search

 
 
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
May 12, 2002

The complete picture

The late Hiroshi Teshigahara was not only the "iemoto" (head) of the Sogetsu school of ikebana and a noted traditional potter, he was also a film director of international fame, best known for his 1964 picture "Woman in the Dunes." The sumptuously designed DVD collection "Teshigara Hiroshi no Sekai"...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
May 12, 2002

Are local tracks up against the odds?

There is little glamor at Kawasaki Racetrack. Under grubby baseball caps, cigarettes and pencil stubs are jammed behind the ears of tense punters. The odor of ramen wafts along the betting slip-littered corridors and stairways under the stands.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
May 12, 2002

Where the finest get on the fast track

Imagine, just for a moment, that you are a horse.
LIFE / Food & Drink / NIHONSHU
May 12, 2002

Brewing it naturally isn't so easy

In recent years, there has been increased interest in organic sake. To legally specify something as organic or organically produced is difficult, at least in countries that have begun enforcing the standards that are needed to ensure safety and quality, as well as the protection of the environment.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
May 12, 2002

Making each note dance on the wind

In 1968, at the age of 13, Akikazu Nakamura began playing electric guitar. A few years later, he discovered that one of his favorite bands, King Crimson, counted contemporary classical music among their influences. Intrigued, Nakamura pursued this thread and soon discovered "November Steps" by the composer...
COMMUNITY
May 12, 2002

Born to ride -- and to win

Veteran jockey Yukio Okabe is a legend in Japanese racing, perhaps best-known for his partnership with Triple Crown winner Symboli Rudolf. At 53, he is Japan's most senior rider, and has won awards in 27 of his 34 years as a jockey. As national racing's record-holder for number of rides, with more than...
SUMO
May 12, 2002

Takanohana is still star of the no-show

Much of the focus in the runup to the Natsu Basho has been on a rikishi who will not even compete: yokozuna Takanohana.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / JAZZNICITY
May 12, 2002

The smallest jazz club in the world -- or close

At the Hot House jazz club in Takadanobaba, you not only rub elbows with great jazz musicians and intense fans, you also rub shoulders, knees, ankles and hips. To get to the toilet, someone has to stand up (me as it turned out); to get in the door, the pianist has to move his bench; and to get a drink...
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
May 12, 2002

When in doubt, just say 'wakarimasen'

Violent antisocial crimes by teenagers have sent shockwaves through Japan in recent years, hinting ominously at cracks in the very foundations of modern Japanese society. On a more mundane level, older Japanese often find themselves puzzled and annoyed by the everyday behavior of young people, who often...
BASEBALL / MLB
May 12, 2002

Matsui drops 'sayonara' bomb as Lions ride BlueWave

Matsui drops 'sayonara' bomb as Lions ride BlueWave
JAPAN
May 12, 2002

OECD set to recognize gradual Japan recovery

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development is likely to acknowledge the possibility of a modest recovery in Japan's economy at its ministerial meeting in Paris this week, according to a draft statement obtained Saturday.
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
May 12, 2002

Poetry that's music to the ears of millions

POEMS OF THE GOAT, by Chuya Nakahara, translated by Ry Beville. American Book Company, Richmond, VA, 2002, 77 pp., $15/2500 yen (paper) Why do some writers get translated and others -- better, more deserving -- remain obscure? This is a question that Ry Beville, a young Virginia native, asked himself...
COMMUNITY
May 12, 2002

The King of Sports .... in the land of emperors

Some 15 years ago, I found racing -- or perhaps you could say that it found me. Free tickets to the international Japan Cup took me to Tokyo Race Course and marked the beginning of a continuing affair with the horses.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
May 12, 2002

Natural quality, Acquavino style

You don't get to become a successful restaurateur without knowing exactly what it is that people want. As the man behind the Acquapazza and Mangia Pesce stable of ristoranti, chef Yoshimi Hidaka helped to define the new high-end Italian cucina of the cash-flush 1990s. Now he shows he is equally in tune...
EDITORIALS
May 11, 2002

Murder in the Netherlands

The assassination of Dutch politician Pim Fortuyn is a wakeup call to the citizens of Europe. Coming only days after the defeat of rightwing leader Jean-Marie Le Pen in the runoff for the French presidency last weekend, the killing is a savage reminder of the threats to democracy in Europe. The Dutch...
COMMENTARY / World
May 11, 2002

Indian state frenzy borders on genocide

NEW DELHI -- The continuing communal violence in the western Indian state of Gujarat has not only left hundreds dead, but has also led to embarrassing condemnation by world leaders. New Delhi finds itself in an utterly shameful spot, a situation brought on by its own inept handling of the Hindu-Muslim...
Japan Times
SOCCER / J. League
May 11, 2002

S-Pulse makes quarters

KOBE -- Shimizu S-Pulse secured its place in the Nabisco Cup quarterfinals with a 2-0 victory over Vissel Kobe at Kobe Universiade Stadium on Thursday night, celebrating the return of Shimizu and Japan defender Ryuzo Morioka from an injury.
COMMENTARY
May 11, 2002

Koizumi's pain, media's gain

...
COMMENTARY
May 11, 2002

A recipe for reconciliation

TAIPEI -- British writer George Bernard Shaw once said that Americans and Brits were two peoples separated by the same language. This is an even more apt description when describing the Chinese and Taiwanese. A week of visits to Taiwan and China leaves me once again to marvel at how poorly two peoples...
JAPAN
May 11, 2002

Survivor of Nanjing Massacre wins lawsuit over book

The Tokyo District Court on Friday ordered the authors and publisher of the 1997 book "Nanjing-gyakusatsu e no Daigimon" ("Big questions on the Nanjing Massacre") to pay a total of 1.5 million yen in damages to a Chinese woman whom the book claims is a false witness of the massacre.
JAPAN
May 11, 2002

Japan wants secure airports during Cup

Japan will ask foreign countries to beef up security at their airports as the World Cup soccer finals approach in an attempt to prevent terrorist acts on airplanes flying to Japan, government sources said Friday.
JAPAN
May 11, 2002

Media bodies terrified by privacy legislation

Newspaper editors, publishers, broadcasters and freelance journalists across the country are vehemently protesting that two bills now in the Diet would gravely undermine freedom of the press.
JAPAN
May 11, 2002

Personal information bill endangers privacy, press: LDP politician

...
BUSINESS
May 11, 2002

IY Bank unfazed by loss in '01, eyes profit by '03

In its first year of offering 24-hour ATM banking at convenience stores, Ito-Yokado Co.'s fledgling IY Bank reported a 12.18 billion yen after-tax loss in fiscal 2001.
JAPAN
May 11, 2002

Prosecutor gets new arrest warrant

OSAKA -- A fresh arrest warrant was served Friday on a former senior official of the Osaka High Public Prosecutor's Office on suspicion of accepting bribes from a gangster in return for investigative information, Osaka prosecutors said.
BASEBALL / MLB
May 11, 2002

Giants' utility man Crespo ready to do whatever it takes

If it were up to Felipe Crespo, he'd be chasing fly balls in the Tokyo Dome outfield. Somewhere -- left, right or center -- it doesn't matter.

Longform

Sociologist Gracia Liu-Farrer argues that even though immigration doesn't figure into Japan's autobiography, it is more of a self-perception than a reality.
In search of the ‘Japanese dream’