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Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Apr 10, 2009

Mark Wahlberg:'You are what you are'

Before the telephone interview, I am advised by an assistant to the star not to mention the name Marky Mark, by which Boston-born Mark Wahlberg became famous as a rapper after achieving notoriety as a male underwear model for Calvin Klein. These days, I am informed, Wahlberg is trying to consolidate...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Apr 10, 2009

Rule book ditched in making 'Red Cliff' films

In Asia, Chang Chen is famed for his cool, gangtserish good looks and his irreverent manner.
COMMENTARY
Apr 9, 2009

The lighter side of North Korea's launch

BEVERLY HILLS, California — Some things you just don't joke about. Certain developments in the course of human affairs are decidedly not funny. What's a perfect example, right off the top of my head? Oh, how about North Korea's missile launch over the weekend?
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Apr 8, 2009

Language shows the resurgence of being kechi

"Nai sode wa furenai (無い袖は振れない)" was a phrase that an old man in my neighborhood used to say many, many years ago. Whenever anyone within hearing range complained about their lack of money, the cost of living or rising taxes, he pulled out this standby comment as a way of summing up the...
BASKETBALL / NBA / NBA REPORT
Apr 8, 2009

Iverson has worn out his welcome in Detroit

NEW YORK — Allen Iverson, who will miss the rest of the season with a "back injury" that sidelined him for 16 games, said he would rather retire at season's end than come off the bench for 17 minutes per game.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / JUST BE CAUSE
Apr 7, 2009

'Golden parachutes' mark failure of race-based policy

Japan's employment situation has gotten pretty dire, especially for non-Japanese workers. The Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry reports that between last November and January, more than 9,000 foreigners asked the Hello Work unemployment agency for assistance — 11 times the figure for the same period...
Japan Times
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Apr 5, 2009

Marines show mettle in comeback victory

CHIBA — The Chiba Lotte Marines squandered a two-run lead in their first game against the Seibu Lions.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / INSIDE LOOK
Apr 5, 2009

Dreaming of a hoop career back in Japan

NEW YORK — Editor's note: After appearing in 105 games for Columbia University and ending his college career third on the school's all-time 3-pointers made list (173), shooting guard K.J. Matsui took time away from his busy academic workload to reflect on his playing days and look ahead to the future....
Japan Times
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Apr 4, 2009

Seabol, Carp beat Giants in opener

After more than a decade of disappointing finishes, the Hiroshima Carp feel they're ready to compete with the Central League's best.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives
Apr 4, 2009

Nihonshu evangelist preaches heady mix of culture, taste

John Gauntner appreciates a great destination, but for him, it's really about the journey. With five books published on sake, and as the only non-Japanese to be recognized as a kikizake meijin (accomplished sake taster) for accuracy in sake tasting, Gauntner is widely considered the leading English-speaking...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Mar 28, 2009

From a shady past to helping others

Kabukicho is Tokyo's infamous entertainment district and suburb of sleaze. A heavily populated square of sleepless activity northeast of Shinjuku Station, it is home to a haphazard mix of movie theaters, hostess bars, strip clubs, and seedy nightclubs. An illicit atmosphere permeates the air.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / HOOP SCOOP
Mar 28, 2009

Big man in the middle Sun helping Phoenix's ascent

Any professional basketball team would welcome the option of having a 236-cm center. In a sport that places a premium on height, an inside tower gives a team power.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 26, 2009

Japanese whiskey talk of town

Toru Itakura sipped whiskey from plastic cups as showgirls cavorted, bagpipes played and a little bit of Scotland came to Tokyo at a sampling for connoisseurs.
Japan Times
SOCCER / SOCCER SCENE
Mar 26, 2009

Okada reaps the benefits as Hasebe builds on potential

Shunsuke Nakamura and Yasuhito Endo will be expected to provide the artistry in Japan's World Cup qualifier at home to Bahrain on Saturday, but no player can build a cathedral without someone to carry the bricks.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC
Mar 25, 2009

Heavens align for leading man Ichiro

LOS ANGELES — A star actor always draws the spotlight in the end.
BASKETBALL / NBA / NBA REPORT
Mar 25, 2009

