Tag - japan-times-blogroll

 
 

JAPAN TIMES BLOGROLL

Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / JAPAN TIMES BLOGROLL
May 24, 2016
OkanoTV
In a light-hearted yet informative way, YouTuber Chris Okano (known online as OkanoTV) gives viewers insight into many aspects of Japanese society and culture — from the usual guide videos to humorous takes on the more more left-field aspects of this country.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / JAPAN TIMES BLOGROLL
Feb 16, 2016
The Uwaga Pies
The YouTube duo known as The Uwaga Pies — Krzysztof Gonciarz, from Poland, and Kasia Mecinski, from America — use their channel to give English-speakers a peek into Japan.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / JAPAN TIMES BLOGROLL
Apr 20, 2015
Rachel & Jun
Husband-and-wife YouTube team Rachel & Jun first started making videos in 2012 as a fun way to keep in touch while they were apart. Now, with over 350,000 subscribers, the Japanese-American couple covers a variety of subjects, from what’s considered overweight in Japan to making mochi.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / JAPAN TIMES BLOGROLL
Apr 3, 2015
Ochikeron
Ochikeron, a Tokyo-based YouTuber, has transformed her kitchen into a studio as she uploads Japanese cooking videos introducing easy and quick-to-prepare recipes for viewers.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / JAPAN TIMES BLOGROLL
Feb 23, 2015
Sharla in Japan
Sharla of Sharla in Japan is a 29-year-old, Canadian-born, Tokyo-based “YouTuber” (“That's what they call it here,” she says). With over 200,000 subscribers to her channel, she documents her life.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / JAPAN TIMES BLOGROLL
Apr 17, 2014
Hyakumonogatari Kaidankai: Tales of the Weird and the Strange
While many overseas scholars are attracted to the retrained aesthetics of Japanese arts and letters, it was the country's wild and wooly folklore that captivated Zack Davisson, an American writer and translator. While pursuing his masters degree in Japanese studies Davisson immersed himself in the mysterious world of kaidan. These are not your horror ghost stories, but any story that has an element of the strange and unusual.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / JAPAN TIMES BLOGROLL
Jan 1, 2013
Spoon & Tamago
Raised in Japan, the Brooklyn-based artist and writer who goes by the moniker Johnny Strategy has been blogging about Japanese art and design at Spoon & Tamago since 2007. Having studied art education and art and visual technology, he also has a background in pottery and hones the craft when not generating independent research and original content for his website. Strategy talks to us about his favorite design categories, introduces contemporary Japanese design that has been influenced by the Great Eastern Japanese Earthquake and reveals his desire to someday live in a minimalistic space. Spoon & Tamago also has an off-shoot site where he chronicles more about his personal life and the two kids who will probably keep him from living in that sparse, uncluttered space anytime soon.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / JAPAN TIMES BLOGROLL
Nov 6, 2012
Saké Puppets
When Minnesota-native Angela Salisbury moved to Tokyo, she ditched the guidebooks and explored the city by crafting.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / JAPAN TIMES BLOGROLL
Aug 21, 2012
Meet Loco: blogger, author — and racist?
A glance of distrust on the sidewalk. A seemingly harmless question. An empty seat on an otherwise packed train.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / JAPAN TIMES BLOGROLL
Jul 22, 2012
Shisaku
Shisaku is a homophone meaning essay, a meditation upon a subject, a policy or measures a government takes. A fitting title for analyst Michael Cucek's blog which provides insight and opinion on Japanese politics, with a distinct hint of satire. In the eight years he's been writing the blog, Shisaku has become a go-to English-language resource for anyone who follows or is curious about the political culture in Japan. Topics focus on current events but often segue into commentaries on overarching political issues. Cucek has a degree in East Asian Studies from Stanford University and did graduate work at UC Santa Barbara and Columbia University. He now lives in Tokyo where he writes and does private consulting, with an emphasis on Japanese politics. He is also a research associate at the MIT Center for International Studies.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / JAPAN TIMES BLOGROLL
