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Samantha Cubbison
For Samantha Cubbison's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Jun 5, 2017
Learn Japanese as you binge with Netflix anime series
If it's anime you crave, streaming sites such as Netflix offer an ever-expanding smorgasbord of morsels to suit every appetite.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
May 31, 2017
Lu's charming mermaid tale is too much for just one film
Imagine 'Ponyo' but with a whole lot of dancing. Boiled down, that is what you get with 'Lu Over The Wall.'
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film / Wide Angle
Apr 27, 2017
Anime's Masaaki Yuasa directs a dream with 'Night Is Short, Walk On Girl'
Tomihiko Morimi's novel "Night Is Short, Walk On Girl" (Japanese title: "Yoru wa Mijikashi Aruke yo Otome") is set in the same universe as its predecessor, "The Tatami Galaxy" ("Yojohan Shinwa Taikei"), and is the latest to get the anime treatment by Masaaki Yuasa's Science Saru animation studios. This film, however, focuses a bit less on the male protagonist known only as "Senpai" and more on his love interest, "Kuro Kami no Otome" (the Girl with Black Hair). Notice the lack of identity beyond simple attributes? It's a way to make the story as generic as possible, though the film ends up being anything but.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES
Mar 29, 2017
For long-distance lovers, apps that make the heart grow fonder
Thanks to technology, your loved one can always be with you, in your pocket — or under your thumb.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Feb 26, 2017
Review: WagakkiBand at Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium
The only way WagakkiBand could be more Japanese is if Scarlett Johansson was playing the part of the singer.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / VIEWS FROM THE STREET
Feb 15, 2017
Views from Tokyo: What effect do you think Trump's election will have on Japan and the world?
People in Tokyo reflect on what U.S. President Donald Trump might mean for this archipelago and the rest of the world.

Longform

Later this month, author Shogo Imamura will open Honmaru, a bookstore that allows other businesses to rent its shelves. It's part of a wave of ideas Japanese booksellers are trying to compete with online spaces.
The story isn't over for Japan's bookstores