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Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / HOTELS & RESTAURANTS
Jul 9, 2010

Watch the Jingu fireworks in style

For those wanting a great view of a popular fireworks festival in Tokyo, the Hotel New Otani Tokyo has some accommodation plans just for that purpose.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jul 9, 2010

Kreva keeps Japan's hip-hop heart beating

The last thing anyone expects one of the country's leading hip-hop artists to say about the scene he's part of is that it's uninspired. But for Japanese hip-hop veteran Kreva, that's the unfortunate truth. "There's not really anyone I'm excited to listen to right now," explained the artist offhandedly...
JAPAN / CHUBU CONNECTION
Jul 3, 2010

Foreigner suffrage, separate surnames stir passions in poll runup

Whether to grant permanent foreign residents voting rights for local-level elections and allow married couples to keep their respective surnames have become contentious issues ahead of the July 11 Upper House election.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jul 2, 2010

'Let the Right One In'

With the cinematic love story on the endangered species list (SATC has a lot to answer for), it's truly gratifying when something as romantic, lovely and sweetly satisfying as "Let the Right One In" appears on the horizon. It restores your faith in men. In dating. In the whole myth that someone special...
JAPAN
Jun 30, 2010

World's tweet is Japan's 'mumble' on hit Twitter

Twitter is a hit in Japan, succeeding where other social networking imports like Facebook have foundered as millions "mumble" — the translation of tweet — and give miniblogging a distinctly Japanese flavor.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / Japan Pulse
Jun 29, 2010

Morning ramen, breakfast of Tokyoites

Ramen. It's what's for breakfast.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / BACKSTREET STORIES
Jun 27, 2010

Cool (old) Japan flourishes along flowing rivers of Edo

In blistering midday heat, traffic blasts by, spitting out exhaust and grit at the busy intersection of Yotsume and Shin Ohashi Avenues. I've exited Sumiyoshi Station on the Toei Shinjuku Line, eager to find Sarue Onshi Park, said to be pretty with streams and water features. About to produce a water...
Japan Times
LIFE
Jun 27, 2010

Asahiyama's natural touch

Ivan the polar bear has been having relationship problems recently.
LIFE
Jun 27, 2010

Predator-prey relationships play large part in zoo's setup

For animals in the wild, life is defined by the relationship between predator and prey — but incorporating that dynamic into zoos can be extremely difficult.
JAPAN / CHUBU CONNECTION
Jun 26, 2010

Aichi's Radio-i soon to just be static

The recent news Aichi International Broadcasting Co. will terminate its FM radio service at the end of September because of a large deficit has sent shock waves through the industry in the Tokai region.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 22, 2010

BBC World Service's vices

HONG KONG — If there is one global voice that has a deserved reputation for truth, honesty, fairness, awareness, understanding and balance, it is the BBC, as almost everyone knows the British Broadcasting Corp., and its World Service radio programs.
JAPAN / CHUBU CONNECTION
Jun 19, 2010

Aichi industry groups unsure which way to vote

Vote-gathering moves by industry groups are likely to draw much attention in the July House of Councilors election as it is widely said "gaining the organizational support is the key" to winning the vote.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / HOTELS & RESTAURANTS
Jun 18, 2010

Couples see stars at the Grand Hyatt

The Japanese Tanabata star festival is celebrated on the night of July 7. Based on a Chinese legend, the night is the only time of year when the star Vega, the weaver, and the star Altair, the herdsman (lovers separated by the Milky Way) can see each other.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jun 17, 2010

New iPhone preorders cause long lines at stores

Japan is already wild for Apple Inc.'s latest iPhone.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Jun 16, 2010

The value of seemingly empty Japanese phrases

Japanese is often considered an indirect and ambiguous language, and that's because it is. The national character, too, often appears passive and indirect to non-Japanese. As a result, it can be tempting for newcomers to take a lead from Frank Sinatra and do things "My Way," and generally this works...
JAPAN / CHUBU CONNECTION
Jun 12, 2010

Tour execs woo Ieyasu's China fans

The cities of Okazaki, Toyota and Anjo, in the Mikawa region of Aichi Prefecture, are known as the hometown of the Tokugawa clan, which ruled the country for nearly 300 years from 1603 and laid the foundations of modern Japan.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / HOOP SCOOP
Jun 12, 2010

Okada top Japanese in bj-league

First in a two-part series
Japan Times
CULTURE / Japan Pulse
Jun 11, 2010

I want my Ustream TV

Don't have time to catch a particular gig? Thanks to new tech and sites like Ustream, you might be able to rock on from your cubicle.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jun 11, 2010

Midori grow up, but kids still love 'em

Parents beware: Hardcore jazz-punk three-piece Midori are back, and this time they're after your children.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design / STYLE WISE
Jun 10, 2010

Fashion that's global, customized, arty and everything

Rebecca Taylor's new look
EDITORIALS
Jun 8, 2010

Devolution plan still half-baked

The central government is expected to decide on a "strategic outline" this month for promoting devolution. The focus will be on relaxing rigid administrative rules imposed by the central government on local governments, changing subsidies from those with strings attached to grants that can be used freely,...
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Jun 6, 2010

2010 World Cup preview; Ryuichi Sakamoto on drum-and-bass; CM of the week: DoCoMo

Nobody expects the Japanese national team to go very far at the upcoming FIFA World Cup in South Africa, but that isn't going to stop television stations from dreaming. TBS will get the ball rolling, so to speak, on Thursday night with a special two-hour preview, "2010 FIFA World Cup Kaimaku Zenyasai"...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Jun 5, 2010

Niseko's real estate boom: Bigger picture in sight for local development

For some it was a flash in the pan, at best an experiment destined to fail, at worst a mini-bubble hyper-inflated by greedy "outsiders" with little interest other than the type accumulating in the bank.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Jun 3, 2010

Who's subscribing to Tokyo's new creative Tabloid?

If you want to launch a new cross-discipline creative space, you could do worse than invite pop diva Lady Gaga and flamboyant New York-based artist Terence Koh.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / Japan Pulse
Jun 2, 2010

Mixi helps users socialize with new apps

Following in the footsteps of Facebook, Mixi brings fun and functional apps to its user community. Anybody need a pantsu calendar?
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
May 30, 2010

IKKO's professionalism; Hidehiko Ishizuka returns to `Doyo Wide Gekijo'; CM of the week: Kincho

The theme of the profile series "Kokoro no Idenshi" (Genes of the Heart; NHK-G, Mon., 10 p.m.) is the "development of professionalism." This week's subject is TV personality IKKO, whose main appeal is his flamboyant feminine behavior and appearance. This being NHK, the focus is on his career as a hair...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
May 28, 2010

Contemporary works created in loving memory of the 'now'

"Memory does not belong to the past; it is the continuous present and future." Artist Kimio Tsuchiya's words speak volumes about "Plastic Memories — to illuminate 'now,' " currently showing at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo. Her work "Fragments of the Moon" (2004) features old bits of chipped...

Longform

Construction takes place on the Takanawa Gateway Convention Center in Tokyo, slated to open in 2025.
A boom for business tourism in Japan?