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Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 10, 2013

Confectioner's free 'obligatory chocolate' machines prove subway hit

Two vending machines at the Marunouchi Line's subway stop in Tokyo's Shinjuku Station are passing out free chocolate, attracting swarms of customers ahead of Valentine's Day.
JAPAN / Media
Feb 9, 2013

Are filmgoers finally rejecting screen violence?

In theaters, the movies might look the same. But perhaps now we see them differently.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Feb 8, 2013

Life under the kotatsu — let the upper body fend for itself

I'll never forget my first winter in Japan when I heard that some Japanese people sleep under the kotatsu.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Feb 7, 2013

Tadasu Takamine's not so 'Cool Japan'

In May 2011, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry promoted the idea of "Cool Japan," presenting Japanese culture as a product amid the confusing circumstances after the Great East Japan Earthquake. As Japan continues to suffer a declining population and weak economy, it was a government attempt...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Feb 7, 2013

Is this the art of noise?

If art is something that you want to feel comfortable with in your home, then Haroon Mirza is probably not your man. As the winner of the 2012 Daiwa Foundation Art Prize, British-born, ethnic-Pakistani artist Mirza is being introduced to Tokyo's art connoisseurs with a show at SCAI THE BATHHOUSE.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Feb 7, 2013

Dirty Beaches draws from Serbian film on new album

Alex Zhang Hungtai is constantly in motion. The Taiwanese-born artist, who performs under the name Dirty Beaches, has said in interviews the idea of "home" doesn't mean much to him. He's lived in Taipei, Honolulu, Shanghai and Montreal, and is an avid traveler on top of that. This feeling of always being...
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Feb 5, 2013

Missteps bedevil U.S. counterterrorism efforts in Africa

The U.S. military was closely tracking a one-eyed bandit across the Sahara in 2003 when it confronted a hard choice that is still reverberating a decade later. Should it try to kill or capture the target, an Algerian jihadist named Moktar Belmoktar, or let him go?
JAPAN
Feb 4, 2013

Closer fault study raises Kyushu quake threat

The possibility of Kyushu being hit by a magnitude 6.8 or stronger temblor within 30 years is between 30 to 42 percent under newly revised criteria, a recent report by the government's earthquake research panel shows.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / JUST BE CAUSE
Feb 4, 2013

Keep Abe's hawks in check or Japan and Asia will suffer

On Jan. 1, The Japan Times' lead story was "Summer poll to keep Abe in check." It made the argument that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's Liberal Democratic Party alliance falls short of a majority in the Upper House, so until elections happen this summer he lacks a "full-fledged administration" to carry...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media
Feb 4, 2013

Puppy Bowl grows in leaps, bounds

When reporters from The New Yorker, "NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams," "Good Morning America," The Associated Press and The Washington Post, have all converged upon one event, it must be important. An appearance by the president. A press conference about dignified matters, with plenty of throat-clearing...
Reader Mail
Feb 3, 2013

Leave Japanese courses alone

Regarding the Jan. 30 Kyodo article "U.K. plan to limit Japanese worries language teachers": While Japanese could be considered a luxury item on the curriculum, ironically, the same label could also be applied to subjects such as art, music, drama, dance and even English, science and math!
BASKETBALL
Feb 3, 2013

Osaka coach Cartwright puts focus on fundamentals

Osaka Evessa bench boss Bill Cartwright reveals what he thinks are important traits for the team leader after landing his first head coaching job since guiding the Chicago Bulls from 2001-03.
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Feb 3, 2013

Citizens' lack of resolve leaves nuclear door wide open for next disaster

Second of two parts
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Feb 3, 2013

Woodford details scandal, but vengeance is not his

Why then did the Englishman who had it all decide to throw away his successful 30-year career at the Japanese corporate icon to blow the whistle on his fellow directors?
CULTURE / Books
Feb 3, 2013

Japan's medical system skewed toward men in treating depression

DEPRESSION IN JAPAN: Psychiatric Cures for a Society in Distress, by Junko Kitanaka. Princeton University Press, 2011, 264 pp., $29.95 (paperback) Twenty-first century Japan is in the throes of a depression epidemic. Until the late 1990s, mental depression was not widely diagnosed or treated in Japan,...
Japan Times
JAPAN / CHUBU CONNECTION
Feb 2, 2013

'Cosplay' students promote Nagoya's highlights

Running away with a win against a Memphis team in disarray after trading away top scorer Rudy Gay, the Oklahoma City Thunder found a way to come unhinged, too.
EDITORIALS
Feb 1, 2013

End the abuse of athletes

Fifteen of Japan's top female judo athletes, including Olympic contenders, should be praised for standing up against coaching violence and harassment.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Feb 1, 2013

Moonrise Kingdom

Wes Anderson is one of those directors who, love him or hate him, has been remarkably consistent. Each film, from "Rushmore" right on down, is an artfully constructed and totally hermetic world unto itself, with flawed or absent father-figures, a closet's worth of funky-yet-chic pop-culture knickknacks...
Japan Times
JAPAN / EMBASSY AVENUE
Feb 1, 2013

Events highlight the Cote d'Ivoire of today

The Cote d'Ivoire of today is being presented during the Month of Cote d'Ivoire event at the Japan International Cooperation Agency's Global Plaza in Tokyo through Feb. 10.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Feb 1, 2013

Dedication on a plate in 'Jiro Dreams of Sushi'

To be a shokunin (artisan) in Japan means, among other things, rising in the morning to do the exact same thing as yesterday and the day before and the day before.
Japan Times
Events / Events In Tokyo
Feb 1, 2013

Carp expo hopes to make waves with enthusiasts

The love of nishikigoi, an ornamental carp with characteristically red and black patterns, has recently spread worldwide, spawning a variety of koi (carp) clubs, associations and periodicals in various regions and languages. Anyone interested in taking a peek into this vibrant hobbyist culture of keeping,...

Longform

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Japan’s sauna movement: Relax, refresh, repeat