mon.-Sat., 8:45 a.m.) is a fictionalized version of the early life of Ayako Koshino, one of Japan's first Western-style fashion designers, who emerged during the Taisho Era (1912-26) and gave birth to three...
Japan Times
BASKETBALL
Oct 8, 2011

Geary, B-Corsairs prepared for inaugural campaign

The Yokohama B-Corsairs are neither terrible nor terrific right now. Simply put, they are a brand new team, and their history begins in earnest on Saturday.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / HOTELS & RESTAURANTS
Oct 7, 2011

Pretty in pink at The Peninsula Tokyo

As part of The Peninsula Tokyo's ongoing Enriching Your Life and Community campaign, the hotel is showing its support for Breast Cancer Awareness Month throughout October with Peninsula in Pink — a new Peninsula Hotels groupwide campaign to raise awareness and funds through signature pink-themed promotions....
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Oct 7, 2011

Helping Japan with a dance

Take any teenager nearly 10,000 km (6,000 miles) from home on their first-ever overseas trip and you are bound to reap wonder. For 16-year-old French ballerina Sylvie Guillem, who came to Tokyo with the Paris Opera Ballet School in 1981, that wonder grew into 30 years of mutual admiration.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Oct 6, 2011

Next Music From Tokyo alumni give the freshmen some advice

The odds have got to be nearly impossible. You and your pals have just formed a band and along comes a guy who loves your music and offers to pay for you to play overseas. Well, that's exactly what happened to Tokyo band Owarikara.
CULTURE / Music
Oct 6, 2011

Second Royal

Record label Second Royal won't just be putting on a concert this Sunday in their hometown of Kyoto, but rather a state-of-Japanese-indie-music address. The imprint's event at Club Metro features some of Japan's most buzzed (and blogged) about artists going today. Past gigs point to this being a great...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / How-tos / HOME TRUTHS
Oct 4, 2011

Buying a brand new home: cookie cutter or order made?

We went for the six-pack of beer, which the manufactured-housing company was giving away to the first 10 people who came to inspect its new model homes. Competition is fierce among Japan's many manufactured home builders, and the one we were visiting is No. 10 in terms of units sold per year, though...
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / ONE-ON-ONE WITH ...
Oct 3, 2011

Scoring standout, defensive ace Parker brings fresh energy to Shimane

The Japan Times features periodic interviews with players in the bj-league. Michael Parker of the Shimane Susanoo Magic is the subject of this week's profile.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Oct 2, 2011

Press miss the point at antinuke demo

Three weeks after Japan's biggest antinuclear demonstration, there is still some dispute over how many people actually attended. The organizers estimate 60,000 and the police say about 30,000. Except for the Yomiuri and Sankei newspapers, which accept the police figure, the mainstream vernacular media...
BASKETBALL / HOOP SCOOP
Sep 30, 2011

NBA players could have positive impact on game in Japan

The NBA's ongoing woes could trigger the entire cancellation of the 2011-12 season. And if that happens, nobody would be surprised.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / TECH_JAPAN
Sep 28, 2011

A brand new touchscreen device for every pocket

It has been a rough year for Sony after its PlayStation Network security breach this past spring. But it has enjoyed a bit of a respite after rolling out its new pair of tablets this past month, as well as showing off its forthcoming handheld game device, Vita, at Tokyo Game Show.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Sep 27, 2011

KDDI goes WiMAX with new handsets

Aiming to differentiate itself from its smartphone rivals, KDDI Corp. unveiled a new handset lineup Monday that features models compatible with the high-speed WiMAX network.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design / ON: DESIGN
Sep 27, 2011

Upgrading the ordinary

Ice-cool statements Here's a fun example of the power of design: Turning something as simple as ice cubes into a political/environmental statement.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Sep 26, 2011

Will K-cars save the domestic automotive industry?

In the wake of the March 11 disaster, mini-cars come into their own.
Japan Times
JAPAN / CHUBU CONNECTION
Sep 24, 2011

Hosts remember victims of Christchurch quake

The powerful earthquake that struck the New Zealand city of Christchurch on Feb. 22 took the lives of many people, including a group of Japanese students from Toyama College of Foreign Languages who were on a monthlong program studying overseas.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / HOTELS & RESTAURANTS
Sep 23, 2011

Flavors of Italy at New Otani Tokyo

The Hotel New Otani Tokyo is offering a special Italian fair featuring seasonal fall flavors at its Western buffet-style restaurant, Top of the Tower, through Nov. 30.
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Sep 23, 2011

Restaurants to lower prices during event

For many, French dining may give off an impression of being extremely formal and a bit too pricey. Diners Club International hopes to fix that.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Sep 22, 2011

Women grow into a driving force for online gaming

Like many young women, Takako Suzuki says the first thing she does most days is think about who her next boyfriend should be. Her choices: a cute millionaire, a butler or a samurai.
Japan Times
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Sep 18, 2011

Carp's Sarfate keeps focus on game, not records

In 2010, it was Hanshin Tigers outfielder Matt Murton who broke the Japanese baseball record for most hits in a season when he banged out 214 safeties in his first year playing in the country.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / WILD WATCH
Sep 18, 2011

Reflecting on icons of 'cute'

Although watching wildlife is not for everyone, countless hordes of visitors flock to zoos when tiger cubs or a Giant Panda baby first go on show, when penguins are on parade, or when young animals are present in the petting section. Why is that?
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / ONE-ON-ONE WITH ...
Sep 18, 2011

Energetic leader Nakamura looks to build special team in Akita

The Japan Times features periodic interviews with personalities in the bj-league. Coach Kazuo Nakamura of the Akita Northern Happinets is the subject of this week's profile.
Japan Times
JAPAN / CHUBU CONNECTION
Sep 17, 2011

Fuel cell generator for homes takes off

Nagoya-based Toho Gas recently announced that it sold its 1,000th fuel cell unit since the household power generators hit the market in May 2009.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Sep 17, 2011

American out to save boat-building art

Douglas Brooks is a man on a mission. A boat builder and craftsman originally from Connecticut, Brooks is committed to helping keep afloat the dying craft of traditional boat building in Japan.

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