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April 28, 2024
 

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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.
For Elliott's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
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.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Feb 15, 2014
Apocalypse in Contemporary Japanese Science Fiction
Japan Times
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.
Japan Times
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.
Japan Times
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.
Japan Times
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.
Japan Times
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, equality and independence — as well as his calls for the adoption of Western styles of education.
Japan Times
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.
Japan Times
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.
Japan Times
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 on paper by a self-ordained priest called Kyokai around 820.
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 perspectives into insightful examinations of consciousness, linguistics, creativity and militarism.
Japan Times
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 fatally undermined by the introduction of a single-member seat electoral system in 1994, a revision that allowed Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi to take advantage of these decentralized institutions to exert strong leadership in terms of policy direction. Did these reforms change the political landscape forever? Scholars were divided but the Democratic Party of Japan's victory in the 2009 election effectively ended the debate once and for all.
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.
Town to block view of Mount Fuji in response to overtourism
The town government of Fujikawaguchiko, Yamanashi Prefecture, decided to set up a 2.5-meter-high screen to prevent tourists from taking pictures of Mount Fuji looming behind a convenience store.
Number of homeless in Japan hits record low
Homeless people sleep on the street in Tokyo's Shinjuku Ward in August 2021.
Japan wants you to spend more with ‘luxury tourism’
Performers play a traditional drum unique to Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, in the prefectural capital of Kanazawa on March 16 to mark the extension of the Hokuriku Shinkansen line to Tsuruga Station in Fukui Prefecture.
'So hot you can't breathe': Extreme heat hits the Philippines
A pedestrian cools himself with a folding hand fan as he waits for a ride along a road in Manila on Wednesday, as extreme heat hit the Philippines.
Air China to buy 100 locally made C919 jets in $11 billion deal
A Comac C919 during an aerial display at the Singapore Airshow at Changi Exhibition Centre in Singapore in February
Casa del Cibo: A thriving jewel born from Tohoku’s harsh past
When chef Ryohei Ikemi moved to Hachinohe, Aomori Prefecture, and opened Casa del Cibo in 2011, it was the first proper Italian restaurant in the city.
Tokyo's Koto Ward by-election a race unlike any other
Natsumi Sakai, the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan’s candidate and one of four female candidates running in the by-election, touts her experience as a cancer survivor and midwife as having prepared her to tackle issues that women currently face.
Town to block view of Mount Fuji in response to overtourism
The town government of Fujikawaguchiko, Yamanashi Prefecture, decided to set up a 2.5-meter-high screen to prevent tourists from taking pictures of Mount Fuji looming behind a convenience store.
Top U.S. and China diplomats talk tough amid warnings of new ‘downward spiral’
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing on Friday
Kyotographie's strong 12th edition shines light into the margins
Yassine Alaoui Ismaili, who goes by Yoriyas, turned to photography, shooting motion while in motion himself, after an injury forced him to give up his career as a professional breakdancer.

Podcast

From easily navigable train stations to the helpfulness of its municipal staff, Tokyo has earned high praise for its commitment to accessibility for disabled travelers.
[Rebroadcast] Japan is doing better on accessibility than you may think

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
By Alex K.T. Martin

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