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Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jun 15, 2007

'Le prix du desir'

It's a familiar story: The man seems to have everything; a bulging bank balance, a successful career, a house in the country, and a beautiful wife — but he's still bored.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jun 15, 2007

Losing his head on Rachmaninov

Russian piano virtuoso Boris Berezovsky is on the phone and he's very excited, though not as excited as he should be when he plays the Pacific Music Festival in Sapporo this summer. There, Berezovsky will be performing Rachmaninov's Concerto No. 3 in D minor Op. 30, a work he considers "infamous" because...
CULTURE / Music
Jun 15, 2007

Caede "The Queen Of"

Having spent more than a decade flashing toothy grins across Japanese magazine covers and TV ads, Japanese model Kaede is looking to diversify her portfolio with the release of her first long player on the hip Harajuku label/record shop/cafe Escalator.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Jun 15, 2007

Tofuya Ukai: Below the Tower a Garden of Edo

Tofuya Ukai is one of those "only in Japan" experiences. In the heart of the city, minutes from Roppongi and at the very foot of Tokyo Tower, you round a corner and find yourself in front of a samurai-era merchant's residence, its low-slung wooden gateway announced by an imposing white lantern and a...
SOCCER
Jun 14, 2007

Reds face uphill climb in quarters

Urawa Reds have been handed a tough quarterfinal draw in the AFC Champions League against defending champions Chonbuk Motors of South Korea.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jun 14, 2007

Adventurer forges bond with nature, poet Basho

Adventurer Mitsuro Oba discovered a different kind of unexplored terrain last summer, a decade after he trekked across Antarctica and became the first person in history to walk unaccompanied to both the North and South poles.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 14, 2007

Europe, open your borders

PRAGUE — It is time for Europe's politicians to admit to voters that governments cannot stop people moving across borders. Despite efforts to build a Fortress Europe, over a million foreigners bypass its defenses every year; some enter covertly, but most just overstay their visas and work illicitly....
EDITORIALS
Jun 14, 2007

Is tax diversion a good idea?

Liberal Democratic Party politicians are touting a proposal to allow citizens to divert a portion of their residential tax payment to local governments of their preference. The idea is called "furusato nozei" (tax payment diversion to one's native place, or hometown) and the Abe administration is pushing...
JAPAN
Jun 14, 2007

Ruling bloc gets office expense bill past panel

Amid strong protests, the ruling coalition rammed through a House of Representatives panel Wednesday a bill requiring that lawmakers' fund management bodies report all office expenses exceeding 50,000 yen, hoping to quell the furor over last month's suicide of corruption scandal-tainted farm minister...
BUSINESS
Jun 14, 2007

Pepsi Cucumber hits store shelves

Consumers can stay cool as a cucumber this summer with Pepsi Ice Cucumber, a new soda based on the crisp green gourd.
JAPAN
Jun 14, 2007

Chinese defense minister, warship arranging to make landmark visit

Japan and China plan to step up military exchanges with a visit to Japan by the Chinese defense minister and the first-ever port call by a Chinese naval vessel, an official said Wednesday, amid signs of warming ties between the neighbors.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Jun 14, 2007

More international by the year

The title of the 52nd Venice Biennale, "Think with the senses, feel with the mind," has an almost paradoxical twist. But in the context of the international art scene it is a strong statement — some would even call it controversial.
JAPAN
Jun 14, 2007

Ishihara eyes writer for deputy spot

Tokyo Gov. Shintaro Ishihara has asked nonfiction writer Naoki Inose, a prominent advocate of privatization and decentralization, to serve as one of his four vice governors, sources said Wednesday.
EDITORIALS
Jun 14, 2007

Another black mark for the U.N.

The conviction of a former United Nations purchasing official has focused attention once again on the growing need for reform at that institution. Fraud and corruption not only deprive the U.N. of resources it needs to do its work but they also contribute to the erosion of the U.N.'s legitimacy. The...
COMMENTARY
Jun 14, 2007

Wanted: A 'new deal' for globalization

LOS ANGELES — There is no such thing as "free" trade. In truth, the phrase "free trade" is an oxymoron.

Longform

Juzo Itami’s “Tampopo” was released Nov. 23, 1985, and though it wasn’t a hit at the time, it has gained a cult following in the years since.
Eat, slurp, love: 'Tampopo' turns 40