The pick of the bunch from Tokyo's art, events and music this month. Plus Mrs. Edo-san tells it like it is, a soccer brawl brews in the Sea of Japan, eavesdropping with Charlie Whipple and NHK hits a foul off Nomo.

DISPATCHES by Richard Lloyd Parry Fifty years after the last bloody land battle of the Pacific, wounds have healed. But at the ceremony marking the anniversary, scars are revealed. MEMOIRS by Donald Richie He parked his jeep on the edge of town and joined the villagers in the Festival of Darkness, a bizarre and naked ritual. STYLE Lucas Badtke-Berkow Pure and simple, this season's white shirts embody timeless cool and countless possibilities.

OYAKO photograph by Bruce Osborn

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The Conversation : Ruby Moreno
by Mark Robinson

The country's most exposed foreign actress discusses life as a Tokyo bar hostess, a career in film and TV, bearing children, and nervousness over nudity.

Who's Making What
by John Harris

Land of opportunity or city of struggle? As businesses stagger through the recession, we apply the Sweat-o-Meter to you and your salary.

China Girl
by Rie Takeoshi, as told by Ilaria Maria Sala

Death was everywhere for civilians stranded by the end of the war in China. Exactly 50 years after Japan's surrender, a Hokkaido woman recounts her own tale of survival, and how for decades afterwards, the authorities just wished she'd go away.

CONTRIBUTORS

What's on in Tokyo this month. Full listings and commentary

Art by Azby Brown Sergio Duran, Tokyo's stoic, off-beat architect, wins a much-coveted international award. Performing Arts by Gilles Kennedy Controversy hits the stage in the challenging New York dance production Still/Here. Music by Mark Robinson Here, now and hot . . . the '70s! Film by James Bailey The Diary of Anne Frank is now a Japanese cartoon. A meeting with the film's controversial Jewish scriptwriter, Roger Pulvers. Food by John Kennerdell Buono! Buono! Two of Tokyo's best Italian eateries. Area Spotlight The hippest mix of old and new: Daikanyama and Naka-Meguro.

Survival by Dan Papia Feeling sluggish? Get a sporting start by buying the right gear. Nightlife by Phil Miller Casing streets and hustling clubs with insomniac Phil. For Kids Trade that too-small baby suit for something better--with this guide to secondhand clothing stores. Events Lost in space? Relive the moon landing at a special NASA exhibit. Festivals Used dolls get a traditional, religious send-off in Ueno Park. Books by Richard Lloyd Parry Looking for the Lost, Alan Booth's last book. Back Home --