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CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Apr 14, 2002

Reflecting the author at twice his natural size

A PILGRIMAGE TO ANGKOR. By Pierre Loti. Translated by W.P. Baines. Edited and introduced by Michael Smithies. With photographs by Euayporn Kerchouay. Chiang Mai: Silkworm Books, 1999 (revised edition), 107 pp., 22 color plates, 395 baht (paper) On an April evening in 1865, Louis Marie Julien Viaud, then...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Apr 14, 2002

It's not what you're thinking . . .

The way the rock business works is, you buy the record and if you like what you hear, you go to see the band in concert, which more likely than not, will be scheduled within two months of the record's release. Or, you see a band (by accident?) at a concert and then you rush out to your nearest record...
JAPAN
Apr 14, 2002

Obituary: Motoyuki Naganuma

Motoyuki Naganuma, a special adviser to Rissho Koseikai, Japan's second-largest lay Buddhist organization, and a former chairman of the Niwano Peace Foundation, died of heart failure at 4:40 p.m. on April 7 at a hospital in Tokyo's Nakano Ward. He was 78.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / JAZZNICITY
Apr 14, 2002

Bigger, fresher, louder

In the last Jazznicity column, I focused on meat-and-potatoes big bands in Tokyo. But in addition to those bands that work directly in the jazz tradition, there are many others seeking to extend its range of possibilities.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / CHANNEL SURF
Apr 14, 2002

It's spring and renewal is in the air

English teachers will definitely want to check out Sunday's two-hour "SmaStation Spring Berabera Festival" (TV Asahi, 6:56 p.m.). "SmaStation" is the latest SMAP-related hit variety series, normally broadcast Saturday nights at 11 p.m. Taking its name from TV Asahi's influential nightly news program,...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / BEST BAR NONE
Apr 14, 2002

Not that Nobu, just the opposite

Mention the name Nobu to most jet-setters and they will recall the international restaurants serving "nouvelle Japonais" cuisine. The one in Tokyo occupies a sprawling, bungalow-style structure that hogs an impressive chunk of street front on Roppongi-dori near Shibuya. But what all the globe-hopping...
JAPAN
Apr 14, 2002

Japan considering creation of East Asia free-trade area before 2010

Japan is considering establishing an East Asia free-trade zone well ahead of 2010, Japanese trade ministry officials said Saturday.
SOCCER / World cup / EXCERPTS FROM PHILIPPE TROUSSIER'S BOOK
Apr 14, 2002

We mustn't forget our humanity

"Passion" is the story of Japan soccer team coach Philippe Troussier, his struggle to make it as a player and manager and his travels around France, Africa and Japan. In the book, Troussier also details his philosophy and thinking as he prepares for the World Cup in June.
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Apr 14, 2002

Desperate times call for innovative measures

No quick recovery is on the horizon for the slumping Japanese book business. That is the consensus of commentator Kazuhiro Kobayashi, writing in Shuppan News (January), and of three experts discussing the matter in Tsukuru (March) -- Yasuo Ueda, Yoshiaki Kiyota and Hiroyuki Shinoda. Unit sales, revenues...
COMMUNITY
Apr 14, 2002

Off on the road of laughs

Paul Betney is perpetually in motion. It's the first thing that everyone notices about him. To put it bluntly, he shakes. Sometimes he looks like he's going to rattle himself apart, but then he arches his eyebrows and says, "Can you imagine me at airports?" and the audience is in fits.
JAPAN
Apr 14, 2002

Research vessel returns home from Antarctica

The Japanese icebreaker Shirase returned home Saturday, concluding a five-month Antarctic research mission.
JAPAN
Apr 14, 2002

Surveillance video catches sword attack

Police officers rushed to the scene of an assault Saturday and arrested a suspect after witnessing the crime via a surveillance video camera system mounted in the Kabukicho entertainment district of Tokyo's Shinjuku Ward, police officials said.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / THE WAY OF WASHOKU
Apr 14, 2002

Watercress: a visitor welcome at any table

When Europeans first came into contact with the New World in the 15th century, the course of food history shifted. The vast continents of the Americas offered a wealth of previously unknown foods to the explorers. There were some foods, such as wheat, that the newcomers had brought with them and introduced...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Apr 14, 2002

