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Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Jun 12, 2011

Enjoy art with alpine views

Back in the 1960s, a New York postal worker named Herbert Vogel and his librarian wife, Dorothy, began buying paintings. Using Herb's modest salary, and living off Dorothy's, they picked out affordable pieces that took their fancy — most of them by artists unknown at the time. By the early '90s, their...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Jun 12, 2011

Eccentric wanderer discovers his destiny in Meiji Japan

"Japan," asserts the fictitious character Lafcadio Hearn on page 97, "has chaos at its core. The closer one approaches that core, the deeper one fathoms the world of illusion and warped contradiction. Such a country is begging for citizens such as Yakumo Koizumi, that is, me."
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Jun 12, 2011

Memories of a missing mom

This is an intimate drama brimming with sadness, suspense and surprises as the search for a missing mother in Seoul gives us glimpses into the heart of a family.
BUSINESS
Jun 11, 2011

Toyota expects profit to shrink by over 30%

Toyota Motor Corp. said Friday it expects group operating and net profit for the current business year to drop more than 30 percent from the previous year after the March 11 earthquake and tsunami damaged key parts makers in northeast Japan.
Japan Times
JAPAN / CHUBU CONNECTION
Jun 11, 2011

Gifu college sets up manga program for French students

Ogaki Women's College in Gifu Prefecture will in July conclude a manga study partnership agreement with Paris-based academic institution Eurasiam.
EDITORIALS
Jun 11, 2011

Pursuing a new energy policy

The crisis at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant has prompted the government to launch a seemingly radical rethink of Japan's energy policy. On May 25, Prime Minister Naoto Kan announced that Japan will generate 20 percent of its electricity from renewable sources by the early 2020s, but without...
COMMENTARY
Jun 10, 2011

Round two for a U.N. workaholic

What's surprising about the probable confirmation of incumbent United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki Moon for a second five-year term is not its near-certainty. It is the virtual lack of controversy surrounding it.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / BY THE GLASS
Jun 10, 2011

Koshu wine gets uncorked abroad

On June 19, Shizen, a white wine made in Japan with the native Koshu grape, will make its debut at Vinexpo, Bordeaux. By exhibiting at one of the wine industry's most important events, Ernest Singer, the man behind Shizen and a project to improve winemaking in Japan, is declaring his confidence in Koshu...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jun 10, 2011

'The Disappearance of Alice Creed' / 'The Tempest'

It couldn't have been more than five minutes into "The Disappearance of Alice Creed" when my girlfriend leaned over and asked: "What kind of a movie did you say this is?" It was just at the point where Gemma Arterton was tied spread-eagled to a bed with a ball-gag in her mouth, and her burly kidnappers...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Jun 10, 2011

"People Who Lived in the Azuchi-momoyama and Edo Periods: Portraits, Genre Paintings and Ukiyo-e"

Nara Prefectural Museum of Art has in its collection nihonga (Japanese painting) works mainly from the Edo Period (1603-1867), which were donated to Nara Prefecture by Kanpo
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jun 10, 2011

'X-Men: First Class'

After watching a movie such as "X-Men: First Class," you really don't want to sit down at some steel gray desk and write about it. Turning aerial somersaults while telepathically transmitting brilliant sentences into your laptop sounds more the thing to do.
EDITORIALS
Jun 9, 2011

Groundless call for coalition

After Prime Minister Naoto Kan survived a no-confidence motion on June 2, Democratic Party of Japan Secretary General Katsuya Okada started calling for the formation of a grand coalition between the DPJ and the Liberal Democratic Party.
CULTURE / Art
Jun 9, 2011

World's third-largest art fair ups profile of Asian works

For Japanese artists in need of international exposure, Hong Kong, it seems, is their closest window to the world. Last month, the city's international art fair, ART HK 2011, now in its fourth year, attracted art-lovers from all over the world, including many from mainland China, where the booming economy...
COMMENTARY
Jun 9, 2011

China-Pakistan strategic ties deepen

After the daring U.S. raid that killed Osama bin Laden in his hideout next to Pakistan's premier military academy, Islamabad has openly played its China card to caution Washington against pushing it too hard. And China has been more than eager to show itself as Pakistan's staunchest ally.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jun 9, 2011

On tour: Okamoto's rock out at Vietnam fest

The sun had just set when Okamoto's took the stage at the CAMA Festival in Hanoi. We opened with "The 'M' Song" and about halfway through, I could see the crowd getting into it. By the end of the set, I had them speaking Japanese.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 8, 2011

Dial Mladic for mass murder

The old saying about the importance of justice appearing to be done as well as being done is perhaps even more relevant to international than national politics.
JAPAN
Jun 8, 2011

Official probe begins into nuclear disaster

An independent panel of experts launched a probe Tuesday into the crisis at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant amid strong domestic and international criticism that the government and Tepco have bungled their response.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / TECH_JAPAN
Jun 8, 2011

Express yourself with a wiggle of Necomimi or make music with the Ningen Gakki

One of the fun things about writing about Japanese technology is that every once in a while you come across a device that elicits both genuine admiration and a jaw-dropping reaction. And I'm delighted to report on two such gadgets today, both of which have generated some pretty significant Internet buzz....
JAPAN / ANALYSIS
Jun 7, 2011

Probe poised to take Tepco to task

Shortly after 7 a.m. on March 12, Prime Minister Naoto Kan confronted Masao Yoshida, director of the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant, at the compound in Okuma, Fukushima Prefecture.

Longform

Eme-Ima Kitchen is one of over 10,000 kodomo shokudō in Japan. A term first used in 2012 to describe makeshift eateries offering free or cheap meals to disadvantaged kids, it now refers to a diverse range of individuals, groups and organizations working to provide not only food but a sense of belonging to both children and adults.
Japan’s ‘children’s cafeterias’ are booming — but is that a good thing?