Search - special

 
 
CULTURE / Music / STRANGE BOUTIQUE
Jul 28, 2011

Tis the season for some girl-pop classics

In Japan, observation of the seasons is an ingrained cultural trait that not only forms the basis of haiku poetry and many classic works of art, but also marks the calendar for cultural ephemera from special-edition Kit Kats to alcoholic drinks to pop music. Since summer is now at full burn, here are...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jul 28, 2011

No sign of a summer break for The Hiatus

As the guitarist and vocalist of Japanese pop-punk band Ellegarden, Takeshi Hosomi toured throughout the country, played in the United States and South Korea, and even opened for Foo Fighters.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Jul 27, 2011

After the death of analog, whither Tokyo Tower?

How will Tokyo Tower remain solvent in the shadow of Tokyo Sky Tree?
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 25, 2011

Toadies to the debt-to-GDP ratio

Economists like to talk about thresholds that, if crossed, spell trouble. Usually there is an element of truth in what they say, but the public often overreacts to such talk.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Jul 24, 2011

Taking in Tomonoura's many delights

"The most beautiful scenic view in Japan," was how the woman in the temple in Tomonoura translated it when I asked her the meaning of some calligraphy carved into a wooden sign mounted on the wall.
EDITORIALS
Jul 22, 2011

A killing in Kandahar

The murder of Ahmed Wali Karzai, the so-called "King of Kandahar," creates a power vacuum in a key political stronghold in Afghanistan. Karzai was the half-brother of President Hamid Karzai, and a pillar of the president's authority. His death creates uncertainty for the Kabul government as it contemplates...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Jul 22, 2011

"Photographs of Children: The Art of Photographing Children"

While giving directions to subjects may be possible when taking portraits of adults, it can be near-impossible to do the same when it comes to taking pictures of children. To get that perfect image, the photographer has to be one step ahead, using his or her ingenuity to get the child to hold a desired...
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Jul 22, 2011

Forecast for Yamagata summer festival calls for games and snow

July is a time of sweltering heat, with the sun beating down on you wherever you go. But in Yamagata Prefecture, they're calling for snow.
EDITORIALS
Jul 20, 2011

3/11 victims face welfare cuts

Cases have surfaced in which municipalities in Tohoku have stopped welfare payments to victims of the March 11 earthquake-tsunami and subsequent nuclear crisis at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant.
Japan Times
BASEBALL / HIT AND RUN
Jul 19, 2011

Former Carp, Marines pitcher Minchey happy to be involved in game

Nate Minchey hovered near the home dugout at Tokyo Dome as the Yomiuri Giants practiced, but there was no missing him. Being conspicuous isn't exactly a trait of many 203 cm and above.
COMMENTARY / World / SENTAKU MAGAZINE
Jul 18, 2011

Don't fall ill in a nuke crisis

The residents of Minami Soma, Fukushima Prefecture, are still being denied full medical services even though more than four months have passed since radiation leaks started from the nearby Tokyo Electric Power Co.'s Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power station in the aftermath of the March 11 earthquake and...
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Jul 17, 2011

It seems Japan has literally gone to the dogs

Japan has found an answer to loneliness, despair, fear, disgust and uncertainty. Hint: It's alive, stands on four legs and barks. Well, so much the better if the gloom weighing us down can be so easily dispelled. Or is it?
Japan Times
LIFE / WEEK 3
Jul 17, 2011

The world according to AuthaGraph

In today's wired world, it's easy to learn about issues anywhere that might affect us or be of interest. So news of a disaster, for example, can be instantly transmitted, shared and discussed by people wherever they might be.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Jul 17, 2011

Four former ballplayers remembered after their deaths

More than 900 foreigners have played in Japanese pro baseball since Wally Yonamine joined the Yomiuri Giants in 1951, and it is always sad to hear when any of them have died. Baseball America and various Internet outlets have reported the recent deaths of four ex-major leaguers who also played in Japan...
JAPAN / History / JAPAN TIMES GONE BY
Jul 17, 2011

Imperial work ethic; Electric Society's defiance; the 'Flat Tire Bandit'; the state of AIDS

100 YEARS AGOThursday, July 20, 1911
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Jul 17, 2011

Beat the heat in the green hills of Izu

Nobody likes Japan's cities in the summertime — at least not those south of Hokkaido. With heat rising off the tarmac and radiating from the concrete, and humidity that clings like a wet towel, thoughts of escape come readily to mind — and there's no better tonic than getting up into the hills and...
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Jul 16, 2011

What a waste! A human waste

Meet Ususama Myo-ou. He purifies the unclean. He hangs out in bathrooms. He's the guardian deity of the toilet. I'm thinking of inviting him to do a residency. Here's why.
CULTURE / Japan Pulse
Jul 15, 2011

Life is sweet ... for some men

They are men, and they like to eat sweets. They are the men who eat sweets.
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Jul 15, 2011

See real stars at Yebisu Garden Place's summer film screenings

The era of the drive-in movie theater might be gone, but that doesn't mean you can't enjoy your favorite flicks under the stars.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Jul 15, 2011

"Creatures' Paradise: Animals in Art from fhe Kyoto National Museum"

For those who aren't familiar with Japanese art, works with animal motifs may be more accessible and enjoyable to see.
EDITORIALS
Jul 15, 2011

Japan's power-short economy

The Bank of Japan's tankan economic survey for June, released in early July, shows that the economy was in bad shape that month but expects that it will rebound in September.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jul 15, 2011

'Peace'

Most serious documentaries made in Japan, especially for television, follow a basic just-the-facts format. A presenter or narrator and various talking heads explain and interpret what we are seeing, from beauty shots of tourist spots to footage grabbed on the run in a war zone. Meanwhile, in the background,...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jul 15, 2011

'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2'

As we approach the eighth and final installment in the "Harry Potter" series, what can I say? You don't need a weatherman to tell which way the wind's blowing. The fans are already getting their tickets, while the less-committed have long since departed, especially since director David Yates has pretty...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Jul 15, 2011

Bistro Authentique: Authentic flavor in a tiny bistro setting

Tokyo is well served for Vietnamese food these days, and there's no compelling need to venture far from the center when the craving arises for pho, cha gio and banh xeo. Even so, many of our favorite places are far from the mainstream. But few are as obscure — or as worth searching out — as Bistro...
JAPAN
Jul 14, 2011

Japan must ditch nuclear power: Kan

Japan should gradually become a society that does not have to rely on atomic power, Prime Minister Naoto Kan said Wednesday amid the continuing nuclear crisis at the Fukushima No. 1 power plant.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / U.K. JOURNALIST SYMPOSIUM
Jul 14, 2011

Japan needs credible plan to reduce public debt to stave off fiscal crisis

Japan has had two decades of sluggish growth as it went through the bursting of the late 1980s bubble and a subsequent banking crisis. Are many of the Western economies that saw their own bubbles burst after the 2008 financial crisis going to follow a similar path? And is Japan, whose ratio of public...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jul 14, 2011

Website Nico Nico Douga goes live ... house

Online video-sharing website Nico Nico Douga has become a popular place for young Japanese to check out new music. Now imagine stepping inside the site to experience those tunes live.

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