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EDITORIALS
Apr 6, 2007

Battle for textbook accuracy

The education ministry has publicized the screening results for new textbooks, most of which are scheduled for use at junior and senior high schools starting in April 2008. Conspicuous is the government's efforts to impose its historical view of the mass suicides among Okinawan residents during the Battle...
CULTURE / Music
Apr 6, 2007

747s "Zampano"

The debut album by the U.K.'s 747s is a grower, not a shower. Although it starts brightly with "Night & Day" -- strangely reminiscent of early 1990s Paul Westerberg -- the excellently produced "Zampano" doesn't really scream for attention immediately. Instead it sets off on a series of songs that channel...
CULTURE / Music
Apr 6, 2007

El-P "I'll Sleep When You're Dead"

Few labels reflect the sensibility of their founders as completely as Definitive Jux, whose stable of hip-hop artists tend toward a dense, dark sound and a dystopian vision best represented by the work of producer-rapper-company president Jamie "El Producto" Meline. On his second solo album, El-P revisits...
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / WALKING THE WARDS
Apr 6, 2007

Where mod confronts odd

Several decades ago, commuters riding the Mekama Line into Meguro Station were tagged country bumpkins. Today, developers pack the ward with suburban homes as fast as they can pour cement. Old dwellings with gardens give way to duplexes with flowerpots, and chic furniture stores now clog Meguro Avenue...
Japan Times
Events / Events Outside Tokyo
Apr 6, 2007

Dance with an eco conscience

The Nagisa Music Festival, taking place in Tokyo on April 7-8 and in Osaka on April 29, is one of the most interesting success stories to emerge from the Tokyo dance party scene.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Apr 6, 2007

Kin-no-saru: In any season, a park-side classic

We had it all planned. We'd spend the afternoon in Kichijoji's Inokashira Park, strolling and sitting under the cherry trees, with maybe a dram or two of sake to inspire lofty thoughts, before adjourning for dinner nearby. But we hadn't counted on the weathermen getting their predictions so wrong.
SOCCER / J. League
Apr 5, 2007

F. Marinos defeat S-Pulse in Nabisco Cup Group B match

YOKOHAMA -- Koji Yamase and Daisuke Sakata gave Yokohama F. Marinos a well-deserved 2-0 victory over Shimizu S-Pulse in their Nabisco Cup Group B game at Mitsuzawa Stadium on Wednesday evening.
EDITORIALS
Apr 5, 2007

Keeping towns afloat

The first day in the financial reconstruction of Yubari, Hokkaido, has passed. On April 1, the start of the new fiscal year, the city began its 18-year-long program to repay accumulated debts of 35.3 billion yen. The central government will carefully monitor budgets drawn up by the city, which was once...
COMMENTARY
Apr 5, 2007

Shaking up Russia's Far East

LONDON -- If you Google "Vladimir Nikolaev," mayor of Vladivostok, 2007," you will come up with an interesting story about how he was recently arrested. You will also find stories about how he resisted arrest, but finished up in handcuffs.
COMMENTARY
Apr 5, 2007

The immorality of the minimum wage

WASHINGTON -- Both houses of the Democratic Congress have approved a minimum wage increase and even many Republicans signed on to the bill. Even the White House has signed on. The hike will soon become law.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art / CERAMIC SCENE
Apr 5, 2007

The rewards of hardship

One of Japan's most influential 20th-century ceramic artists, Mineo Okabe, was relatively unknown -- and certainly under-appreciated -- during his lifetime. Today, though, potters take great inspiration from, and collectors go gaga over, the bold new forms and styles he created.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Apr 5, 2007

"Obey Giant Versus WK Interact"

Tokyo Wonder Site, Shibuya Closes in 18 days
COMMENTARY
Apr 5, 2007

Giving soft power some teeth

LONDON -- "Speak softly and carry a big stick" -- that was the advice of ebullient U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt in the early part of the 20th century. It may still have some relevance today.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Apr 5, 2007

Planet of the apes

The hottest band of the moment tells The Japan Times about their new album, shunning the file-sharing trend that shot them to fame -- and drawing an ordinary paycheck to keep their heads straight
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Apr 5, 2007

An art market in the making

When Fukusaburo Maeda and his wife Sohaku Yamashita founded the Nihon International Contemporary Art Festival (NICAF) in 1992, they were hoping to invigorate Japan's contemporary art scene. Perhaps they were ahead of their times, though, because while people were ready to come look at what was on show,...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Apr 5, 2007

"Susan Philipsz: Did I Dream You Dreamed About Me"

Mizuma Art Gallery Closes in 10 days
BASKETBALL / NBA / NBA REPORT
Apr 4, 2007

Coaching carousel likely to be especially busy in offseason

NEW YORK -- An always informed source tells me Sam Mitchell may decide to leave Toronto when his contract expires at season's end and sign on with the Bobcats.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Apr 4, 2007

Giants down Dragons at Dome

Championships aren't won in April, but the Yomiuri Giants sure made one heck of a statement. The Giants scored four runs and batted around in the fifth inning en route to a 7-2 win over the Chunichi Dragons on Tuesday night at Tokyo Dome.
Reader Mail
Apr 4, 2007

Little sympathy for 'gamblers'

Following the collapse of Livedoor Co. and the arrest of its founder, Takafumi Horie, there were the usual complaints from people who had lost a lot of money when the company's stock price fell. Well, I'm sorry, but I don't have a lot of sympathy for them. They perhaps need to be reminded that buying...
Reader Mail
Apr 4, 2007

Rules for English-speaking women

We've heard a lot about how stressful the Japanese workplace is. Harassment by male colleagues or even your boss can be very common if you're a foreign English-speaking woman. Here are some rules she may need to be aware of:

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