RELATIONSHALLOWEEN DECORATION ETIQUETTEBY GRACE BUCHELE MINETAI foolishly assumed that because bakeries have Halloween-themed treats,karaoke parlors are decked out in pumpkins and skeletons and a nearbydepartment store has a huge “Happy Halloween!” banner hanging by theentrance, Japanese families celebrated Halloween.A couple days ago over dinner, I told my husband I wanted to decorateour house a bit for Halloween. He suggested the ¥100 store. Two hoursand ¥1,700 later, I walked out of Daiso with two bags full of awesome,cheap and gaudy Halloween decorations.Two days after that, my husband told me our outdoor Halloweendecorations were (apparently) scaring our neighbors.We moved the decorations back inside and peace was restored.ハロウィンデコレーションのエチケット近 頃 町 のパン 屋 さんやカラオケ 店 で 多 くのハロウィングッズを 見 かけるため、 私 は 日本 でもハロウィンを 祝 うのだと 知 りました。ある 晩 、 私 は 夫 にハロウィン 用 に 家 を 飾 り付 けしたいと 打 ち 明 けると、100 円 ショップを 勧 められました。100 円 ショップに足 を 運 んでみたところ、2 時 間 で1700 円 分 もの 安 くて 可 愛 いハロウィングッズを買 う 事 が 出 来 ました。しかし2 日 後 、 夫 に 外 に 飾 り 付 けたハロウィンデコレーションが隣 の 人 を 驚 かせてるから 片 付 けるようにと 言 われてしまいました、、、 残 念 ですが、ハロウィングッズをしまい、 事 は 何 事 も 無 くおさまりました。■ Grace Buchele Mineta is an author who blogs and draws comicsabout her daily life in Japan at www.HowIBecameTexan.com.♥ Love ¥ Money ♣ LuckhoroscopeBY CATHRYN MOEARIESMar 20-Apr 18 ♥♥ ¥¥ ♣♣♣♣♣TAURUSApr 19-May 19 ♥♥♥ ¥¥¥ ♣♣♣♣GEMINIMay 20-Jun 20 ♥♥♥♥ ¥¥ ♣♣♣CANCERJun 21-Jul 21 ♥♥♥♥ ¥¥¥ ♣♣♣♣♣Although part of you may be deliriouswith anticipation, do you also have aquiver of fear when it comes to a newpact you’ve made? Moving forward is assistedby the strength and courage of your ruler Marsin your solar ninth house. This placement lendsits focus to dealing with in-laws, long-distancejourneys and your connection with “all that is.”You can make it easier on yourself by creatinga form of expression that no one can take away.The result? Freedom.LEOJul 22-Aug 21 ♥♥♥ ¥¥ ♣♣♣Whatever you do, your strength is inbeing positive. Staying in the presentcan be a challenge with Neptune inyour sector of groups, hopes and wishes. Lovethem or not, projects can spring up, dissolveand even return. Your energy levels at thisvery moment may be low or high—but in eithercase can change in a heartbeat. You may feel aheightened sense of intuition as your instinctsare being rewired. Pallas Athene comes toyour rescue starting Monday. Be an original.VIRGOAug 22-Sep 21 ♥♥ ¥¥¥ ♣♣♣Bring your own soul into your heartand watch your spirit soar. Sweet,shy, and health conscious, you aremoving into a realm of peak focus and creativity.Whatever Neptune and Chiron oppositeVirgo may do, what seems lost comes back inan unexpected, even unprecedented wave ofupgrades. It may be changed, but that’s whatyou were secretly hoping for, isn’t it? PallasAthene moves to your house of communicationon Monday; your original thoughts reward you.CAPRICORNDec 21-Jan 19 ♥♥♥ ¥¥¥¥ ♣♣No one can clip your wings, sothere’s no need to fret. Changes inyour schedule just pave the way fordesires finding their expression. Take a deepbreath and think of your friends supporting youin any situation to get through each day. If youare in a relationship, Vesta transiting bringswisdom to your choices; hear your partner’ssuggestions out. Pallas Athene leaves yourromance sector and puts the focus on work,starting Monday. Enter the satisfaction zone.LIBRASep 22-Oct 22 ♥♥♥♥ ¥¥ ♣♣♣♣Action-packed and not a moment tolose, you may be zinging from onestellar moment to the next. Venuscalls in her cards from the rest of the zodiac soyou can receive what’s due; right on her tail isthe North Node, pushing you to try somethingnew, or mix it up with an old dream recentlydusted off. Say what’s on your mind, becauseVenus combines with both Mercury and the Sunin your sign—just make