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Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / IGADGET
Feb 18, 2009

A bigger, better netbook — and not quite an iPod killer

Touched up: Korean innovator iriver is firing off both barrels with its latest personal media player, the P20, a model it hopes will take some market share away from Apple's iPod touch. The P20 is a chunky device with impressive hardware credentials. Released in Japan as an 80-gigabyte model, the PMP...
EDITORIALS
Feb 8, 2009

NHK 24 hours worldwide

NHK last week began its new worldwide 24-hour all-English TV service. The expanded broadcasting will now extend into some 70 countries via satellite, cable and the Internet. That means more people in more places will now be seeing Japan much more of the time.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Jan 23, 2009

Crossing borderlines of consciousness

Most of us have experienced waking up in a strange room, perhaps in a hotel or a friend's house, and, for a split second, not knowing where we are — that fuzzy, vague feeling in the twilight zone between waking and dreaming. Imagine having those same feelings when waking up in your own, usually familiar,...
Japan Times
MULTIMEDIA / STYLE WISE
Jan 15, 2009

Goocy and Gozi but no more Green

Genki at Goocy Goocy (pronounced "goosey") is the local answer to the Western "fast-fashion" invasion that has recently swept Japan. It's a pet project by brand director Harumi Fukuda and designer Mary Fukumoto of high-end label Triptych.
Japan Times
MORE SPORTS
Dec 28, 2008

Facts about the Hakone Ekiden

Starting times: Jan. 2 at 8 a.m. (Tokyo to Hakone); Jan. 3 at 8 a.m. (Hakone to Tokyo)
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / ON THE ROAD
Nov 16, 2008

The Griso 8V can walk the walk

Many motorcycle manufacturers are larger than Moto Guzzi, but few have as rich a heritage. Founded in 1921, the legendary Italian marquee has been continuously producing motorcycles longer than any other European maker.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / HOTELS & RESTAURANTS
Nov 7, 2008

White truffles at the Ritz-Carlton

The Ritz-Carlton Tokyo will host a "Great Chefs of the World" dinner fair from Nov. 13 to 20 at the Forty Five French restaurant, featuring that rarest of delicacies, white truffles.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design / ON: DESIGN
Oct 28, 2008

Head for the future

JEAN SNOW
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Oct 10, 2008

A short trip to 'paradise' at Yokohama's Hakkeijima

Yokohama's close proximity to Tokyo — less than half an hour by express train on the various JR, Tokyu or Keihin Kyuko lines — makes it exceptionally easy to get to, and I'm always looking for an excuse to visit this friendly and cosmopolitan town.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Oct 2, 2008

Web society opts to stay anonymous

Like a lot of 20-year-olds, Kae Takahashi has a page on U.S.-based MySpace, and there is no mistaking it for anyone else's.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / HOTELS & RESTAURANTS
Sep 26, 2008

Autumn sweets, sake and afternoon tea

Autumn sweets at Hilton Odawara The Hilton Odawara Resort & Spa, about an hour by train west of Tokyo, is holding its Autumn Sweets Promotion in the hotel's first-floor Tealax- Lounge until Oct. 31.
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Sep 19, 2008

Tokyo Comedy Store ups the laugh factor

Live comedy about the absurdities of living in Japan and off-the-wall improvisation are showcased every month by the English- language performance troupe Tokyo Comedy Store.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Sep 4, 2008

Historical turn at Sydney biennale

The opening of the 16th Biennale of Sydney in June arrived on the heels of a national controversy in Australia, after police had removed works from an exhibition of renowned photographer Bill Henson in late May. Police deemed Henson's photographs of naked adolescent children to be indecent, although...
LIFE / Lifestyle
Aug 31, 2008

Is yours a sweet and eco-friendly home?

