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COMMENTARY / World
Dec 23, 2011

Even to his people, Kim Jong Il was a mystery

In an age of connection, it's both refreshing and sobering to think that most North Koreans have probably heard Kim Jong Il's voice only once. In 1992 he stood next to his father, then-President Kim Il Sung, and shouted the words "Glory to the heroic soldiers of the Korean People's Army!"
COMMENTARY
Jul 4, 2011

U.S. policy sidelines Gaza

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has made a series of stern and fiery statements recently, giving the impression that war is somehow upon us once again.
ENVIRONMENT
May 29, 2011

Serendipities at every turn on this island 'pearl'

The sound of Buddhist chanting grew louder as my travel companions and I entered the compound around the "temple," where flickering torches lit the smiling faces of sedately circling monks as the warm tones of their voices carried through the impenetrable darkness on a chilling, flag-fluttering breeze....
JAPAN
Apr 18, 2011

Clinton meets with Matsumoto

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton met with Foreign Minister Takeaki Matsumoto on Sunday in Tokyo, where she expressed Washington's sympathy and solidarity with Japan's attempts to rebuild from the deadly quake and tsunami that claimed more than 13,000 lives.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / WILD WATCH
Apr 17, 2011

Viewing wildlife through a lens

I grew up in Britain, which is a crane-free zone, so from the very first time I arrived in Japan I was dreaming of seeing the iconic red-crowned cranes of Hokkaido. How much more iconic as a crane can you get than being dubbed Grus japonensis? But just how was I to learn about their haunts and habits?...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Feb 5, 2011

The comic life of expats in Japan

Tales of expat life in Japan all too often get blown out of proportion and quickly become picaresque adventures that little resemble real life.
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Dec 14, 2010

Doing Japan in a van: highs, lows, dos, don'ts

Oh, the pros and woes of responding to your queries. Great advice, personal experience — even the odd wakeup call. Here are some responses to our Nov. 16 column on "How to do Japan — in a VW camper van":
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Nov 14, 2010

Back in the mists of time

It was November, and the leaves were ocher on the trees swathing the hills behind the reconstructed wooden buildings. Gaggles of chattering exchange students ducked in and out of the faux historical shops and houses, obviously enjoying themselves and their day out.
BUSINESS
Sep 23, 2010

APEC tourism ministers meet amid Senkakus row

NARA — Amid growing tensions between Japan and China, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation kicked off its tourism conference Wednesday in the ancient capital of Nara, where delegates discussed regional tourism trends since the economic crisis of 2008, when they last met, and ways to improve Asia's...
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Aug 19, 2010

Problems getting off the ground

In this age of perpetual "War on Terror," we have gotten somewhat accustomed to "disrobing" ourselves at airports. Taking off our watches, necklaces, belts or sometimes even shoes, has become routine when we go through security gates.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jul 9, 2010

Bradley Cooper: hot and hung over

HOLLYWOOD — They say nothing is as hot as a slow-burning fire, and Bradley Cooper's career had been warming up for a number of years before it turned white-hot last year thanks to his starring role in "The Hangover."
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Jul 3, 2010

Witnessing over a century of history

When alone, Hedwig Koh's eyes gaze perpetually into the past. Even as a child, she looked off into the distance: "I spent most of my childhood upstairs at the attic window, looking out at the view, imagining far away places."
JAPAN
Jul 2, 2010

Miyazaki eases foot-and-mouth restrictions

MIYAZAKI — Miyazaki Prefecture on Thursday partially rescinded restrictions on travel and public gatherings put in place to prevent the spread of foot-and-mouth disease.
JAPAN
Jul 1, 2010

Easing of visa rules paves way for biggest tourist group from China

The Japan National Tourism Organization has landed its biggest tourist group ever — 10,000 Chinese employees and their relatives — in a welcome piece of news for the government as it eases visa rules on individual Chinese tourists starting Thursday.
JAPAN / PROMOTING TOURISM FROM CHINA
Jun 17, 2010

Kansai gropes to find right hook

OSAKA — PROMOTING TOURISM FROM CHINA
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle / Japan Pulse
Jun 8, 2010

Divorcing couples seek solace in ring-smashing ceremonies

Who says a divorce isn't a reason to celebrate? A ring-smashing ceremony may be planting the seeds of a new tradition.
COMMENTARY / World
May 25, 2010

Liberating NASA from the risks to people

NEW YORK — People first landed on the Moon while I was a teenager. Decades later, space travel was still reserved for a small corps of astronauts and cosmonauts, and wealthy space tourists — six so far. The space business was the preserve of a few governments, plus large cost-plus contractors who...
COMMENTARY
May 9, 2010

Don't talk to space aliens unless you're sure they're not very fast

LONDON — "If aliens visit us, the outcome would be much as when Columbus landed in America, which didn't turn out well for the Native Americans," said the world's most famous theoretical physicist, Stephen Hawking, late last month.
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Apr 24, 2010

Commuting by bicycle benefits more than just your health

In an attempt to reduce Japan's carbon footprint, more government and corporate initiatives are encouraging commuters to cycle to work.
CULTURE / Books
Apr 11, 2010

Culture suffocated by consumerism: eyewitness tales of Tibetan women

The basic facts about Tibet are well documented. Once the Chinese were firmly in control, land seizures, interrogations, struggle sessions, torture and the pulverizing of Buddhist images were conducted with a degree of fury only possible at the hands of religious or political zealots. Over 95 percent...
JAPAN
Feb 12, 2010

Skyliner to get quicker but pricier Narita link

Keisei Electric Railway Co. will offer faster, more direct Skyliner rail service between Tokyo's Nippori Station, next to Ueno, and Narita International Airport in Chiba Prefecture beginning in July.
JAPAN
Jan 15, 2010

Airport wars roil Kansai region

OSAKA — Two years into his term, Osaka Gov. Toru Hashimoto continues to enjoy high popularity among voters, with some local media polls showing his approval rating at almost 70 percent, due largely to his personality and cost-cutting steps.
BUSINESS
Sep 12, 2009

JAL hoping DPJ doesn't cut loans

Japan Airlines Corp., the recipient of three government bailouts since 2001, will find out soon if the rules have changed.

Longform

Wealthier women in the prewar era had been the targets of various media-related health campaigns that mistakenly encouraged them to avoid everything from riding bicycles to reading novels when their monthly cycles came around.
Menstruation in Japan: Breaking the silence, slowly