May 24, 2012
This Japanese Life
Scholars of Friedrich Nietzsche, the German philosopher best known for his controversial statement "God is dead," have for years talked about a gaping hole in his works: Where are Nietzsche's writings about teaching English to Japanese high schoolers? What has he got to say about the paranoia of being judged in a supermarket? Eryk Salvaggio is trying to mend that hole with his blog This Japanese Life. The 33-year-old left his job as an online editor for a newspaper in Maine two years ago to teach English on the JET program in Japan. He ended up in a small suburb of Fukuoka, and here he writes about his experiences and development as an expat. The Japan Times spent an hour with him talking about the anxiety that comes from being an outsider, the thoughts of an Norwegian terrorist and, of course, Nietzsche.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / JAPAN TIMES BLOGROLL
May 16, 2012
Tokyo Green Space
What do you see when you look at Tokyo? Hypermodern constructions of steel and concrete? Cubic, characterless office buildings? Jared Braiterman sees green ... in the back streets, in the small cracks of dirt on the sidewalks and on his balcony. He finds patches, slivers and swaths of nature that tourists and even long-time Tokyo residents seldom see. He shares his findings on Tokyo Green Space (tokyogreenspace.com/), a blog he started after moving to Tokyo with his Japanese common-law husband three and a half years ago.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / JAPAN TIMES BLOGROLL
Apr 12, 2012
Tokyo Times
When not working as a high school English teacher, photoblogger Lee Chapman walks the streets of Tokyo in search of stories and sights that tourists, and even long-term residents, seldom see. Chapman, a U.K. native, has been running the photoblog Tokyo Times for almost 10 years. While his posts do sometimes focus on the quirky elements of the city, a large number of them capture the more poignant sides of urban living, such as day laborers in Sanya or abandoned buildings that stand as eerie reminders of a not-so-distant past. In this interview with The Japan Times, Lee Chapman talks of the forgotten homeless, taking the risk of violating privacy and the sport of trespassing.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / JAPAN TIMES BLOGROLL
Oct 27, 2010
Surviving in Japan (without much Japanese)
Living in Japan without speaking the native language comes with its challenges. Ashley Thompson is tackling them one at a time, and blogging about her experiences at Surviving in Japan (without much Japanese) . Originally from Seattle, Wash., Thompson moved to Japan as an Assistant Language Teacher with the JET Program more than two years ago. After she began to overcome various hurdles once she was in Japan, she wanted to share her findings and possibly correct a few preconceived notions about living in Japan. Her informative blog is the result. Living in Shizuoka Prefrecture and pursuing a career in writing and journalism, while blogging and doing additional freelance work on the side, she blogs about the basics — and then some, from downloading language-learning phone apps to finding the right feminine hygiene products. Even wizened Japan vets might find some tips about making life in Japan as comfortable as possible.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / JAPAN TIMES BLOGROLL
Jul 7, 2010
thatjapanesegirl
Her moniker on YouTube says it all — born and raised in Kyoto, thatjapanesegirl has lived in Japan all her life, moving to Tokyo just this year. With more than 24,000 subscribers to her two YouTube channels, thatjapanese girl, who prefers to withhold her real name, is one of Japan's most viewed English-speaking vloggers. Since she started vlogging in January 2009, thatjapanesegirl has been profiled in Japanese media, including NHK. Entertaining both foreign and Japanese viewers with her bilingual videos, thatjapanesegirl become serious about her English-language studies by abandoning Japanese television shows and watching only English ones instead. Whether she's teaching lessons in Kansai dialect(she's a certified language teacher), sampling Lotteria cheeseburgers or exploring the streets of Harajuku, this charismatic J-vlogger makes being a Japanese girl look very fun.
LIFE / Digital / JAPAN TIMES BLOGROLL
Apr 28, 2010
Hikosaemon
