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Sophie Knight
For Sophie Knight's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Jan 30, 2017
A woman's lowly place in Japan, mirrored in its language
Given that so many demeaning and negative words related to women endure, is it any surprise that sexism is still rife in Japan?
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
May 7, 2016
The vagina, in all its 'obscene' glory
You've probably heard of Japanese artist known as Rokudenashiko ("good for nothing girl"), who was arrested in 2014 for sending the 3-D data of her genitals to patrons of her successful crowdfunding campaign to create a vagina-shaped kayak.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Jul 18, 2015
Underneath the 'Orientalist' kimono
Is it "racist" for non-Japanese to wear kimono? That question has been fiercely debated since protesters entered Boston's Museum of Fine Arts in late June to decry an exhibition encouraging visitors to try on a red uchikake kimono in front of a 1876 painting by Claude Monet of his wife wearing a similar garment.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jun 5, 2015
Harnessing the power of community to drive an energy revolution
Watch Kazuaki Hashimoto chopping firewood for the following winter on a baking day at the end of April, and you may be forgiven for thinking he leads a rather old-fashioned lifestyle.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Jan 9, 2015
Don't fight trips to the gym: Take it outside
It's January. The bars are empty and the gyms are full of people with good intentions. By February or March, of course, that situation will reverse, as new year resolutions begin to flag and it becomes increasingly difficult to justify that extortionate gym membership.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Jan 3, 2015
Novelist Mizumura fights to arrest fall of Japanese literature
The abiding belief among some native English speakers in Japan is that Japanese people need to use more English instead of sheltering in the comfort of a mother tongue barely spoken beyond their archipelago.
Japan Times
JAPAN / FOCUS
Nov 21, 2014
Japan's robotics revolution gets a reboot as nation aims to regain lead in ¥3.4 trillion industry
Neurosurgeon Tetsuya Goto had just begun testing a robot to perform brain surgery when he discovered Japan was moving to tighten regulations that would shut down his seven-year project.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies / FOCUS
Sep 19, 2014
As mobile arm struggles, Sony looks to PlayStation
The head of Sony Corp.'s PlayStation division hopes to raise its profit outlook for this year, in stark contrast to the electronics firm's mobile business, which has forecast deep losses and sent Sony's stock reeling.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 21, 2014
Mt. Gox CEO Karpeles sought both control, escape
In June 2011, when customers of now-bankrupt bitcoin exchange Mt. Gox agitated for proof that the Tokyo-based firm was still solvent after a hacking attack, CEO Mark Karpeles turned to the comedy science fiction novel "The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy".

Longform

High-end tourism is becoming more about the kinds of experiences that Japan's lesser-known places can provide.
Can Japan lure the jet-set class off the beaten path?