ONLINE SURVEY
Their summer vacations were one week or less, and most of them went somewhere away from home. This is the picture that emerged from a survey on how Japan's business people spent their summer vacations.
(October 19, 2001)

GERALD L. CURTIS
"I've never been bored in Japan," says renowned Japan-watcher Dr. Gerald L. Curtis, looking back on almost four decades of his involvement with the country. Dr. Curtis came to Japan for the first time in 1966. "Every decade since has been very different. Japan changes, it's been changing a lot over the time I've seen it, I've been involved with it. So I've never had the opportunity to really get bored."
(September 19, 2001)

GINZA, SHIBUYA GET NEW FACES
Two of Tokyo's most popular districts are undergoing image makeovers. Behind these changes are dropping land prices caused by the collapse of the economic bubble and a transition of generations among the consuming public.
(October 17, 2001)

THE OTHER OLYMPICS
The sixth World Games, an international multi-sports spectacle featuring events not included in the Olympic Games, took place from August 16 to 26 in the northern prefecture of Akita. Some 4,000 athletes and officials from 87 countries and regions participated in the quadrennial event, providing thrilling competition.
(October 11, 2001)

SHINY MUD BALLS
All across Japan, kids are making hikaru dorodango, or balls of mud that shine. Behind this boom is Professor Fumio Kayo of the Kyoto University of Education. Kayo sees in this phenomenon the essence of children's play. The mud balls could also offer fresh insights into how play aids children's growth.
(October 5, 2001)