Brown's flexibility helping Cavaliers excel

CLEVELAND — Normally, a hiring of a coach ahead of a general manager is an NBA recipe for restiveness, if not all-out revolution.
Japan Times
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC
Mar 24, 2009

Japan dumps U.S. in semis

LOS ANGELES — Tatsunori Hara and Samurai Japan wanted to beat the United States at its own game almost as much as they wanted to defend the World Baseball Classic title.
Japan Times
Events / WHERE IT'S AT
Mar 17, 2009

Students project art with passion

It seems anything is possible at The American School in Japan. Take the standard procedure of inviting a guest to talk to the students. Most schools would settle for a well-known alumni; ASIJ gets Colin Powell and George Bush Sr. Now they're trying something new: a residency program where scholars or...
BUSINESS / JAPANESE PERSPECTIVES
Mar 16, 2009

Survival instincts need rethink before killer disease spreads

We used to think that SARS was the killer disease. No doubt it still is. But at least it seems dormant for the moment. In its place we now have a potentially more potent epidemic going around that looks set to engulf the whole world. I hereby christen that disease SLICS. This is short for "So long as...
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / ONE-ON-ONE WITH ...
Mar 10, 2009

Tennichi searching for key to keeping defending champions on top

The Japan Times will be featuring periodic interviews with individuals in the bj-league — Japan's first professional basketball circuit — which began its fourth season in October. Head coach Kensaku Tennichi of the three-time defending champion Osaka Evessa is the subject of this week's profile....
Japan Times
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC
Mar 8, 2009

Ichiro ends slump, Japan routs S. Korea

Ichiro Suzuki called Japan's second loss to South Korea in the 2006 World Baseball Classic, "the most humiliating day of my baseball career."
Japan Times
JAPAN / Science & Health / NATURAL SELECTIONS
Mar 8, 2009

Looking forward to a 200-year-old human

If you believe everything you read about the health-giving properties of the traditional Japanese diet — and if you were to eat traditionally every day — you might expect to live to at least 150, in rude health.
Japan Times
CULTURE
Mar 6, 2009

Redefining defiance for a modern Japan

More than 3 million people are likely to tune into the second installment of NHK drama "Jiro Shirasu" on Saturday night — and chances are, most will be waiting expectantly for the re-enactment of one particularly famous episode from the subject's life.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 28, 2009

Power of words eludes politicians

Japanese prime ministers aren't known for the impact they make with their words, or straight talk with the public.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Feb 27, 2009

Angela Aki turns to the keys for answers

"I search for answers a lot in life when I feel like I don't know which way to go or what's right or wrong," says singer-songwriter Angela Aki. "So I turn to the piano and search for the answers through songs, and I figured in the end that the searching process has all the answers you are truly looking...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Feb 27, 2009

Humans, not cogs

Twenty-six years after it premiered at the Cottlesloe Theatre in London, David Mamet's "Glengarry Glen Ross," which caused a sensation in 1983 with its horrific yet realistic depiction of the dog-eat-dog real-estate business in a recession-hit America, could almost be considered a classic. The play went...
COMMENTARY
Feb 26, 2009

Liberal Democratic parties: up and down?

Big crises like the current recession change a lot of things that once seemed to be a permanent part of the landscape. In Japan the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), which has governed the country for all but nine months of the past half-century, is about to go over a cliff.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Feb 25, 2009

The character of a culture resides in its language

Defining people by their ethnicity while virtually ignoring their cultural background has always been both dumb and dangerous, but there is a growing appreciation among business leaders, diplomats and politicians of the importance of understanding other cultures.
BASKETBALL / NBA / NBA REPORT
Feb 25, 2009

Many reasons why Hughes is on move again

NEW YORK — Considering the squall of trade winds that relayed the names of Amare Stoudemire, Vince Carter, Shaq, Richard Jefferson and Gerald Wallace throughout the NBA it's safe to say none of the deals blew us away or remotely provoked anyone to exclaim, "Like, whoa!"
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / ONE-ON-ONE WITH ...
Feb 24, 2009

Kinjo reaps benefits of workouts

The Japan Times will be featuring periodic interviews with players in the bj-league — Japan's first professional basketball circuit — which began its fourth season in October. Shigeyuki Kinjo of the Ryukyu Golden Kings is the subject of this week's profile.

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