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JAPAN / Science & Health / NATURAL SELECTIONS
Nov 12, 2008

Science's own alternative history

I'm a sucker for stories that imagine alternate histories. Philip K. Dick wrote a classic, 1962's "The Man in the High Castle," that supposed Japan and Germany won World War II, and annexed the United States between them. Another came to mind last week; "The Difference Engine" (1990) by William Gibson...
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Nov 11, 2008

To go naked in autumn, you've gotta have yu

As soon as the weather starts to get chilly in this country, it seems that peoples' minds turn to two things: yu (湯, hot water) and nabe (鍋, hot pot). Anyone staying in Japan longer than a year will have noticed it — as a nation, Japanese are hopelessly samugari (寒がり, prone to being cold)....
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Nov 11, 2008

Nova refugees: Where are they now?

'All the schools are closed.'
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Nov 9, 2008

Mighty yen scares off the tourists

California's tourism office didn't waste any time when the dollar sunk to new lows against the yen. For the past couple of weeks, commercial TV stations have aired ads for the Golden State featuring shots of its natural and man-made delights, capped with a personal message from the Governator himself....
Japan Times
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Nov 9, 2008

Lions stay alive, force Game 7

Turns out these Lions have nine lives after all.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 8, 2008

American dream triumphs

HONG KONG — Congratulations to President-elect Barack Obama and to the people of the United States of America, some of whom lined up for five hours to vote, for their stunning victory. Bill Bennett, a former Republican Cabinet secretary under Ronald Reagan, commented that "the country has grown up."...
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Nov 8, 2008

What's all the shouting about?

I boarded the shinkansen the other day and couldn't believe what I saw: everything! Yes, things I never used to see in the shinkansen are now extremely visible, in your face, in big, bold letters making it very hard to avoid reading them. The aisle and seat numbers were all in much larger fonts. Even...
Japan Times
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Nov 7, 2008

Cool Kishi shrugs off stage fright

TOKOROZAWA, Saitama Pref. — Making your first Japan Series start against a team with the tradition of the Yomiuri Giants can be a daunting task for even the most veteran of pitchers.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Nov 7, 2008

'Tropic Thunder'

Hollywood has been feeding on itself a bit lately, with a string of comedies that parody its own predictable tendencies. "Scary Movie" sent up the slasher genre: "Team America" took on the jingoistic, kick-ass action movie; and "Meet the Spartans" speared "300," while also digressing into about a kazillion...
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 7, 2008

Europe's mania for a black U.S. president

NEW YORK — Why do Europeans adore America's president-elect, Barack Obama? Stupid question, you might say. He is young, handsome, smart, inspiring, educated, cosmopolitan, and above all, he promises a radical change from the most unpopular American administration in history. Compare that to his rival...
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Nov 7, 2008

Surviving in some style

I wanted a resort that had already been put through the wringer and survived. In this climate, you never know who's going to default on the hot-water bill or skimp on the fruit juices at the breakfast buffet.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Nov 7, 2008

No more riots — Kaiser Chiefs get serious

In a few short years, Kaiser Chiefs, the cheeky indie-pop five-piece from Leeds in northern England, have seen their success on home turf swell from zero (as pre-Kaiser incarnation Parva) to their rebirth as stadium-ready, worldwide superstars. For this they can thank a string of chart-bothering singles...
Japan Times
JAPAN / History
Nov 7, 2008

POW's diary reveals life in camp

David Moreton, 39, wants to publish the diary his grandfather, Albert, wrote during World War II.
BUSINESS
Nov 7, 2008

Toyota warns full-year profit may dive 74%

Toyota Motor Corp. said Thursday its group operating profit for the full year to March will probably plunge nearly 74 percent from the previous year as the global financial crisis slows the world economy and curbs car sales in the United States and Europe.
EDITORIALS
Nov 6, 2008

Mr. Obama wins

The senator from Illinois, Barack Obama, made history Tuesday when he was elected the 44th president of the United States. The scale and sweep of his victory are nothing short of breathtaking: Not only did he win a landslide in the electoral college, but he rode a Democratic wave into Congress. He should...
Reader Mail
Nov 6, 2008

Teacher can't swim in a pool

I studied at Oita University as an exchange student. One thing that was very disappointing about my stay was that I visited many onsens only to be turned away. I couldn't even swim in the local pool. Why? Because I have tattoos. After getting a grant from Japan's government to study in Japan, I was still...
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 6, 2008

Pregnant Afghan women face deadly odds

KABUL — In Badakhshan, Afghanistan, for every 100,000 births, 6,500 young mothers die. This is a record unrivaled anywhere in the world. In other parts of Afghanistan, too, the rates of maternal mortality continue to be among the highest in the world.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Nov 6, 2008

War as wisdom and gore

A prominent example of how modern technology altered the world is seen in the way men wage war. In John Woo's battle extravaganza "Red Cliff," set in China in 208, armies fight with spears and shields and bare hands; they traverse deserts and treacherous mountain paths on foot and subsist on little more...
Reader Mail
Nov 6, 2008

Major slowdown in the offing

When the Bank of Japan cuts rates in an era of increasing inflation because of imports for the first time in seven years in the vain hope of boosting the Japanese economy via domestic consumption, you know that there is going to be a very bad storm to weather ahead.
JAPAN
Nov 6, 2008

Repeat of Clinton-era friction, concerns unlikely

Democrats in the United States and residents in the town of Obama, Fukui Prefecture, may be getting carried away Wednesday by news of Sen. Barack Obama's victory in the U.S. presidential election.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / HOOP SCOOP
Nov 6, 2008

Youthful Japanese talent is abundant in bj-league

The scoring prowess of John "Helicopter" Humphrey, the shot-blocking skills of Jeff Newton and the all-around dominance of Lynn Washington are recurring themes over the first three-plus seasons of the bj-league's existence. But remember this: another satisfying scenario is occurring again and again....
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 5, 2008

Fans shocked at fall

As a composer and producer, Tetsuya Komuro was an undisputed sensation on the Japanese and Asian music scenes from the late 1980s to the 1990s.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Nov 4, 2008

A beautiful cultural blend: African kimono

Wander past a certain kimono store in Aoyama and center stage in the window is a riotous splash of canary- yellow cotton, with bright cubes of grass green and swirls of earthy brown. A tribal red-and-black obi tied high around the waist completes a perfectly styled kimono that on close inspection evokes...
JAPAN
Nov 4, 2008

Dalai Lama admits his approach to Tibet greater autonomy has failed

The Dalai Lama said Monday that his approach to Tibet's greater autonomy has so far failed, and that Tibetans should decide for themselves the future direction the region should take.
JAPAN
Nov 4, 2008

Ozawa takes to Net to woo young

Democratic Party of Japan President Ichiro Ozawa made a fresh attempt Monday to appeal to young voters and Internet users, fielding questions on a Net live talk show in Tokyo ranging from his choice in underwear to Japan's claim to Takeshima.
BASKETBALL
Nov 3, 2008

'Helicopter' maintains prolific output to power Apache past 89ers in bj-league showdown

There have been a number of changes in the bj-league since six teams suited up for the inaugural season in 2005-06. But some things are constant, such as this undisputable fact: Tokyo Apache guard John "Helicopter" Humphrey is capable of scoring 30-plus points in every game.

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