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JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Oct 21, 2007

TV in cahoots with the shamed Kameda boxing clan

In the fuss over the Oct. 11 WBC flyweight title match between 33-year-old world champion Daisuke Naito and 18-year-old contender Daiki Kameda, the media has been the object of criticism as much as Kameda, who has since been punished with a one-year suspension by the Japan Boxing Commission for rules...
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Oct 19, 2007

Berlin-based artists unite

Writer Yoko Tawada and jazz pianist Aki Takase will perform together on Nov. 2 as part of Art Complex 2007, a new project held by Kanagawa Kenmin Hall, which combines chamber music, art, theater and contemporary dance.
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Oct 19, 2007

Tea-lovers gather for Sencha-do

An event to enjoy Sencha-do (the way of green tea) will be held on Oct. 27 at the Mukojima Hyakkaen Botanical Garden in Tokyo's Sumida Ward. The ceremony is more relaxed than an ordinary tea ceremony, allowing participants to enjoy tea and Japanese tradition in their regular clothes — so you can leave...
CULTURE / Art
Oct 18, 2007

Eight must-sees as Mori Art embraces 'excess'

Chu Enoki, "RPM-1200" (2005): Chu's work is a standout, a shining metal city made of what look like industrial drill bits, massive screws and saw blades. It's a perfect example of the use of excess in a number of the works in the exhibition to convey the chaos of the present day urban experience.
LIFE / Digital / IGADGET
Oct 17, 2007

From Big Brother marketing tools to powered Kitty-chan collectibles

Looks alone might not determine a person's character, but for marketing they are at least a good start. NEC certainly believes in the power of appearances, with its new FieldAnalyst camera. The device, in essence, judges passersby on the basis of their looks, determining their gender and approximate...
COMMENTARY / World / SENTAKU MAGAZINE
Oct 16, 2007

How long can Fukuda last?

In forming his Cabinet, Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda surrounded himself with "heavyweights" of his Liberal Democratic Party — powerful figures who head their respective intraparty factions. Although Fukuda is older than most of them, there is no denying that his lower level of experience makes him look...
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Oct 14, 2007

Obscure family drama, prefecture identities, national food issues

Idol-actress Aya Ueto does a serious number on her image in the new drama series "Abarenbo Mama" (Rowdy Mama; Fuji, Tuesday, 9 p.m.). Ueto plays Ayu, a tomboy from the countryside who speaks like a man and lacks feminine wiles. However, she falls for hairdresser Tetsu (Yo Oizumi), who's 12 years her...
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / 2007 NPB PLAYOFFS
Oct 13, 2007

Will mercurial Tigers end slump?

Here are five questions heading into the first stage of the Central League Climax Series between the Hanshin Tigers and Chunichi Dragons:
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Oct 12, 2007

Cleansing your mind with a little creativity

Nasu Kogen is proudly promoted as a vacation spot of the Imperial family. Judging by the numerous pamphlets at the station's welcome center, the area, about an hour and a half north of Tokyo, certainly wants to offer something for the whole family — but not necessarily the royals.
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Oct 12, 2007

Be baffled and awed

The New National Theatre, under the aegis of recently appointed director Hiroshi Wakasugi, opens its 2007/8 season with Richard Wagner's 1845 grand Romantic opera "Tannhauser."
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / ANIMAL TRACKER
Oct 10, 2007

Freshwater blue goby

* Japanese name: Ruri-Yoshinobori * Scientific name: Rhinogobius sp. * Description: Gobies have a slender body with a rather large head, bulbous eyes, fleshy cheeks and a full-lipped mouth, giving them something of a cartoon appearance. Males have shining bright blue spots on their cheeks and body....
JAPAN
Oct 9, 2007

'Bullet tours' bringing South Koreans for shopping

and Bae Seung Wan visit the Takashimaya department store in Tokyo's Shinjuku Ward. They traveled to Japan on a "bullet tour" via Japan Airlines chartered flights for an 18-hour stay in the capital on Sept. 26. KYODO PHOTO
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design / ON: FASHION
Oct 9, 2007