New Zealand-born Hikosaemon (who prefers to go by his YouTube moniker) was raised an army brat. His father's overseas postings allowed him to see a bit of the world at an early age, and a two-year stay in Singapore when he was 7 years old helped spark his interest in Asian cultures. After returning to his home country he later decided to take the only Asian-language course offered at his school: Japanese. Hikosaemon took his first step on to Japanese soil in 1990 with a home-stay in Fukuoka. He returned for a working holiday years later and has been residing permanently in Japan since 1999. Not only has he become fluent in Japanese but he also takes his bilingual ability and applies it to his videos. Made with English and Japanese subtitles, they're aimed at both Eastern and Western audiences, and clearly illustrate that despite language or cultural differences, people are just people, no matter where they come from.
LIFE / Digital / JAPAN TIMES BLOGROLL
Apr 3, 2010
VIDEO: YouTube hanami gathering
On March 27, YouTube enthusiasts and video bloggers living in Tokyo and beyond gathered in Yoyogi Park for a cherry-blossom viewing. Although taking in the pink blossoms and indulging alcohol and snacks is an age-old tradition, digital cameras, laptops and live streaming were also an important part of this annual YouTubers' hanami. With many attendees having already met at previous offline get-togethers, it was obviously a tightly knit community, and one that spans many nationalities.
LIFE / Digital / JAPAN TIMES BLOGROLL
Mar 15, 2010
1000 Things About Japan/Japanese Snack Reviews
When Shari Custer arrived in Japan with her American husband, the original plan was to stay for "five years." That was 20 years ago. During her extended time in Japan, Custer wanted to chronicle some of the little things that many overlook, and her ongoing list comprises one of her blogs: 1000 Things About Japan. Custer consistently posts about what she will and will not miss when she finally leaves Japan. Originally from Pennsylvania, Custer is subjective in her views and has no pretensions about being an authority on the best and worst of Japan. While naturally not every reader of her blog will wholeheartedly agree with each like and dislike, any resident, former resident or visitor to Japan should be able to find something here that strikes a chord. Alongside her 1000 Things blog, Custer also blogs about the never-ending snacks on Japanese Snack Reviews, which has the tag-line: Telling you more than you need to know about Japanese junk food.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / JAPAN TIMES BLOGROLL
Jul 27, 2009
How to Japonese
The blog How To Japonese should appeal to anyone studying intermediate and advanced Japanese, but don't expect structured step-by-step courses. Launched in 2008 by Daniel Morales, a New Orleanian who first came to Japan in 2002 and currently works as a translation coordinator in Tokyo, the blog pretty much comprises whatever crosses Morales' radar. What ties it all together is his fascination with the curiosities, idiosyncrasies and beauty of nihongo. While he excels in deconstructing unusual kanji or pointing out common mistakes made by native English-speakers, one post-category in particular neatly sums up his advice on learning Japanese: "Get used to it!" In between tips, Morales weaves in topics such as his latest favorite Japanese beer or his admiration for best-selling author Haruki Murakami. And in case you were wondering why it's spelled Japonese, keep reading.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / JAPAN TIMES BLOGROLL
Jun 10, 2009
Just Hungry, Just Bento
The kitchen has long been used as a portal to distant places and times, and Just Hungry and Just Bento are two blogs by Makiko Itoh that put all the wonders of Japanese cuisine within a cutting-board's reach. For Makiko, cooking has been a way to re-create comfort foods from Japan while living abroad in the U.S. and Switzerland. Just Hungry features traditional and contemporary versions of staple dishes such as sukiyaki and omuraisu (rice omelet) and are highlighted in one of several of the blog's expansive lists called 100 Japanese foods to try. For those eating on the run, Just Bento is dedicated to the ubiquitous Japanese lunch in a box and provides a wide range of recipes, instructions and detailed nutritional guidelines. Whether expanding one's culinary horizon or longing for a taste of home, Just Hungry and Just Bento are quick tickets to kitchens of the not-so-far East.

Longform

A statue of "Dragon Ball" character Goku stands outside the offices of Bandai Namco in Tokyo. The figure is now as recognizable as such characters as Mickey Mouse and Spider-Man.
Akira Toriyama's gift to the world