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Japan news from Japan Times
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Buddhist priest grounds new book with practical advice and cheeky declarations
If you’re perfectly happy with your life and yourself, you probably don’t need to read Jikisai Minami’s “It’s Okay Not to Look for the Meaning of Life.” If, however, you’re sometimes troubled by anxiety, stress, relationship issues, self-doubt, fear of death or worries of any kind, this book will help you see your problems in an invigorating new light.
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Election trouncing a blow to Kishida, but snap election unlikely
The main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (CDP) won big on Sunday night, racking up victories in three Lower House by-elections including a closely watched race in a district that was long a stronghold of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party.
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Wajima market's youngest stallholder taps crowdfunding to preserve heritage
At just 22 years old, Miyu Minamidani was the youngest stallholder at the Wajima morning market in Ishikawa Prefecture who dedicated herself to preserving the ancient Noto tradition of making ishiru, a traditional fish sauce.
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Man, 28, arrested in Okinawa over burned bodies found in Tochigi
Police on Monday arrested a 28-year-old man in relation to a case in which the burned bodies of a Tokyo couple were found near a river in the town of Nasu, Tochigi Prefecture, two weeks ago.
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Women's basketball great Candace Parker retires
Candace Parker, a three-time WNBA champion and two-time Olympic champion for the United States, announced her retirement on Sunday after 16 pro seasons.
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Shohei Ohtani's bond with Dodgers teammates even stronger after scandal
Shohei Ohtani pulled up a chair inside the visitors clubhouse at Nationals Park and gazed up at a television. For a moment he was alone, undisturbed by the rest of the Los Angeles Dodgers, a solitary figure watching the Arizona Diamondbacks play the St. Louis Cardinals.
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Anthony Edwards uses huge second half to help Timberwolves sweep Suns
Anthony Edwards scored 31 of his 40 points in the second half and the Minnesota Timberwolves completed a four-game sweep of the Phoenix Suns with a 122-116 victory in Game 4 of their Western Conference first-round series in Phoenix on Sunday.
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Tesla clears key regulatory hurdles for self-driving in China
Tesla has cleared some key regulatory hurdles that have long hindered it from rolling out its self-driving software in China, paving the way for a favorable result from Elon Musk's surprise visit to the U.S. automaker's second-largest market.
Asia/Pacific news from Japan Times
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China set to launch high-stakes mission to moon's 'hidden' side
China will soon send a robotic spacecraft on a round trip to the moon's far side in the first of three technically demanding missions that will pave the way for an inaugural Chinese-crewed landing and a base on the lunar south pole.
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U.S. ‘firm’ steps in when China is seen as a bully, not a partner
When South Korea decided to host a U.S. anti-ballistic missile system, the lucrative flow of tourists from neighboring China suddenly dried up. When Australia accused Beijing of meddling in its domestic politics and demanded answers over the origins of COVID-19, China stopped buying exports like coal, wine and beef.
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Philippines suspends in-person classes due to heat and jeepney strike
The Philippines will suspend in-person classes in all public schools for two days due to extreme heat and a nationwide strike by jeepney drivers, the education department said Sunday.
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When U.S. diplomats visit China, meal choices are about more than taste buds
Beijing beer made with American hops, to highlight the trade relationship between the two countries. Tibetan food, to send a human rights message. Mushrooms with possible hallucinogenic properties, just because they taste good.
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U.S., South Korea outline visions for cost-sharing on troops
U.S. and South Korean officials outlined respective visions for a new agreement on sharing the cost of keeping American troops in South Korea in talks this week and will continue to consult as necessary, the chief U.S. negotiator said Friday.
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Kim Jong Un tests new rockets that could boost ability to hit Seoul
Leader Kim Jong Un has overseen tests of a new North Korean rocket system that could bolster his ability to attack Seoul and it may become a weapon he attempts to sell to Russia for use in its assault on Ukraine.