sure it’s said gently withyour diplomatic finesse.There’s joy in what you’re doing thisweek—because you followed yourheart and soul. In the testing timeswe are in, you have an innate sense of knowingthat a strong foundation is the only way to moveforward, and moving forward is something youwant to do. You’re subtle and strong at the sametime. You sense when energies combine to createa path that fits your dreams; it’s as if there aremoments when you can hear the stars speakingto you. Take action in a loving way.SCORPIOOct 23-Nov 21 ♥♥ ¥¥¥¥ ♣♣♣Penetrating, feeling for subtle movementsin your path, right now you arebeing offered several choices. Thereis a quality to Scorpio that often thinks if youhaven’t done it the hard way, it won’t stick.The thing is, you’re doing it the hard way thisvery moment with Saturn in your sign. Venus,the North Node, Mercury, the Sun and PallasAthene are pressing on your psyche, and it’sa lot to take; sorting the shadows this weekprepares you for an awesome quantum leap.The performer in you needs an outlet.These days are charged and you havea dynamic energy—it’s as if your electricalfield makes others feel dazzling. Quitea gift! Mars in your solar fifth house of loveand creativity turns heads. Starting Monday,Pallas Athene amps up the lights at home; thisincludes redecorating or even finding anotherabode. The unconventional merges with yourexecutive authority. You’re in a decisive, winningtime of your life. Go for it!SAGITTARIUSNov 22-Dec 20 ♥♥ ¥¥¥ ♣♣♣AQUARIUSJan 20-Feb 17 ♥♥♥♥ ¥¥ ♣♣♣♣PISCESFeb 18-Mar 19 ♥♥ ¥¥¥ ♣♣♣Staying focused and on track is a bigleap for Sag at the moment. Neptunesquare to your sign has put you in aposition of “pushing through the envelope.”Chiron addresses past hurts and intends to healwounds, but you must put yourself in a positionto accept this without making yourself vulnerable.How to do this? Your originality is about tostep forward via your dreams; giving yourselftime to absorb what’s around you leads to yourvalue and success.You’re in the public eye or makingstrides in your career. It’s all aboutdiplomacy and negotiations thisweek. The North Node brings in new opportunitiesfor you; Venus means money, beauty,love and comfort; Mercury is still retrograde, sotake this chance to review any contracts andhow they are worded. The Sun warms you to anidea you have wanted to take forward: it’s eitherabout you, or helping to define your sense ofself—both are important.Your aura of indifference is balancedby the beating heart you hope othersdon’t hear too loudly. A recent specialconnection throws you into a tizzy as it lookslike your life could take a 180. Don’t be fooledby the sparks and curves of Uranus in your communicationsector. Yes, things are lively, but ifyou want them to continue, you’ll have to putspaces between your adrenaline rush. At thesame time, have fun—someone may be watchingyou with a promotion in mind.Open up your eyes and see with yourheart, something you’ve known howto do since childhood; feelings getmore points than logic when it comes to newrealms making themselves known. Since this isa time of change, it’s also a time of reformingwhat exists—thus, reformation. That’s why youget a “reality” vote! Partners have much to add,and may take a lot of your attention; if you’resingle, you may reap multiple rewards from yourmany good deeds.32