Actress Devon Aoki in Tokyo with Levi's, Toga in the parking lot and more

Denim diva
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / WALKING THE WARDS
Oct 5, 2007

All at sea in Shinagawa

In Edo Period Shinagawa, popular footwear included geta (traditional wooden sandals) perched on meter-high, box-frame stilts weighted down with large stones. A fashionista freakout? Not exactly. Turns out these uberplatforms, a pair of which are on display at the Shinagawa Historical Museum, were designed...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Oct 5, 2007

'The Good Shepherd'

Never date a spy, much less marry one. That's one of the important lessons (maybe the foremost) to be reaped from "The Good Shepherd," Robert De Niro's second film in the director's chair after his debut "A Bronx Tale" in 1993.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Oct 5, 2007

Don Ciccio: Channeling the flavors of Sicily

What distinguishes a trattoria from a full-blown, self-styled ristorante? It's not the decor, the size of the dining room or the proximity of your neighbors' table. Nor is it necessarily the quality of the cooking. We always know we're in trattoria territory when the staff seem to be enjoying themselves...
BUSINESS
Oct 4, 2007

McDonald's to set up Tokyo test kitchen

Fast-food titan McDonald's is opening a one-of-a-kind research and training facility in Tokyo later this month to streamline the operation of its 3,800 outlets nationwide, the company said Wednesday.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 3, 2007

Wealth related to the culture of nations

DAVIS, Calif. — Modern economists have turned Adam Smith into a prophet, just as communist regimes once deified Karl Marx. The central tenet they attribute to Smith — that good incentives, regardless of culture, produce good results — has become the great commandment of economics. Yet that view...
COMMENTARY
Sep 28, 2007

The politics of assassination

LONDON — The assassination of Lebanese politician Antoine Ghanem on Sept. 19 is likely to be used, predictably, to further U.S. and Israeli interests in the region. Most Western and some Arab media have argued that Syria is the greatest beneficiary from the death of Ghanem, a member of the Phalange...
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Sep 28, 2007

Little pianos; big pianists

Japan's first toy-piano concert by accomplished Japanese pianists will be held in Tokyo on Sept. 29.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Sep 27, 2007

Tokyo gallery walkabout

Tokyo's galleries have woken from their summer slumbers — or, more likely, beach naps — with a vengeance. The current wave of openings started out in the east, at the complex of galleries in Kiyosumi, with shows that are set to close this Saturday (two were reviewed here this month).
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / ANIMAL TRACKER
Sep 26, 2007

Horned turban shell

* Japanese name: Sazae * Scientific name: Turbo cornutus * Description: One of the most prized of all marine gastropods, the horned turban shell — more familiar to sushi aficionados as sazae — has a large, thick, green-gray shell and a snail-like body. The shell has about five spirals, which turn...
JAPAN
Sep 21, 2007

Nintendo launches DS wine adviser

Wine lovers will get more than their usual fill of Beaujolais Nouveau next month with a new Nintendo DS game that offers advice on wine tasting and manners.
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Sep 21, 2007

Miraikan's new moon

Why go to the moon when Miraikan brings the moon to you? To celebrate the season of the harvest moon, the National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation (Miraikan), located in Tokyo's Odaiba, will turn its 6.5-meter-diameter spherical LED display — usually reserved for same-day representations...
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design / ON: FASHION
Sep 18, 2007

Tokyo Look Book, Brazil Fashion Now, etc.

You get the look
BASKETBALL
Sep 17, 2007

'Samurai' spirit drives AND1's Morishita

Determined and fearless on the court, Yuichiro Morishita exhibits a work ethic that basketball coaches want every player to possess. And yet it's his nickname, "Samurai," that's made him a household name far, far away from his hometown of Amagasaki, Hyogo Prefecture.

Longform

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