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May 02, 2024
 

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Alice Gordenker

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Alice Gordenker
Alice Gordenker writes the "So, What the Heck is That?" column, providing in-depth, carefully researched explanations of the things foreigners find so puzzling about Japan. Her work has been modified as a textbook for Japanese university students called "Surprising Japan" (Shohakusha, 2012).
For Alice Gordenker's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
Japan Times
Reference / SO WHAT THE HECK IS THAT
Jun 18, 2013
Okigusuri
Dear Alice,
Japan Times
Reference / SO WHAT THE HECK IS THAT
May 21, 2013
Postal symbol
Dear Alice,
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Apr 18, 2013
Early photos of northern Japan capture a time of change
Although photography entered Japan in the mid-19th century, it took time to spread beyond the few port cities permitted to engage in trade with the West at that time. As a result, it was several decades before this imported Western technology reached outlying districts, and by then the Japanese concept of photography had broadened considerably. This shift can be seen in an important exhibition, "Dawn of Japanese Photography: Hokkaido and Tohoku," at the Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography.
Japan Times
Reference / SO WHAT THE HECK IS THAT
Apr 16, 2013
The 5 p.m. bell
Dear Alice,
Japan Times
Reference / SO WHAT THE HECK IS THAT
Mar 19, 2013
White gloves
Dear Alice,
Japan Times
Reference / SO WHAT THE HECK IS THAT
Feb 19, 2013
Nori
Dear Alice,
Japan Times
Reference / SO WHAT THE HECK IS THAT
Jan 15, 2013
Warōsoku
Dear Alice,
Japan Times
Reference / SO WHAT THE HECK IS THAT
Dec 18, 2012
Senkyo postā keijiba
Dear Alice,
Japan Times
Reference / SO WHAT THE HECK IS THAT
Nov 20, 2012
Emergency announcements
Dear Alice,
Japan Times
Reference / SO WHAT THE HECK IS THAT
Oct 16, 2012
Straw belts
Dear Alice,
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Oct 2, 2012
What it means to be 'Made in Japan'
"Made in Japan" is a such a simple phrase, yet it instantly evokes an image of exceptional design and high-quality production. Japan today is known for creating some of the most stylish, innovative and whimsical products in the world.
Japan Times
Reference / SO WHAT THE HECK IS THAT
Sep 18, 2012
Kaohame
Dear Alice,
Japan Times
Reference / SO WHAT THE HECK IS THAT
Jul 17, 2012
Chindonya
Dear Alice,
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Jun 21, 2012
Slow design: Everyday objects that make us rethink our lifestyle
If you've never been to the 21_21 Design Sight exhibition space in the Tokyo Midtown complex, and have even a passing interest in craftsmanship, now is the time to pay a visit. Just touring the building, which was designed by famed architect Tadao Ando and lies largely underground, would be well worth the admission price. But through Aug. 26, you can also enjoy a film presentation and exhibition that show — beautifully — the care that can go into making "everyday" objects.
Japan Times
Reference / SO WHAT THE HECK IS THAT
Jun 19, 2012
Seaweed salt
Dear Alice,
Japan Times
Reference / SO WHAT THE HECK IS THAT
May 15, 2012
Kura
Dear Alice,
Japan Times
Reference / SO WHAT THE HECK IS THAT
Apr 17, 2012
Pampered pets
Dear Alice,Don't you think it's time you did a column on the crazy pet products and services available in Japan? I can't believe the lengths some dog owners go to — dressing their pets in frilly clothes, pushing them around in baby carriages and taking them into cafes. My wife says I'm crazy but I swear I saw a dog coming out of a beauty salon with its claws done up with nail color! So, what the heck is that? A pet-i-cure?J.J., Tokyo
CULTURE / Art
Mar 22, 2012
Photographing history: pioneers of technique
A good retrospective presents an artist's full career, challenges our preconceptions and encourages us to rethink his or her work and contributions. Two new exhibitions at the Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography do just that, shedding new light on two very different photographers: Felice Beato (1832-1909), one of the first photographers to work in Japan, and Masao Horino (1907-98), an important figure in the establishment and development of modern Japanese photography, who nevertheless is hardly known today.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Mar 22, 2012
Photographing history: pioneers of technique
A good retrospective presents an artist's full career, challenges our preconceptions and encourages us to rethink his or her work and contributions. Two new exhibitions at the Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography do just that, shedding new light on two very different photographers: Felice Beato (1832-1909), one of the first photographers to work in Japan, and Masao Horino (1907-98), an important figure in the establishment and development of modern Japanese photography, who nevertheless is hardly known today.
Japan Times
Reference / SO WHAT THE HECK IS THAT
Mar 20, 2012
Randoseru
Dear Alice,
'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.
Did Japan intervene to prop up the yen? Analysts think it did.
A man walks past an electronic board displaying the exchange rate for the yen against the U.S. dollar (right) in Tokyo on Tuesday.
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.
A peek inside the brains of ‘super-agers’
For a little more than a decade, scientists have been studying a subset of people they call "super-agers.” These individuals are age 80 and older, but they have the memory ability of a person 20 to 30 years younger.
Yellow sand allergy: A health issue made worse by climate change
A screenshot of the Meteorological Agency's satellite image of clouds and yellow sand (in pink) on Sunday.
Yellow sand allergy: A health issue made worse by climate change
A screenshot of the Meteorological Agency's satellite image of clouds and yellow sand (in pink) on Sunday.
Climate change, chalky grains and the risks for Japan’s rice farmers
A farmer plants seedlings in Satsumasendai, Kagoshima Prefecture. Japan’s self sufficiency rate for rice is nearly 100%, compared with 38% for food overall, on a calorie basis.
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.
Theaster Gates’ ambitious ‘Afro-Mingei’ brings Black Chicago to Tokyo
Theaster Gates' “A Heavenly Chord” lines up church pews before seven speakers and a Hammond B3 organ, a type of electric organ prevalent in Black American churches.
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.

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