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Charles Lewis
Charles Lewis has lived in Japan since 1977 where he has been an editor, writer, teacher, carpenter, fisherman, importer, wholesaler and retailer. He is a founding member of e-publisher Shonan Press. He contributes to Eye-Ai magazine and has written for The Japan Times since 2010.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LEARNING CURVE
Mar 21, 2018
Springtime in Japan brings the sadness of the eikaiwa exodus
Budding English skills built up over years at conversation school can wither as junior high school clubs take over students' lives.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
Sep 14, 2016
Japan's dual citizens get a tacit nod but keep their status in the shadows
Is the 'don't ask, don't tell' status quo the ideal situation for a country that tends to be reflexively conservative on issues of race and nationality yet benefits from the dual-citizen population?
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Nov 7, 2015
Kalani Po'omaihealani: 'Stand firm and strive for the summit'
Hula master on music, dancing and the hula sidestep
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Jul 25, 2015
M. Payne: 'Live life to the fullest, and have no regrets'
Photographer on dancing and Jay Gatsby
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LEARNING CURVE
Feb 15, 2015
Spare a thought for the junior-high students going through 'exam hell'
Adolescence has never been easy, but add the pressure of having to pass an important high school exam and you have what's commonly known as 'entrance exam hell.'
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / TELLING LIVES
Oct 19, 2014
Renaissance man scours the globe for stories
Manuel Bruges has lived life to the full, as photographer, inventor, journalist, chef, boxer and more.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / VIEWS FROM THE STREET
Jul 30, 2014
Enoshima: Do you think Japan should legalize casino gambling?
Charles Lewis asks interviewees in Fujisawa, Kanagawa Prefecture, what they think about the idea of relaxing the long-standing ban on gambling and and allowing the establishment of casinos.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / VIEWS FROM THE STREET
Jul 21, 2014
Atami: What do you make of this statue of a jilted gent kicking a girl while she's down?
Gracing the shoreline in Atami, Shizuoka Prefecture, is a statue unique among the many in Japan that celebrate local legends or famous historical figures: A work depicting a man kicking a woman.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / VIEWS FROM THE STREET
Apr 28, 2014
Fujisawa: What do you think of the new rules for standardizing English on public signs?
New transport ministry guidelines require that public signs use standardized English words to replace Romanized Japanese words. So what do tourists and residents in Enoshima think of the changes?
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / TELLING LIVES
Apr 27, 2014
Hawaiian XLeague player Alo finds much that's familiar in his adopted land
For most people around the world, football means just what the word suggests: a sport played primarily with the feet in which the ball is rarely touched with the hands.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
Sep 30, 2013
Cultural and legal hurdles block path to child adoptions in Japan
While more than 7,000 couples applied to adopt or become foster parents every year between 2006 and 2010, only 309 children were adopted in fiscal 2010, according to government figures.
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
Apr 23, 2013
Renter guarantor system a headache for foreigners
Things were going well for Patrick after a year in Japan. He had found a job he liked, met a girl he planned to marry and was ready to move out of the small room his older brother, a longtime resident, was letting him use.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / VIEWS FROM THE STREET
Nov 13, 2012
Kamakura, Kanagawa: What is your ideal pet?
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / VIEWS FROM THE STREET
Aug 21, 2012
Fujisawa, Kanagawa: What will you remember about the London Olympics?
Isabelle Provost
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / VIEWS FROM THE STREET
Jul 3, 2012
Fujisawa: Do you think the government should raise the tax on tobacco?
Neil Shapiro
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LIGHT GIST
May 29, 2012
Manjiro, patron saint of eikaiwa, watches over English teachers
It can be tough teaching English in Japan. The chain school grind of late hours, noisy kids and boring middle-aged office workers takes its toll. Uppity teachers at public schools treat ALTs with contempt and all English instructors feel the humiliation of being looked down upon by their foreigner brethren...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / VIEWS FROM THE STREET
May 15, 2012
Fujisawa: How has the Fukushima nuclear disaster changed your life?
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / VIEWS FROM THE STREET
Mar 27, 2012
Shonan: What do you think about the government's plan to create citizen ID numbers for tax and other purposes?
Yoshihara, 45
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / THE ZEIT GIST
Jan 10, 2012
Local Japanese school is the obvious choice if you want your child to fit in
The first day of elementary school, a milestone in a child's life, brings a mix of emotions for parents. The pride and joy of seeing their child taking his first steps into the world are tempered with feelings of anxiety in moms and dads everywhere.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / VIEWS FROM THE STREET
Dec 27, 2011
Kamakura: What word for you sums up 2011?
Mattia CimolaiStudent, 23 (Italian)Change. I'm from Italy and this year a lot of things have changed there, like the government and so on.

Longform

The National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation in Tokyo is a popular place to foster curiosity in the natural sciences.
Can Japan's scientific community rebound from a Nobel nosedive?