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Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / HOTELS & RESTAURANTS
Jan 9, 2014

Stay plan for Tokyo marathoners; New year lunches in Kobe; meals from the movies

Stay plan for Tokyo marathoners
Japan Times
CULTURE
Jan 9, 2014

Tao makes the cut in new drama

At age 28, actress and model Tao Okamoto is already one of the few women in history — along with actress Farrah Fawcett and Jennifer Aniston's Rachel character from "Friends" to name a couple — to have a haircut named after her.
Japan Times
Events / Events In Tokyo
Jan 9, 2014

Taste some local fun at Tokyo Dome

Whenever you crave a home-made meal, chances are you'll head straight to your hometown or mom's house for a taste of your childhood. Failing that, though, you could visit the Furusato Matsuri at Tokyo Dome City in Tokyo's Suidobashi district, where all kinds of local foods and specialties from across...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jan 9, 2014

'Dangerous Liaisons'

Dangerous Liaisons" is compelling, not necessarily because of its content but because this is a Chinese movie adapted from an 18th-century French novel by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos. It has exactly zero working-class characters, not counting the occasional maid. That's an event in itself. A decade ago,...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LABOR PAINS
Jan 8, 2014

Restore the shuttered-up New Year's of yore

First of all, I would like to wish a happy new year to all the readers of Labor Pains. While labor news has generally been a gloomy topic of late, it is my hope that this year will bring brighter things for me to write about.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 8, 2014

Luminaries' statement slams Henoko base deal

Twenty-nine scholars, peace activists, writers, artists and a Nobel laureate issue a statement condemning the decision to relocate the Futenma base to Henoko and comparing opposition to the move with America's civil rights movement.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 8, 2014

Foreign delinquency presents special challenges

Sitting in a dimly lit room at a training school for juvenile delinquents in Tokyo, an 18-year-old Brazilian-Japanese boy reflects on his misdeeds.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Jan 5, 2014

Impress your hosts with osechi meanings

Shōgatsu (正月, New Year) is the time when most Japanese carry out certain religious rituals, though many of them may not realize what they do has religious significance.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jan 5, 2014

Chinese gaming mecca attempts to shed its gaudy image

Walk into a casino in China's gambling mecca of Macau, and the first thing that strikes you is the silence. There's no blaring music, no sharp cries of victory; all you hear is the rustle of clothing, a hushed conversation, the occasional thump on a table — subtle signs of fortunes being made and lost....
JAPAN / Media / DARK SIDE OF THE RISING SUN
Jan 4, 2014

Here's eyeing Japan 2014 — warts an' all

"To know the future, look at the past," is a familiar Buddhist aphorism. However, it's also said that a prophet isn't honored in his hometown — which is why I live in Tokyo. As we ride into the Year of the Horse, I thought I'd canter awhile through times to come and report back on what I found. My...
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 3, 2014

Let's score leaders by deeds

2013 has too many anti-heroes. We need to have leading newspapers, universities or think tanks judge world leaders' performances as if they were in a league.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 3, 2014

Has the world hit the end of the end of history?

Almost 25 years after the intellectual and political collapse of communism, another — and by far grander — narrative of promised progress is unraveling: that of liberal capitalism.
Japan Times
JAPAN / GETTING SERIOUS ABOUT ENGLISH
Jan 2, 2014

Schools fret about assistant teachers ahead of proposed 2020 reforms

With education reform expected to place a great deal of emphasis on English, officials worry about the uneven quality of foreign assistant language teachers.
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Jan 2, 2014

Kemari: a whole old ball game

The year of FIFA World Cup is upon us, with Brazil getting ready to host, and Japan scheduled to go head-to-head against Cote d'Ivoire, Greece and Colombia in June for a spot in the final 16. If six months is too long to wait, though, check out the ancient sport of kemari, to be held in Kyoto's Shimogamo...
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jan 2, 2014

Public's reaction to 'betrayal'

In light of the recent enact of the state secrets protectiion law, it is urgent that Japan improve its handling and disclosure of government information.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jan 2, 2014

Our movie highlights of the coming year

Another year, another raft of unmissable movies. Here are the most hotly anticipated releases for JT film critics Mark Schilling, Kaori Shoji and Giovanni Fazio — get them in your diary now.
Japan Times
CULTURE
Jan 1, 2014

Lucky food, charming decorations and visiting deities: welcoming the new year with history and tradition

Wearing kimono, getting together with family and friends, and not working for the first three days of a new year. Shogatsu, or New Year's, is when Japanese generally work less than the rest of the world.
Japan Times
SPORTS
Jan 1, 2014

The most viewed sports stories of 2013

The sports story most read online in the year in which Japan won the bid for the 2020 Olympics should come as no surprise. Baseball fans had plenty to celebrate, and figure-skating followers had no shortage of drama. Let's hope to see some Sochi gold medals in this round-up next year.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World / NEW YEAR SPECIAL
Jan 1, 2014

History overshadows present and future Japan-China relations

Can Japan and China find a way to reduce the risk of conflict, and prevent continuing hostilities that could last decades? Can they peacefully coexist in the new era when they are both great powers?
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 31, 2013

Abe's quest to revive, reshape nation rides on the economy

Just six months ago, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was riding high after his party swept the Upper House election. Now things aren't looking so rosy.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 31, 2013

Five lessons of 2013, guaranteed to be forgotten

One important lesson from 2013 is that we should beware political pronouncements posing as economic forecasts. The U.S. economy had its biggest increase in quarterly GDP in nearly two years despite the government 'shutdown effect.'
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Dec 31, 2013

Cork: Meals start from the wine list at this L'As spinoff

As we gallop into 2014, how better to start this Year of the Horse than with a toast? Sake may be traditional on this auspicious day, but wine is just fine — as long as the setting is as bright and shiny as this brave new year, and if there's great food to match. Cork fits the bill perfectly.
EDITORIALS
Dec 30, 2013

Too young for motherhood

Motherhood in childhood has become a huge global problem. Every year in developing countries, 7.3 million girls — or 20,000 per day — below the age of 18 give birth in developing countries. Two million of these mothers are below the age of 15.

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