Heading in her own direction

In the fashion world, it's not what's in your head, but what's on your head that counts. A baseball cap? A beret? Or something a little more provincial, like a wool cap? Milliners spend a lifetime mulling such matters and creating new styles of headwear.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / NIHONSHU
Apr 14, 2002

Where sake runs wild, unfiltered and free

Over the past few years, there has been a small surge in the popularity of muroka nama genshu sake. While it is hardly shaking the industry to its foundations, quite a few brewers -- usually smaller kura -- have begun to market this kind of sake.
CULTURE / Books / THE ASIAN BOOKSHELF
Apr 14, 2002

New twists on a venerable tradition

EINSTEIN'S CENTURY: Akito Arima's Haiku, translated by Emiko Miyashita & Lee Gurga. Brooks Books, 2001, 128 pp., $16/2,000 yen (paper) GENDAI HAIKU 2001/JAPANESE HAIKU 2001, edited by Modern Haiku Association. YOU-Shorin Press, 2000, 297 pp., 3 yen,000/$30 (paper) A FUTURE WATERFALL, by Ban'ya Natsuishi,...
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Apr 14, 2002

Pop stars set an example for us all

The permanent five-day school week that goes into effect this month has given rise to a great deal of discussion in the government and the media as to whether or not Japan can afford to cut back on classroom time. This discussion, however, has not addressed the question of what education is supposed...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Apr 14, 2002

Kappo R: And on the seventh day, we dined

Sunday evenings are always the most difficult time for dining out, especially if it's full-fledged Japanese cuisine you're after. With the markets closed and the streets deserted, choices are always limited, even in the most up-market parts of town.
COMMUNITY
Apr 14, 2002

Designers unveil new looks to fall for

As the weather warms up and the days get longer, memories of summer's trial-by-heat again begin to send shivers down the collective spine.
EDITORIALS
Apr 13, 2002

Cutting our thirst for oil

Once again, Arab hardliners are threatening to cut oil supplies to force the world to take action in the Middle East. The price of oil, which is usually volatile at such times, jumped sharply in response. But, unlike 1973 or 1979, there is little prospect of concerted action so a real shortage is unlikely....
SOCCER / World cup
Apr 13, 2002

World Cup flag-bearers wanted

World Cup sponsor Adidas is offering various World Cup related activities for youngsters. A total of 192 boys and girls aged 10 to 14 are being sought to serve as "Fair Play Flag" bearers at World Cup games in Japan.
COMMENTARY
Apr 13, 2002

China: opportunity or threat?

LONDON -- Chinese leaders have been urging the Japanese to see China as an opportunity, not a threat.
JAPAN
Apr 13, 2002

Afghan education minister to visit Japan on Tuesday

Education minister Atsuko Toyama said Friday that her counterpart in the Afghan interim authority, Abdul Rasoul Amin, will visit Japan beginning Tuesday.
JAPAN
Apr 13, 2002

'Secret' funds went to lawmakers in '91-'92: JCP

The early 1990s administration of Kiichi Miyazawa used 143.86 million yen in so-called discretionary funds to distribute to ruling and opposition party lawmakers and to cover personal expenses at the Prime Minister's Official Residence, the Japanese Communist Party revealed Friday.
JAPAN
Apr 13, 2002

Environmentalist says Japan should roll out solar energy Marshall Plan

Japan is in a unique position to help promote sustainable development in Asia and in developing countries in the area of solar power, an influential U.S. environmental pundit said in an interview.
SUMO
Apr 13, 2002

Takanohana returns to practice

Yokozuna Takanohana, forced out of the last five major sumo tournaments with an injured right knee, took part in an extended practice session Friday.
JAPAN
Apr 13, 2002

Upper House OKs prison transfer bill

The House of Councilors approved a bill Friday detailing the domestic procedures for Japan to join an international treaty allowing the transfer of foreign inmates to serve their prison terms in their home countries.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 13, 2002

Three-footed crow proves lucky for charm sales

KASHIHARA, Nara Pref. -- A three-footed crow may seem a mysterious idea to say the least, or downright weird to be more blunt.

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’