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WORLD
May 13, 2013

Cursive handwriting disappearing from schools

The curlicue letters of cursive handwriting, once considered a mainstay of American elementary education, have been slowly disappearing from classrooms for years. Now, with most states adopting new national standards that don't require such instruction, cursive could soon be eliminated at most public...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
May 12, 2013

Inose's lack of media savvy may have ruined Tokyo's Olympic bid

Two weeks ago, Tokyo Governor Naoki Inose gave an interview to the New York Times in which he violated International Olympic Committee rules by publicly bad-mouthing Istanbul and Madrid, the Japanese capital's two rivals to host the 2020 games.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
May 12, 2013

On the trail of ninja in Iga's shadowy past

The bright-pink ninja-emblazoned train isn't exactly the epitome of stealth as it cuts through the forested hills and rice paddies of Mie Prefecture. Neither are visitors' pint-size offspring who race excitedly up the paths of Ueno Park in the city of Iga shrieking their excitement at the prospect of...
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
May 12, 2013

Womens fashion fail-off; celebs discuss transgender issues; CM of the week: Boss

Everybody on TV knows their place and what's expected of them, so the "women's pride battle" on the variety show "London Hearts" (TV Asahi, Tues., 9 p.m.) needs to be qualified. What kind of women? Pride in what?
LIFE
May 12, 2013

Trendsetting U.S. craft beers pour into Germany

Almost 65 years after Allied planes flew Western supplies into blockaded Berlin, a new American import is arriving by air: craft beer.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
May 11, 2013

GungHo's smash hit title takes social gaming by storm

Thanks to the startling success of its smartphone game "Puzzle and Dragons," the spotlight is beaming brightly on GungHo Online Entertainment Inc.
SOCCER / PREMIER REPORT
May 11, 2013

Moyes facing monumental task in taking over for Ferguson

David Moyes has been constantly overlooked by England's top clubs.
Events / KANSAI: WHO & WHAT
May 11, 2013

Aoi Festival will be held Wednesday in Kyoto

The Aoi Festival, one of the three largest in Kyoto, will take place Wednesday.
JAPAN / Politics
May 10, 2013

Draft plan for national security council drawn up

A plan has been drafted to set up a national security council for the prime minister where four Cabinet ministers will meet to share top secret intelligence, government officials said Thursday.
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
May 10, 2013

Outlook is rosy at 15th annual garden show

It's that time of the year when things get rosy for flower lovers in Japan.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
May 10, 2013

'Eames: The Architect and the Painter'

Produced by Jason Cohn and Bill Jersey (there is no director credit), documentary "Eames: The Architect and the Painter" examines Charles and Ray Eames, one of the 20th century's most enduring and influential couples in industrial design. They were eccentric, too: In the film, a colleague of the Eames'...
EDITORIALS
May 9, 2013

New nuclear safety standards

One problem with the draft of new safety standards for nuclear power plants is that the job of anticipating the highest possible tsunami is left to each power company.
COMMENTARY / World
May 9, 2013

The challenges of health care for rural Chinese

While the wealthier portion of the Chinese population has benefited from advanced health care, many rural poor do not have adequate access to even basic services.
COMMENTARY / World
May 8, 2013

Defusing the ethnic powder keg in Myanmar

Despite their history of anti-government armed resistance, Burma's ethnic minorities do not pursue a separatist agenda. There is hope for resolving the conflicts.
COMMENTARY / World
May 5, 2013

The West's absurd beliefs about Syria's needs

Western notions of channeling assistance to certain elements of the Syrian opposition are absurd, as is the concept of 'nonlethal' aid. Syria is now an enclave for extremism.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
May 5, 2013

Two documentaries on the rougher side of sports; CM of the week: Bandai Namco's Gundam games

The life of a pro athlete can be grueling, but 37-year-old soccer player Dan Ito has a perverse determination to make his even more so.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
May 4, 2013

Off on a spring tangent on the Shikoku 88-temple pilgrimage

This week 14 years ago, I finished a five-week, 1,350 km journey running the Shikoku 88-temple pilgrimage. One of the axioms of the pilgrimage is: "You will, and must, get lost." I envision the great master Kobo Daishi, the patron saint of the pilgrimage, with a huge map of the pilgrimage in front of...
EDITORIALS
May 4, 2013

Constitutional values at stake

Constitution Day (May 3) is a good time to scrutinize recent statements by political leaders who seek to make imprudent revisions to Japan's Constitution.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
May 3, 2013

'Evil Dead'

When Sam Raimi's low-budget splatter flick "The Evil Dead" emerged in 1983, it had the same sort of queasy impact you get when you hear a thud and feel something dragging under your tires. "The Evil Dead" was a terrifying and ghoulish film like no other, a signpost of sorts, marking new territory on...
Japan Times
JAPAN
May 3, 2013

Girl group bases style on Nikkei ups and downs

Kanon Mori, Yuki Sakura, Hinako Kuroki and Jun Amaki have been following the Nikkei 225 stock average obsessively since Prime Minister Shinzo Abe took office in December. The oldest of the foursome is Mori, but she is still only 23. The youngest is Kuroki, 16 and still in high school.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / BJ-LEAGUE NOTEBOOK
May 3, 2013

Ryukyu's McHenry named MVP; Garrison top coach

Ryukyu Golden Kings star Anthony McHenry receives the 2012-13 regular-season MVP award, and Matt Garrison of the Niigata Albirex BB is the bj-league's Coach of the Year.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
May 3, 2013

Cafe 104.5: The delicious upside to urban development

Onward and upward: Tokyo's ever-changing skyline sprouts new high-rise buildings like bamboo shoots in spring.

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