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Claire Williamson
For Claire Williamson's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Sep 22, 2018
Patrick Behuhuma: Looking to the future of Africa and Japan
A love of samurai movies brought business analyst Behumuma to Japan, but a love of Africa and promoting its culture has kept him here.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / THE HIGH GROUNDS
Sep 8, 2018
At Glitch Coffee, a shared roast is a good roast
At Glitch Coffee & Roasters, founder Kiyokazu Suzuki imparts the art of roasting coffee beans to local shops through his share roasting program.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Aug 11, 2018
Designer Linda Polgar gives vintage textiles a new lease of life
Longtime Tokyo resident on choosing fabric, fashion designers and surviving Japanese summer.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / THE HIGH GROUNDS
Aug 11, 2018
Tokyo cafes serve up coffee with a side of cyclo-tourism
Although Tokyo's nascent cycling tourism sector is ostensibly aimed at inbound tourists, 'cycle cafes' are designed to create sustainable communities by combining coffee and culture.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Jul 7, 2018
Japan's biggest flavors come in small boxes
Japan Crate founder Hank Rao on the way his 'mystery box' helps bridge cultures and bring together families, the best and worst Japanese snacks and his dream KitKat flavor collaboration.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Jun 23, 2018
Tulio Andrade: 'Diversity is beautiful'
Tulio Andrade, cultural attache to the Brazilian Embassy in Tokyo, opens up about soft power, cultural differences and LGBTQ issues in Japan.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Jun 16, 2018
The trials and tribulations of the self-published zine
From the modern ukiyo-e prints of the Edo Period (1603-1868) to contemporary du014djinshi (self-published) fan comics, there has always been an outlet in Japan for artistic self-publishing. But where do zines slot into this system?
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / RECENTLY PUBLISHED BOOKS ABOUT JAPAN
Jun 9, 2018
'Contemporary Japanese Architects' lays down the foundations of Japanese design
From World War II to the Great East Japan Earthquake, Japanese architects have pushed the boundaries of art, architecture and design.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
May 12, 2018
Iona McIntosh: Keep calm about volcanoes
Volcanologist on what would happen to Kanto if Mount Fuji actually erupted.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Apr 21, 2018
The long pour: Tokyo Coffee Festival rounds up specialty coffee from across Japan
Japanese coffee shops are more international than ever, yet manage to preserve a unique sense of kodawari, an uncompromising dedication to the craft.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Apr 21, 2018
Dyeing to keep Japanese textile crafts alive
Kimono artist Masanobu Ota on traditional Japanese customs, his design process and sneakers.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Mar 24, 2018
Ben Tarquin wants everyone dancing in the streets
Making street dance and multimedia the voices of today's youth
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Mar 17, 2018
Nihonbashi: The culinary crossroads of Tokyo
For the rest of the world all roads might lead to Rome, but in Japan all roads lead to Nihonbashi. Just as the Milliarium Aureum (Golden Milestone) delineated the point from which all distances were measured in the Roman Empire, there is a monument to one side of Nihonbashi Bridge that marks the "zero kilometer" equivalent for Japan. Beginning in the Edo Period (1603-1868) the famously well-maintained and extensive highway system, the Gokaido, spread out from Nihonbashi to facilitate travel across Japan. As a result, Edo (now Tokyo) became a cultural — and culinary — melting pot, and Nihonbashi, as a mixed-use district of entertainment, finance and trade, was quite literally at its center. For good reason, it was known as the "kitchen of Edo."

Longform

Rows of irises resemble a rice field at the Peter Walker-designed Toyota Municipal Museum of Art.
The 'outsiders' creating some of Japan's greenest spaces