NEWS
February 5, 2006 | Mari Yamaguchi, Associated Press Writer
Masa sits on the couch in his apartment with his arm around Konoha's shoulders, gently brushing her hair away from her bright blue eyes. Iris stands behind them, decked out in a frilly dress. Masa speaks warmly to Konoha and Iris, greeting them brightly each morning and when he returns from work, but they never answer. His companions are life-sized dolls. Konoha is his favorite.
MAGAZINE
October 26, 2003 | MICHAEL T. JARVIS
When Stuart Levy started Tokyopop Inc. in 1997, he had a tough time convincing venture capitalists that Japanese comic books could be popular in America. But "comic books" doesn't adequately describe the mass appeal of manga, full-length black-and-white graphic novels spanning every genre from hard-boiled action-adventure sagas to sci-fi and fantasy. Today L.A.-based Tokyopop has a projected revenue of $35 million for 2003 and brings to the U.S.
WORLD
August 21, 2002 | MARK MAGNIER, TIMES STAFF WRITER
They cost as much as $20,000, hurt like you wouldn't believe and virtually guarantee pariah status in proper Japanese society. So why in the world would anyone seek such a thing? For those with full-body tattoos, known as horimono, it's about inner satisfaction, a link with centuries-old tradition and the chance to show you're a "real man"--or woman.
NEWS
January 10, 2002 | MARK MAGNIER, TIMES STAFF WRITER
It's an industry that thrives because Japan is still a nation that can't say no. For the right price, operatives will dump your girlfriend for you, lose your husband, drive away that mistress or fire that longtime employee. Wakaresaseya--literally "breaker-uppers"--are specialists in destroying relationships. In a nation that eschews confrontation and shuns public displays of passion, these terminators extricate clients from close encounters of the emotional kind.
NEWS
December 5, 2001 | JOHN O'DELL, TIMES STAFF WRITER
Newspapers in Japan have written extensive articles about the stores Nissan Chief Executive Carlos Ghosn prefers when he goes suit shopping. Hundreds of photographers at the recent Tokyo Motor Show jammed to the front of the stage when Ghosn introduced the new Nissan Z--not to take pictures of the car but to grab some candid shots of the heavy-browed executive.
NEWS
November 17, 2001 | MARK MAGNIER, TIMES STAFF WRITER
On the wedding day of Crown Prince Naruhito and Princess Masako in June 1993, a trained monkey named Tsurusuke peered into a crystal ball before a television audience of millions and predicted that the couple would bear three children, the first a girl. After an eight-year wait, a highly publicized miscarriage, endless speculation and a lot of hand-wringing, the nation is eagerly awaiting the royal couple's first child, expected any day now.