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Images show China harboring ship tied to Russian arms transfers
China is providing moorage for a U.S.-sanctioned Russian cargo ship implicated in North Korean arms transfers to Russia, according to satellite images obtained by Reuters, as U.S. concerns grow over Beijing's support for Moscow's war in Ukraine.
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First COVID, now heat: Online schooling returns to the Philippines
Record heat in the Philippines this month has forced schools to send children home for online classes, reviving memories of COVID lockdowns and raising fears that more extreme weather in the years to come could deepen educational inequalities.
Culture news from Japan Times
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Buddhist priest grounds new book with practical advice and cheeky declarations
If you’re perfectly happy with your life and yourself, you probably don’t need to read Jikisai Minami’s “It’s Okay Not to Look for the Meaning of Life.” If, however, you’re sometimes troubled by anxiety, stress, relationship issues, self-doubt, fear of death or worries of any kind, this book will help you see your problems in an invigorating new light.
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Theaster Gates’ ambitious ‘Afro-Mingei’ brings Black Chicago to Tokyo
A new retrospective of American artist Theaster Gates opened this week at Mori Art Museum in Roppongi Hills. “Afro-Mingei” claims to be the largest solo show ever of a Black artist in Japan. Ambitious in scale, promiscuous in genre and didactic in tone, the exhibit gives viewers plenty and more to chew on.
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Avril Lavigne walked so today's influencer tourists could Mario Kart
A decade ago, pop-punk performer Avril Lavigne came to Tokyo — and drew widespread anger. In hindsight, she simply found herself at a crossroads of how the world viewed Japan.
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'City Hunter' manga hero drops the sexism for new live-action film
Getting global audiences to watch a live-action adaptation of a classic Japanese manga can be tough, and even more so when the protagonist is a notorious philanderer.
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A star turn isn’t quite enough to make ‘City Hunter’ soar
Ryo Saeba isn’t exactly a hero for our times. A denizen of Tokyo’s seamy Kabukicho entertainment district, the private investigator is an expert marksman and pugilist, but also an incorrigible pervert. Anyone seeking his services can leave a message on a blackboard in nearby Shinjuku Station, though they should be warned that he only goes for the pretty customers — and he won’t be looking at their faces when he’s talking to them.
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‘Evil Does Not Exist’ builds its dramatic tension to perfection
Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s “Evil Does Not Exist,” which won the Grand Jury Prize at last year’s Venice International Film Festival, had an unusual gestation, beginning as a short film to accompany the performances of musician Eiko Ishibashi, who scored Hamaguchi’s Oscar-winning “Drive My Car.” Along the way, Hamaguchi decided to turn it into a feature film with dialogue.
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Serani Poji’s retro Shibuya-kei sounds find viral fame
Sometime in late 2023, users of short-form video platforms such as TikTok and YouTube Shorts sought out a mood booster. They found just the serotonin shot they needed courtesy turn-of-the-millennium music genre Shibuya-kei, in all its smiley wonder.
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The story isn't over for Japan's bookstores
Right outside the north exit of Chofu Station in western Tokyo is Shinko Syoten, a brick-and-mortar bookstore that Hideharu Yahata’s father-in-law opened in 1968 — back when Japan was on one of the most rapid economic growth trajectories the world has ever seen.
Sports news from Japan Times
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Women's basketball great Candace Parker retires
Candace Parker, a three-time WNBA champion and two-time Olympic champion for the United States, announced her retirement on Sunday after 16 pro seasons.
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Shohei Ohtani's bond with Dodgers teammates even stronger after scandal
Shohei Ohtani pulled up a chair inside the visitors clubhouse at Nationals Park and gazed up at a television. For a moment he was alone, undisturbed by the rest of the Los Angeles Dodgers, a solitary figure watching the Arizona Diamondbacks play the St. Louis Cardinals.
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Anthony Edwards uses huge second half to help Timberwolves sweep Suns
Anthony Edwards scored 31 of his 40 points in the second half and the Minnesota Timberwolves completed a four-game sweep of the Phoenix Suns with a 122-116 victory in Game 4 of their Western Conference first-round series in Phoenix on Sunday.
