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November 04, 2025
 

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Elliott

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Elliott
Elliott Samuels is manager of the Life & Culture Division of The Japan Times and editor-in-chief of The Japan Times On Sunday.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Feb 22, 2014
Joni Waka: 'Learn to be happy with only one rice ball'
I have never grown up and never hope to, as dreams and fantasies tend to wilt and die in the harsh reality of adults.
CULTURE / Books
Feb 15, 2014
Apocalypse in Contemporary Japanese Science Fiction
CULTURE / Books
Feb 8, 2014
The Nature of Japan
The title of longtime Japan Times columnist Mark Brazil's collection of essays sells itself a little short, for "The Nature of Japan" is less about identifying the web of life that inhabits this archipelago as it is about offering an insightful peek into the Japanese relationship with the great outdoors....
CULTURE / Books
Feb 1, 2014
Fujisan
The haunting tales included in this collection of short stories by Randy Taguchi all take place in the shadow of Mount Fuji.
CULTURE / Books
Jan 25, 2014
Anime: A History
Anime: A History, Jonathan Clements, PALGRAVE MACMILLAN
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Jan 25, 2014
Baye McNeil: 'Always endeavor to do ... what you love to do'
Do what you have to do if you truly have to do it, of course, but always endeavor to be yourself and do what you love to do. That way, you'll come to the realization sooner that the life you're living is actually the product of your actions and decisions, and you'll be much less likely to waste a precious moment of it.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Jan 11, 2014
Richard Dawson: 'Pull your fingers out'
A billion hungry souls lacking your misplaced sense of entitlement want your job for a quarter of the pay.
CULTURE / Books
Jan 4, 2014
Bullfight
First published in 1949, Yasushi Inoue's “Bullfight” tells the story of Tsugami, a harried editor-in-chief of a small evening newspaper who agrees to sponsor a bull-fighting contest in Osaka.
CULTURE / Books
Jan 4, 2014
An Encouragement of Learning
Yukichi Fukuzawa, who appears on every Japanese ¥10,000 note, wrote "An Encouragement of Learning" as a collection of essays while completing his masterpiece, "An Outline of a Theory of Civilization" (1875). The essays highlight the basic tenets of his fundamental philosophical beliefs — freedom,...
CULTURE / Books
Dec 28, 2013
A Day in the Life
"A Day in the Life" features 12 short stories told from the point of view of a man in his 60s. Each tale is essentially a reflection of aging, an examination of the moment in our lives when the confidence of our youth is replaced by the uncertainty of our physical and mental faculties.
CULTURE / Books
Dec 28, 2013
Seismic Japan
"Seismic Japan: The Long History and Continuing Legacy of the Ansei Edo Earthquake" examines the historical significance and cultural influence of the earthquakes that rocked the country between 1596 and 1933.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Dec 28, 2013
Charles E. McJilton: 'Stop attempting to control nature already'
What confuses you about Japan? When Japan says it loves nature but then cements rivers and prunes back trees so they resemble poodles on a stick.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Dec 21, 2013
Buddhaland Brookyln
Buddhaland Brookyln. Richard C. Morais, SCRIBNER
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Dec 21, 2013
Santa Claus: 'It's what's on the inside that counts'
After finishing my route on Christmas Eve once, I was feeling exceptionally genki (energetic) and I rode back to the North Pole au naturel. The reindeer never even knew.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Dec 14, 2013
Record of Miraculous Events in Japan: The Nihon ryoiki
Compiled in the early Heian Period (794-1192), the "Nihon ryoiki" comprises the country's first major collection of anecdotal literature, or setsuwa. The collection contains 116 spoken stories over three volumes that were passed from person to person, village to village, until they were finally recorded...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Dec 7, 2013
Patrick Harlan: 'Learn to laugh at yourself'
“Everything in moderation, including moderation.” These are words I strive to live by. Don't work, play, eat or think too much.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Dec 7, 2013
The Frontier Within: Essays by Kobo Abe
Kobo Abe was one of Japan's greatest postwar authors, with his works of science fiction and existential plays on alienation and absurdity drawing comparisons with European writers such as Franz Kafka and Alberto Moravia. However, he also wrote theoretical criticism that merged literary and philosophical...
CULTURE / Books
Nov 30, 2013
Contemporary Japanese Politics: Institutional Changes and Power Shifts
The electoral reforms that were introduced by successive Japanese administrations throughout the 1990s radically shifted the balance of power among bureaucrats, legislators, and the prime minister and the Cabinet. The factional politics that once formed the bedrock of the Liberal Democratic Party was...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Nov 23, 2013
John Durkin: ‘Never compromise your reputation’
What superhero would you most like to be? Ultraman. He was solar-powered before solar power was cool.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Nov 9, 2013
Scott Brimmer: 'I love to do the glam rock karaoke'
I was told the squat toilets in Japan were foot washing rooms I had to use before using the toilet. But I was able to see through that after a couple times.
The unstoppable rise of konbini tourism
Guests typically follow Ryo Ito’s lead as he weaves through the narrow, colorful aisles of convenience stores.
More Japanese universities pushing toward teaching in English
Waseda University in Tokyo
A narrow Pacific waterway at heart of U.S. plans to choke China’s vast navy
Philippine and Australian troops fire an M777 howitzer during live fire exercises as part of joint military drills in Laur, Nueva Ecija, the Philippines, in August.
Trump would make U.S. Supreme Court history by attending tariffs case
There is no record in the U.S. Supreme Court’s 235-year history of a sitting president ever attending arguments, according to Clare Cushman, director of publications and resident historian at the Supreme Court Historical Society.
Dodgers clinch back-to-back World Series titles as Blue Jays downed in thriller
Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto and teammates celebrate after winning the World Series against the Blue Jays. Yamamoto was named MVP for the series.
How airlines are refining their in-flight food in Japan's tourism boom
All Nippon Airways' gourmet program, The Connoisseurs, showcases the Japanese concept of "shun" (peak season for ingredients), giving passengers a preview of the refined cuisine that awaits them in Japan.
The unstoppable rise of konbini tourism
Guests typically follow Ryo Ito’s lead as he weaves through the narrow, colorful aisles of convenience stores.
Anime isn’t competing with Hollywood — it’s beating it
After its July release, “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba — Infinity Castle,” an animated feature adapted directly from a TV arc, became the highest-grossing Japanese film ever.
Oasis returns to Japan after 16 years — and fans can still sing every word
Liam Gallagher commanded the stage with effortless charisma during Oasis' Tokyo Dome set on Saturday.
At Japan Mobility Show, BYD gears up to conquer Japan's EV market
BYD Auto Japan President Atsuki Tofukuji unveils the Racco at the Japan Mobility Show in Tokyo on Wednesday.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

Once smoky, male-dominated spaces, today's net cafes, like Kaikatsu Club, are working to make their operations more attractive to women customers.
The second life of Japan's net cafes
By Alex K.T. Martin

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