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Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Oct 16, 2013

'Edward II': The director's take

Two years ago, Shintaro Mori made his directorial debut at the New National Theatre, Tokyo, with a minimalist production of Samuel Beckett's absurdist masterpiece "Waiting for Godot." Now, at age 37, he's back there at the helm of probably one of the West's first-ever plays with an openly gay theme —...
Reader Mail
Oct 16, 2013

Kanji delays students' objectives

Regarding Shinjiru Kanda's Oct. 10 letter, "Kanji requirement for daily life": Today kanji serves only a decorative purpose in the Japanese language and daily life. It is not essential for communication or written expression when hiragana plus some katakana can do what kanji does.
COMMUNITY / Voices / COMMUNITY CHEST
Oct 16, 2013

Adoption and fostering, animal homes and a tribute: readers' mail

In response to a recent story about adoption and foster parenting in Japan, one woman recounts her life of doing both.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle / CHILD'S PLAY
Oct 15, 2013

Take the kids to the future at Miraikan

The National Museum for Emerging Science and Innovation stands prominently near the shore of Tokyo Bay, but it looks more like a space station on the edge of a far-off galaxy.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Oct 15, 2013

Perfume dances to No. 1 with hard-edged new album 'Level3'

"Level3" is No. 1 on Japan's Oricon music chart this week, but it is not a J-pop album.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Oct 12, 2013

U.S. role in aiding Pinochet

To bomb or not to bomb? That is the question that has been exercising self-proclaimed liberal interventionists over the past two decades, from Bosnia to Syria. The argument that divides public opinion across the Western world is how far military means can be used to punish dictators.
Japan Times
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Oct 11, 2013

How I bought drugs from 'dark net' — it's just like Amazon run by cartels

Dear FBI agents, my name is Carole Cadwalladr and in February this year I was asked to investigate the so-called dark net for a feature in a newspaper. I downloaded Tor on to my computer, the anonymous browser developed by the U.S. Navy, Googled "Silk Road drugs" and then cut and pasted this link silkroadvb5piz3r.onion...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives
Oct 11, 2013

Strays become woman's calling

It's a typical evening in the Mercer-Tojo household. Susan Mercer, 37, has just settled down their 2-year-old for the night, tucking him in as he cuddles with five or six cats. Several dogs prowl restlessly, eager for a pat or a kind word. Scooping a kitten off the floor, Mercer settles down to wait...
Japan Times
WORLD / Science & Health
Oct 11, 2013

Social polarization dated back to Stone Age

Social polarization wasn't invented yesterday. Ask the scientists studying the bones of prehistoric Europeans. Hundreds of skeletal remains, many from a newly discovered cave in Germany, have produced a startling reminder of the power of social boundaries.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design
Oct 10, 2013

Etw.Vonneguet designer draws inspiration from Pina Bausch for new collection

Under the alias "Olga," the Japanese designer behind Etw.Vonneguet has long been part of the official Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Tokyo, all the while challenging the institution by opening public auditions for models and welcoming anyone to her shows. This time she will break away from the official event...
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Oct 10, 2013

Yellen aims to take over Herculean effort at Fed

President Barack Obama formally nominated Janet Yellen as the 15th chair of the Federal Reserve on Wednesday, ensuring that the powerful U.S. central bank will be led for the next four years by someone who shares the basic philosophy of the current chairman, Ben Bernanke.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Society / FOCUS
Oct 8, 2013

As China targets graft, bribes abound in schools

For years, Yang Jie's friends warned her to save up for her daughter's education. Not for tuition or textbooks, but for the bribes needed to get into the city's better public schools.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 7, 2013

Averting conflict over water

In an increasingly water-stressed world, shared water resources are becoming an instrument of power, fostering competition within and between nations and impacting ecosystems.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives
Oct 4, 2013

Passion for swords led Briton to forge career as expert

Tucked away in a quiet residential street in Tokyo's Shibuya Ward, the Japanese Sword Museum offers a glimpse into an era where men staked their honor and their lives on the blade.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Oct 3, 2013

Double the trouble, twice the joy for Japan's hafu

Until about 10 years ago, the standard Japanese image of kids of mixed blood was that they were 1) gorgeous, 2) rich and 3) able to live in Japan with none of the kinks and hang out at Azabu clubs when they were 13. In high school, my girlfriends scorned their own Japanese heritage. The common reply...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Oct 2, 2013

'Kyoto from Inside and Outside: Scenes on Panels and Folding Screens'

Kyoto, the old capital of Japan, has harbored a rich traditional culture that has remained strong for generations. Focusing on large-scale works that present depictions of town life as well as seasonal views of the city, this exhibition reveals a detailed glimpse into the aesthetics of Kyoto culture....
Reader Mail
Oct 2, 2013

The fear of appearing henpecked

As for Mike Wyckoff's Sept. 26 letter, "The men that lack 'life skills,' " from The Japan Times Online, let me tell you about my husband, who used to work for a general trading company. Since our married life began, he has helped me wash dishes after dinner so that we can enjoy the evening hours together...
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 1, 2013

Business partnerships in the fight against poverty

The private sector must be a critical partner if we are to sustainably lift people out of poverty. It is small- and medium-size enterprises that consistently drive job creation and economic growth.
COMMENTARY / Japan / SENTAKU MAGAZINE
Sep 29, 2013

Unions mull a 'Labor Party'

The Japanese Trade Union Confederation, feeling somewhat estranged from the Democratic Party of Japan, is mulling the idea of realigning opposition parties into a labor party.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 29, 2013

Sanctions have warmed up Iran for an accord

As Iran's economy reels and President Hassan Rouhani shows interest in rapprochement with the West, it seems high time to reach a nuclear agreement with Iran.
Japan Times
WORLD / Society
Sep 29, 2013

Tattoos make inroads with 50 and older crowd

Thirty years ago, a good girl didn't walk into an establishment plastered with images of dragons and flames, hike her shirt up over one shoulder and let her body be injected with ink. Especially not if she was, like Darlene Nash, a 57-year-old grandmother.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Sep 29, 2013

Update on the Watazus of 14 children; special 'double Asanos' drama; CM of the week: Kinoko no Yama

The inter-season TV schedule always features specials dedicated to police videos, eating contests and large, impoverished families. In this third category we have "Binbo ni Makeru na" ("We Won't be Beaten by Poverty"; TV Tokyo, Mon., 6:30 p.m.), the 11th semiannual installment in the saga of the Watazus...
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / BACKSTREET STORIES
Sep 28, 2013

Solitude is where you find it

Under cartoon-blue skies washed by early-autumn typhoons, I stand at Sendaizaka-ue (summit of Sendaizaka Slope) in Tokyo's Minato Ward. Sendaizaka was named for daimyo lords from Edo Period (1603-1867) Sendai, now in Miyagi Prefecture, who maintained a yashiki (suburban home) on the slope that today...
Reader Mail
Sep 28, 2013

Urban planners miss the plot

The tale of local communities losing energy and activities, told by Amy Chavez in her Sept. 21 article, "The ancient pilgrimage routes and the local community," is disheartening. If I were hyperactive, I'd immediately go to clear pilgrimage paths with Ms. Chavez. But the true solution would be to halt...
WORLD / Science & Health
Sep 27, 2013

Report raises fear about toxic algae fed by pollution

They call it the green slime, a toxic ooze of algae that covered lakes and other bodies of water across the United States this summer, closing beaches and killing scores of dolphins, manatees, birds and fish, a report says.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 26, 2013

Mandatory organ donation

It is estimated that 18 people die in the U.S. every day due to a national shortage of organ donations. This crisis could be solved if organ donation were mandatory.

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