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LIFE / Travel / WALKING THE WARDS
Feb 2, 2007

Cabbages and kings

Those who live and work in Itabashi are hesitant when it comes to tallying up the highlights of this northwestern Tokyo ward. "There's really nothing remarkable here," says ballerina and homemaker Chieko Muraoka, 37. "It's quiet and small-scale, but we like it that way."
Japan Times
LIFE
Dec 24, 2006

Penmanship: A lost art is rediscovered

At this time of the year, you may have received and sent any number of Christmas cards. Or, in the Japanese tradition, you might still be panicking about writing all the New Year's postcards that the nation's army of mailmen and women endeavor to deliver on New Year's Day.
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Oct 27, 2006

Rooftop swing!

Supported by some of the biggest corporate names, the Ginza International Jazz Festival 2006 takes place on Nov. 3 (a national holiday) and Nov. 4. Last year's inaugural festival attracted 10,000 fans. This year's event, sponsored by Burberry and Mitsukoshi department store among others, once again brings...
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design / COUNTER CULTURE
Oct 13, 2006

Bringing it all back home

Meguro-dori, the street that runs west from Meguro Station, was once home to numerous imported-car showrooms, and not much else. Over the past few years though, it has gained fame as Tokyo's No. 1 interior shopping drag, lined with around 50 stores selling new and used furniture and assorted home wares...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Aug 26, 2006

EmmazMarket: for instruments from Mideast

As part of July's weekend Zushi Festival, Minoru Fushimi took the live stage in front of the station and, after introducing his instrument, began to play.
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Aug 6, 2006

Many happy returns to my Tokyo village past and present

As readers of this column last week may recall, I wrote there about a period in the early 1980s when my wife and I lived in the western Tokyo suburb of Soshigaya in Setagaya Ward. Three of our four children were born in the local hospital, and we have only the fondest memories of the old neighborhood....
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHEN EAST MARRIES WEST
Jul 1, 2006

A mite louder than mice: city gaijin vs. country gaijin

OK, so it's not the greatest conflict of all time. It's not Pepsi vs. Coke, Tom vs. Jerry or even Freddy vs. Jason. Plus it's not Japan-specific. The following swords of debate can be crossed in any nation at any time by anyone.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
May 30, 2006

Japan ready to battle 'culinary imperialists'

Earlier this year I was commissioned by a British newspaper to research a Japanese company called Hakudai, which was reputed to be putting whale meat into dog food.
Japan Times
LIFE / WEEK 3
May 21, 2006

Super-natural wine is flying off the shelves

Despite being everywhere -- in every part of our bodies and our daily lives -- chemicals have got a bad rep. Pollution, allergies, additives, colorings, flavorings, you name it, if it's bad for you, then "chemicals" are blamed.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Mar 7, 2006

'One size fits all' -- if only it were true

Picture and pity this: A woman holds up a sweet pair of the latest jeans in a shop mirror . . . only to see the reflection of her own thighs bulging out from behind.
Japan Times
Features
Feb 26, 2006

Tales of two cities

The seeds of political tension in Xinjiang are not hard to find.
Japan Times
Features
Jun 12, 2005

Shotengai

When sumo elder Futagoyama, the father of former grand champions Takanohana and Wakanohana, died of cancer two weeks ago, many sumo fans were deeply saddened at the loss of the charismatic, 55-year-old former ozeki. Many people prominent in varied walks of life expressed their sadness, as did members...
Japan Times
Features
Jun 12, 2005

Feast your eyes and more

When it comes to food in the Kansai region, Kyoto is not the first place that springs to mind. Kyoto folk, the saying goes, spend their money on good clothes, whereas people from Osaka spend their money on good food.
JAPAN
Jun 11, 2005

Vinegar fad shows no signs of souring as more take to drinking it straight up

Japanese tend to be quick to warm to a new fad and just as fast to abandon it.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Jun 10, 2005

Sushi Ouchi: There's nothing to fear in naturally good sushi

Entering an old-school Edomae sushi shop for the first time can be daunting -- even for the most self-confident of us. The welcome is often so vocal it verges on the aggressive. The cedarwood counters look scrubbed to the point of sterility, the gleaming bright interiors afford little sense of warmth...
COMMUNITY / LIFELINES
Apr 26, 2005

Chinese, a visa poser and used book sales

Chinese learning Is there a Chinese-language school in Tokyo that teaches Chinese to English speakers (only in English; my Japanese skills are beginner level)?
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / THEN AND NOW
Mar 4, 2005

Happy in the haze of a hanami hour

The 1830s wood-block print below depicts hanami (cherry-blossom viewing) on the banks of the Sumida River. A group of young women and girls are on an excursion, and, with their elaborate hairstyles and fancy, uniform kimono, it appears they are apprentice geisha from licensed quarters nearby. Like teenage...
BUSINESS
Dec 9, 2004

Banks' new service ploy a flop: Matsui

The latest strategy of banks to raise revenues via one-stop, across-the-board financial service shops is doomed to fail, the chief of online securities firm Matsui Securities Co. said Wednesday.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 16, 2004

Life plugging back in on Miyake

Economic activity, including postal services, is resuming on Miyake Island, 4 1/2 years after volcanic eruptions forced its inhabitants to flee in September 2000.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Oct 20, 2004

Designs for life

Whether you regard Sir Terence Conran as an ambitious visionary or a restless control freak, the fact is that this 73-year-old English designer and "lifestyle guru" stays forever busy. He designs chairs, sofas and vases; restaurants, bars and cafes; apartment rooms and hotels. He consults, he lectures...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Jun 27, 2004

A feast of culture on Hokkaido menu

Modernization and industrialization have ensured that the traditional lifestyle of the Ainu has been destroyed as thoroughly as the traditional customs of their Japanese neighbours.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
May 30, 2004

How shochu got its groove back

A young woman was seated at the counter, her long hair tumbling down to her shoulders and resting softly on her beige jacket. In a matching skirt and heels, her long slim legs were revealed. Classy and elegant, she looked like she was ready for a glass of Dom Perignon.
BUSINESS
May 12, 2004

Daiei links up with other businesses to target niche customers

Daiei Inc. is collaborating with other businesses for the sake of its survival after nearly collapsing three years ago.

Longform

Visitors to Kyoto walk along a street near Kiyomizu Temple in April. A popular tourist spot, Kyoto has seen what locals feel to be an overwhelming amount of tourists in 2024.
Is Japan ready for 60 million tourists?