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COMMENTARY / World
Sep 22, 1999

'Advance Australia fair' takes on a whole new meaning

"There goes another shiftless Aboriginal," said the Pioneer bus driver to those of us taking the half-day tour of Alice Springs. "We give them cars, they drive them till they're out of petrol, then, bloody hell, they just leave the bloody things by the side of the road."
LIFE / Travel / ON THE ARCHIPELA-GO
Sep 15, 1999

Scarecrows are sprouting in Shitamachi

Over one hundred jauntily clad figures line the street where the Koto Ward Office once stood.
CULTURE / Books
Aug 31, 1999

Thailand's hard journey into modernity

FOUR REIGNS, by Kukrit Pramoj, English version by Ms. Tulachandra. Chiang Mai: Silkworm Books, 1996, 663 pp. Kukrit Pramoj (1911-1995), politician, writer, classical dancer and film actor ("The Ugly American") wrote this book in 1953. The first English translation appeared in 1981.
JAPAN
Aug 18, 1999

Prof gives shtick a shot to loosen up academia stodge

Staff writer
CULTURE / Music / FUZZY LOGIC
Aug 17, 1999

Missile Girl Scoot freaks out for all to see

Junn's a freak and she's proud of it.
JAPAN
Aug 9, 1999

Nomura, IBJ lead startup of joint 401(k) company

A joint venture between Nomura Securities Co. and the Industrial Bank of Japan announced Monday that it will establish a 401(k)-style pension account management company Wednesday along with 22 other firms.
JAPAN
Jul 30, 1999

Sanwa-led alliance to rival financial giants

Sanwa Bank and five other financial institutions will form a comprehensive alliance to cooperate in areas such as retail marketing and asset management, the six firms announced Friday.
CULTURE / Art / CERAMIC SCENE
Jul 24, 1999

New and old blended in earthy harmony

One of the greatest challenges facing any Japanese artist is to mix tradition with meaningful innovation. Many artisans merely imitate the past with little originality -- a rehashing of past masters that leaves many of Japan's great artistic traditions in stagnation.
CULTURE / Music
Jul 23, 1999

Foreigner rock scene blooms in city's pubs

Shaft is pumping up another Saturday night gathering in a cranny of Tokyo. Just as the five musicians lope to the end of the first verse of their self-proclaimed rock anthem "Shaft of Light," the infectious dribble of sticks across bass drums reels the audience into the chorus.
CULTURE / Film
Jul 20, 1999

'Neighbors' move from paper to screen

When I first heard that Studio Ghibli was going to base its next film on Hisaichi Ishii's "Hohokekyo Tonari no Yamada-kun (My Neighbors the Yamadas)" -- a must-read for millions in the Asahi Shimbun" -- I had my doubts.The best gag manga have a pinch of comic acid that often gets leached away in the...
COMMUNITY
Jul 15, 1999

Designer rewrites the jean map

They look and act like ordinary blue jeans. When they're dirty, you throw them in the washing machine. The color will fade with numerous washings, and like any other denim, they may shrink a little in the dryer.
JAPAN
May 25, 1999

Some wary as pension plight casts 401(k) in rosy light

Staff writer
ENVIRONMENT / GARDENING FOR ALL
May 13, 1999

A miniature blending of landscapes

In Tokyo, there are quite a number of historic gardens that were built by the daimyo during the long Tokugawa shogunate (1603-1867). The designers of many of these gardens were greatly influenced by the Chinese style of landscaping, and by the eagerness of the owners to have famous scenic sights from...
CULTURE / Music / PLAY BUTTON
Apr 30, 1999

Buffalo Daughter reinvents new rock again

After more than a year of touring, remixing, producing and more touring, Buffalo Daughter has returned home to the more mundane matters of daily life. Bassist and Moog player extraordinaire Yumiko Ohno recently tied the knot with longtime paramour Zak (producer of the Fishmans among others) while DJ...
JAPAN
Apr 16, 1999

Fukuoka's megamall to let you shop till you drop

Combining a huge cinema complex, a membership wholesale warehouse and a number of specialty shops and restaurants, an American-style megamall -- the largest in Japan -- will open Friday in a suburb of Fukuoka.
LIFE / Travel
Apr 7, 1999

Preserving a pocket of Fiji

LEVUKA, Fiji -- Thirteen-year-old Una Turaganicolo's strong, clear voice filled her family's timber-frame home, rising to the corrugated roof visible through the rafters. Her sister, Rose, hummed along as she battled with her math homework by the light of a flickering candle.
CULTURE / Art / ARTS AND ARTISANS
Apr 3, 1999

Block-printed paper beauty

Chiyogami is colorful handmade paper printed with Japanese traditional patterns or designs, and is usually used by girls for making kimono-clad dolls, small boxes, or bookmarks.
JAPAN
Apr 2, 1999

First bullfight delights recruits, irks activists

Staff writer
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHEN EAST MARRIES WEST
Mar 17, 1999

When international relations get all steamed up

When asked what part of Japan they would most like to take back home, many foreigners respond by saying, "a Japanese bathtub."
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHEN EAST MARRIES WEST
Mar 3, 1999

Toilet humor is only natural, no instructions necessary

Come on. Admit it. Toilets are funny.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy / FOCUS
Jun 5, 2023

Rapid return of tourists to Japan helping fuel inflation for BOJ

Almost 2 million visitors arrived from overseas in April, compared with less than 140,000 a year earlier, according to Japan’s National Tourism Organization.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
May 28, 2023

The curious case of Fuminori Nakamura's genre misalignment

Little do English-language readers know, the author of 'The Rope Artist' and other critically acclaimed books writes on much more than crime.
Japan Times
Special Supplements / Hiroshima G7 Summit Special
May 19, 2023

Temple stays offer peace and opportunities for reflection

Busy, sprawling and noisy cities are often the first things that greet visitors upon arrival in Japan. Landing in Osaka, a new arrival might wade through the throngs of people in Dotonbori, mesmerized by the acres of neon lights. Eager to try the local food, the battered octopus balls called takoyaki...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / Top 5
May 14, 2023

An egg-cellent odyssey through Tokyo’s best 'omurice'

Who really invented these egg-wrapped delights of rice? If these restaurants continue serving up stellar fare, who cares?
Japan Times
CULTURE / Entertainment news
May 6, 2023

How the Legend of Zelda changed the game

More than 6 million people watched the preview for hints about the next video game in Nintendo’s beloved Legend of Zelda franchise. Millions more are expected to play it.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Apr 30, 2023

The ‘Two Faces’ of Gold Bar’s cocktails make for surprising sips

Minato Ward has no shortage of expensive cocktails, but Gold Bar mixes in as much style as the best of them.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Apr 29, 2023

DJ Nobu: The face of Japanese techno is ready to break free

Japan’s current king of underground techno leaves the pandemic years with a renewed desire to defy the status quo... and maybe even skip the country.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Apr 2, 2023

Shizen: Firewood, ferments and finesse in backstreet Shibuya

Chef Yu Kunisue's dual passions of wood-fired cooking and fermented exploration come to delightful fruition.
Japan Times
Special Supplements
Mar 23, 2023

‘NHK Newsline’ provides an Asian perspective for a global audience

“NHK Newsline” boasts a long history. With roots going back to 2000, the program first emerged in 2007. Today, it is the flagship English-language news show of NHK World-Japan, the international service of Japan’s public broadcaster, covering events from Japan, Asia and around the world on the...

Longform

A man offers prayers at Hebikubo Shrine in Tokyo's Shinagawa Ward. The shrine is one of several across the country dedicated to the snake.
Shed your skin and reinvent yourself in the Year of the Snake