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Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Mar 15, 2009

Loveliest of trees, the cherry now Is hung with bloom along the bough

It's sakura (cherry blossom) time again, and I've got three special spots to recommend beneath the pale, poetic petals in Tokyo. One will present you with a single starlit beauty, another will have you rolling around in an expansive venue of varied cherries, or if the spirit moves you there's a climb...
LIFE / Travel
Mar 15, 2009

Loveliest of trees, the cherry now Is hung with bloom along the bough

It's sakura (cherry blossom) time again, and I've got three special spots to recommend beneath the pale, poetic petals in Tokyo. One will present you with a single starlit beauty, another will have you rolling around in an expansive venue of varied cherries, or if the spirit moves you there's a climb...
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / HOOP SCOOP
Mar 15, 2009

JBA's archaic ways suffocating basketball's development in Japan

The status quo's got to go.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 14, 2009

New Narita-Tokyo copter service targets rich, famous

For foreigners visiting Japan or Japanese returning from holidays abroad, it takes an hour or more to get from Narita International Airport in Chiba Prefecture to central Tokyo.
EDITORIALS
Mar 14, 2009

Stabilizing Afghanistan

The Obama administration is working out a strategy to stabilize Afghanistan, where the level of violence has risen due to a resurgence of the Taliban. A high level of cooperation in the international community will be key to the successful reconstruction of the nation.
JAPAN
Mar 14, 2009

Pending launch raises tension level in Tokyo

North Korea's imminent launch of what it claims is a rocket carrying a satellite raised the government's tension levels a notch Friday as Cabinet members warned the hermit state to steer clear of provocative actions.
JAPAN
Mar 14, 2009

10-year overstayer is granted new visa

MAEBASHI, Gunma Pref. (Kyodo) The Justice Ministry granted a one-year residence status Thursday to an Iranian female college student who had illegally stayed in Japan for more than 10 years, ministry officials said.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Mar 13, 2009

Fans of GEISAI enjoy the opportunities

Held on Sunday, March 8, at the Tokyo Big Sight exhibition center, GEISAI #12 marked the latest installment of the ongoing series of open-application, competitive one-day festivals organized since 2001 by pop artist and cultural promoter Takashi Murakami. Part exhibition, flea market and spectacle, punctuated...
MULTIMEDIA
Mar 13, 2009

Fans of GEISAI enjoy the opportunities

Held on Sunday, March 8, at the Tokyo Big Sight exhibition center, GEISAI #12 marked the latest installment of the ongoing series of open-application, competitive one-day festivals organized since 2001 by pop artist and cultural promoter Takashi Murakami. Part exhibition, flea market and spectacle, punctuated...
COMMENTARY
Mar 12, 2009

'Interesting' year for China

Large parts of the Tibetan plateau today have been turned into militarized zones and made off-limits to foreigners. De facto martial law prevails on much of the plateau after the largest troop deployment since the March 2008 Tibetan upheaval.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design / STYLE WISE
Mar 12, 2009

ASCIS sprints stylishly, Van Noten opens in Aoyama, British gems sparkle and Galliano diffuses

MISHA JANETTE and PAUL McINNES A Beast on the run in Harajuku If you thought the pace of Tokyo's Harajuku was already dizzying, just see what happens now that ASICS has opened its megastore for runners in the area's heart.
BASKETBALL / NBA / NBA REPORT
Mar 11, 2009

Woodson doing good job of handling Smith

NEW YORK — Before Saturday night's come-from-behind victory over the Pistons, I wasn't sensing much love in Dixie, where Josh Smith and Hawks coach Mike Woodson dropped the verbal gloves at halftime of Friday night's seven-point loss to the Bobcats. It was shades of two seasons ago when the coach banished...
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Mar 11, 2009

Shinsei plans to raise ¥50 billion

Shinsei Bank Ltd., partly owned by investor Christopher Flowers, plans to raise about ¥50 billion as writedowns of toxic assets drive it to a full-year loss.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Mar 10, 2009

Big winners in 'jury' system may be judges, bureaucrats

With notices having already gone out to the randomly selected citizens who may have to serve as lay judges (saibanin) in serious criminal trials starting later this year, authorities are concerned that yakuza gangsters may end up being chosen. Oh well, at least they made sure to exclude law professors....
Japan Times
Events / WHERE IT'S AT
Mar 10, 2009

Litter sparks Akihabara cleanup

It was unusually warm and windy that particular Friday afternoon last month on which blew haru ichiban, the first strong, warm wind of the spring.
EDITORIALS
Mar 10, 2009

Durban II in danger

On paper the U.N. World Conference Against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance is an eminently laudable project — if you believe that the United Nations should promote grand statements that promote norms of good behavior. But the preparations for this meeting, and its...
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / INSIDE LOOK
Mar 8, 2009

Matsui aims to finish career on a high note

NEW YORK — Team update: Entering the final week of the regular season, the Columbia Lions, were 11-15 overall and 6-6 in the Ivy League, and had a chance to finish above .500 in conference play for the first time since the 1992-93 season. Matsui scored a career-high 19 points, including 5-for-8 on...
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 8, 2009

Economic meltdown has a woman's face

MANILA — The current economic crisis is deepening faster than even the most pessimistic of experts predicted just a few months ago. The effects are already trickling down to ordinary working people.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Mar 7, 2009

Tradition, family serve up a hearty fare

T he band members are dressed in traditional German costumes, and your smiling hostess leads you out in a traditional dance. A modest buffet serves up a bounty of simple, home-cooked German fare: cabbage and sauerkraut, potatoes and sausage. And don't forget the German beer. Just say "Mahlzeit," and...
EDITORIALS
Mar 6, 2009

Blow to the DPJ

The arrest of the chief secretary of the Democratic Party of Japan leader Mr. Ichiro Ozawa on suspicion of violating the Political Funds Control Law has dealt a severe blow to the No. 1 opposition party. The damage to the DPJ is great all the more because the party is regarded as having a chance to win...
JAPAN
Mar 6, 2009

Three in Cabinet tied to Nishimatsu

Three members of the Cabinet, including Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Toshihiro Nikai, decided Thursday to return money donated to them by two political groups linked to scandal-tainted Nishimatsu Construction Co., the government's top spokesman said.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / TAKING A CHANCE
Mar 6, 2009

Temp pioneer still going strong

Yoshiko Shinohara, president of staffing firm Tempholdings Co., has received numerous awards both in Japan and abroad.
Japan Times
CULTURE
Mar 6, 2009

Redefining defiance for a modern Japan

More than 3 million people are likely to tune into the second installment of NHK drama "Jiro Shirasu" on Saturday night — and chances are, most will be waiting expectantly for the re-enactment of one particularly famous episode from the subject's life.
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Mar 6, 2009

International Anime Fair brings enthusiasts to Tokyo

The golden age of manga was the 1960s and '70s, and anime shot to mainstream acceptance in the '80s and '90s. Now, this decade has spawned a craze for Japanese animation that has spread around the world. Back home, too, the Tokyo International Anime Fair has bloomed, with more than 120,000 visitors and...
COMMENTARY
Mar 6, 2009

Genteel pastime reaches end of innocence

WATERLOO, Ontario — In recent years, Australia, England and New Zealand have canceled cricketing tours of Pakistan because of concern for the physical safety of their teams. At best, Australia agreed to play Pakistan in the neutral venue of Abu Dhabi next month.

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