A 62-year-oldprimatologist who has“devoted himself togorilla research in remoteareas of Africa for over30 years” was named thenext president of KyotoUniversity.the small printBY STEVE TRAUTLEINLINGO BOXNagusameru ( 慰 める) = consoleSaibanchō ( 裁 判 長 ) = chief justiceBanana no kawa (バナナの 皮 ) = banana peelTabe-aruki ( 食 べ 歩 き) = eat while walkingEbora dairyūkō (エボラ 大 流 行 )= Ebola epidemicEVEN THOUGH IT’S OBVIOUS THAT BANANASKINS ARE SLIPPERY, WE SCIENTIFICALLY PROVEDTHE SLIPPERINESS.”—Kiyoshi Mabuchi of Kitasato University inTokyo, whose research team was “awarded” an Ig Nobel Prize for its study onthe slickness of banana peelsCUTTING EDGE⊲An ⊲ online retailer that sells shoes embeddedwith cameras has earned the wrath of authoritiesin Kyoto, who say the devices are for thesole purpose of taking upskirt photos.⊲Officials ⊲ at the National Police Agency saythey’re concerned about the growing numberof child sex abuse cases linked to smartphonemessaging apps like Line and KakaoTalk.⊲Police ⊲ from Tokyo busted a 16-year-old Kumamotohigh school student for hacking theservers of gaming company GameOn. It wasthe first-ever arrest in Japan for a distributeddenial-of-service (DDoS) attack.⊲The ⊲ Chofu Parco department store in WesternTokyo put on display Lego models of Mount Fujiand 40 other World Heritage sites. More than450,000 blocks were used to create the replicas.PALACE NEWS⊲Imperial ⊲ granddaughter Princess Mako, 21,decamped for England to pursue a master’sdegree at the University of Leicester.at a glanceBY RODGER SONOMURA⊲It ⊲ was reported that the Emperor and Empresswill visit the island nation of Palau next year “toconsole souls of war dead.”⊲The ⊲ New York Times published an op-edslamming the Imperial Household Agency’snewly compiled biography of Emperor Hirohito,saying it “perpetuates the false but persistentimage… of a benign, passive figurehead.”⊲It’s ⊲ taken two years, but staff at the NationalDiet Library have managed to restore 116 volumesof historical documents that were damagedby the March 2011 tsunami.HIGH ROLLERS⊲The ⊲ value of the land in the Higashi-Azabuneighborhood that houses the Russian embassyhas been estimated at ¥2.33 millionper square meter.⊲Officials ⊲ at the iconic Hotel Okura announcedplans to open properties in Manila and Bangkok.⊲Yutaka ⊲ Kume, who led Nissan Motor during theautomaker’s heyday in the ’80s and ’90s, diedof stomach cancer in Yokohama. He was 93.stats1,167 Outlets of gyudon chain Sukiyathat will temporarily suspend 24-houroperations due to staff shortages¥100 MILLION Amount that Tokyobasedtire manufacturer BridgestoneCorp will donate to help West Africannations fight the Ebola epidemic790,000 Pickup trucks recalled byToyota in North America due to “faultysuspension parts [that] may lead to fires”⊲For ⊲ the second straight year, the editors ofTimes Higher Education named Tokyo Universityas the top school in Asia, and the 23rdbest in the world.MILESTONES⊲Officials ⊲ at Tokyo SkyTree say more than 100million people have visited the tower since itsdebut in May 2012.⊲Hiroko ⊲ Ando, 64, a graduate of Chuo Universitylaw school, became just the third womanto be appointed chief justice of a Japanesehigh court. She’ll serve in Takamatsu.⊲Japan’s ⊲ shortest railway tunnel—a 7.2-meter-longstretch of track on the JR Agatsumaline in Gunma—has been taken out of serviceto make way for the construction of a new dam.THANKS, BUT NO THANKS⊲US ⊲ Open runner-up Kei Nishikori—the firstAsian man to reach the finals of a grand slamtennis tournament—turned down an honoraryaward from his home prefecture of Shimane.⊲By ⊲ way of explanation, Nishikori said, “I’m 24years old and still a work in progress.”⊲Officials ⊲ in the historic Higashi Chaya districtof Kanazawa have put up notices in Japaneseand English urging tourists not to eat whilewalking.⊲Bottom ⊲ Story of the Week: “Municipalities,Firms Team Up to Make IT-Embedded ManholeCovers” (via Mainichi Japan)Small Print Updated Weekly→ METURL.COM/SMALLPRINTCompiled from reports by AP, Japan Today, The Japan Times, Jiji, The TokyoReporter, The Mainichi, The Japan News, AFP, Reuters and Kyodo33