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Relentless Manchester City keeps pressure on Arsenal in title race
Manchester City kept the heat on Premier League leader Arsenal on Sunday, seeing off a feisty challenge from Nottingham Forest after Mikel Arteta's men held their nerve to beat Tottenham.
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Australian swimmers to use China doping scandal as 'fuel' for Paris Olympics
China's doping case will be an extra source of motivation for Australia's swimmers at the Paris Olympics, according to rising freestyle specialist Flynn Southam.
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Caitlin Clark pleased after first WNBA practice with Fever
Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark, the top pick in the WNBA draft after a record-shattering college career at Iowa, said she was pleased after her first WNBA training camp practice session on Sunday.
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Lions muzzled by poor performance at plate
The record will show the Seibu Lions lost to the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks on Sunday after a 2-2 slider from Jefry Yan got away from catcher Takeru Furuichi as Riku Ogata raced home to score the walk-off run in the 12th inning of a 3-2 Hawks win.
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Katsuragawa shoots 63 to win on DP World Tour's return to Japan
Yuto Katsuragawa continued Japan's recent success on the DP World Tour after shooting a final-round 63 to win the ISPS Handa Championship on home soil Sunday.
Life news from Japan Times
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Casa del Cibo: A thriving jewel born from Tohoku’s harsh past
To reach the city of Hachinohe from Tokyo, even the fastest shinkansen takes the better part of three hours. It’s a long ride — a distance of some 400 kilometers in all, almost as far north as you can go on the Pacific coast of Honshu.
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Recipe: Japan’s diet-friendly ‘salad chicken’
In most of Europe and North America, the white breast meat of chicken is more popular, and pricier, than the dark meat. In Japan, the opposite is true.
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Getting extremely emotional with grammar ahead of Children's Day
As much as 桜 (sakura, cherry blossoms) are associated with the start of April, look around at the start of May and you’re likely to see 鯉のぼり (koinobori, carp streamers), which are hung in preparation for こどもの日 (kodomo no hi, Children’s Day) on May 5.
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A craft beer crawl through Tokyo’s top bars, brewpubs and dives
In Japan, it’s still technically illegal to brew anything in your own home above 1% ABV. How the craft beer scene ever took off is a wonder, but whether budding brewers disobey the law to hone their craft or jet overseas to learn lessons in the art of beer production, who can say.
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Before Murakami’s English release, try him in Japanese one more time
A new Haruki Murakami novel, the first in six years, is getting its English release this autumn. Described as bewildering and moving in equal measure, “街とその不確かな壁” (Machi to Sono Futashikana Kabe, "The City and Its Uncertain Walls") is an enigma. It may be no more than a rehashing of the 1985 novella of a similar title that was later adapted into “世界の終わりとハードボイルド・ワンダーランド” (Sekai no Owari to Hādo Boirudo Wandārando, "Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World"); it may be Murakami’s pandemic-era masterpiece.
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The unexpected ways in which Japanese words 'make it' into English
Have you scrolled to the end of the emoji keyboard, looking for those peskily faraway hearts, and accidentally sent a mysterious “NG”? Asked a friend in Japan if they want to go out for hibachi and been met with a blank stare? As a language shifts and evolves, it’s wont to take absurd and arbitrary twists and turns. (Consider that inflammable means flammable, or that peruse means both to examine in close detail and browse superficially.) But when two languages get together, things can get extra weird.
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Salone del Mobile’s Maria Porro: ‘Italy and Japan share many things’
Centuries-old palazzos. Modernist villas. Intimate galleries. Wisteria-filled courtyards. Industrial warehouses. Chic showrooms. Railway arches. A 1930s lido. A vast fairground space spanning close to 210,000 square meters.
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Kyoto’s demon night parade lives to haunt another day
One thousand years ago, demons marched through the streets of Kyoto.
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