After hearing all the talk about climate change and global warming, many of us are now aware that we need to change our lifestyle in the battle to stop our planet from being a far less agreeable place to live.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT
Aug 31, 2008

Living a clean, green life

Sporting a smart, modern exterior, the home of Keiko and Yoshiyuki Shimizu and their children Ayano, 13, and Haruki, 11, in a residential area of Kawasaki, south of Tokyo in Kanagawa Prefecture, is full of fun features inside. The three- story house has a grassy garden on its flat roof, where you can...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Aug 28, 2008

Soundtracking Japan — again

So, you've got 73 minutes of play time to sum up the entire music culture of Japan. How would you do it? What would you include?
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / IGADGET
Aug 27, 2008

Sharing summer memories becomes even easier

Hard copy: Camcorder owners have always had it a bit tougher than their still-camera counterparts. Sharing their memories after the (usually) fun part of imitating a Hollywood cameraman involves more steps and more time, especially with high-definition video.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Aug 23, 2008

Risk-averse telecoms stifling innovation: Natsuno

One of Japan's top cell phone innovators says that for all his country's technological prowess, it could never have produced the iPhone.
JAPAN
Aug 13, 2008

Ainu stepping out of social stigma

SAPPORO — For someone who grew up ashamed of her ethnic identity, they are powerful words.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jul 31, 2008

Who are you calling 'Mummy's boy'?

'This is some screwy way for an adult to be spending his career, right?" laughs Brendan Fraser.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / IGADGET
Jul 23, 2008

New entry adds zing to Wii swing

In motion: Nintendo Co. became the big dog in the console-game arena by never resting too much on its laurels and always trying to squeeze one more success or innovation out of its best achievements. (For some reason, the name "Mario" keeps coming to mind.)
Japan Times
JAPAN / G8 SUMMIT 2008
Jul 9, 2008

Summit aiming to offset all its CO2 emissions

TOYAKO, Hokkaido — Debate on global warming can heat up sometimes, but the Group of Eight summit shouldn't be contributing to climate change.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jun 27, 2008

Ultramobile PC joins Panasonic Toughbooks

Panasonic's latest PC offering is small enough to cradle in one hand, yet strong enough to handle the rough and tumble of extreme environments.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Jun 27, 2008

A very green afternoon cuppa

Whenever I travel to Tokyo I make it a point to spend at least a good part of one day on a visit to Shibamata in Katsushika Ward. This lovely neighborhood tucked away in the remote northeastern corner of the city on the banks of the Edogawa River still retains some of the flavor of the Edo Period (1603-1867)....
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / IGADGET
May 21, 2008

Frame your memories in slideshow fashion

Kodak moments: One key advantage of digital photography over the traditional film and chemical approach is how you display your results. While you can print out your digital photos and then stick them up on your fridge or up on your mantle, just like in the old days of film, you can also do something...
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Mar 23, 2008

You'd have to be drunk to be fooled by Japan's booze commercials

A few weeks ago the Asahi Shimbun printed a letter from a 59-year-old man who complained about a TV commercial for Kirin's Tanrei, one of those beerlike beverages known as happoshu. In the spot, world-famous alpinist Ken Noguchi is seen climbing a mountain, the Gipsy Kings howling away on the soundtrack....
LIFE / Travel / ON THE ROAD
Mar 16, 2008

Why some of Japan's top cars can't be found here

Ever wondered why some of the best automotive achievements from Japanese carmakers never make it to Japan?
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Mar 14, 2008

Hanami among the mountain gods

Spring once again blushes the face of Japan, nowhere more so than in Yoshino, the nation's most famous sakura (cherry blossom) viewing destination and UNESCO World Heritage site. Each year, the sleepy mountain village in Nara Prefecture comes to life at the end of March in anticipation of the monthlong...
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Mar 7, 2008

Disney to work with two local animators

Animation fans will soon be treated to two new cartoons sprung from collaborations between Walt Disney Co. Japan and two Japanese animation companies, the local unit of the U.S. entertainment giant said Thursday.

Longform

Professional cleaner Hirofumi Sakurai takes a moment to appreciate some photographs in a Gotanda apartment whose occupant died alone.
The last cleanup: Life and death in a lonely Japan