Mark Schreiber - The Japan Times

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Mark Schreiber

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Mark Schreiber

Mark Schreiber worked as a salaryman in travel, consumer electronics, computer software, advertising and market research before turning to translation and writing full time. A native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, he has lived in Tokyo since 1966.

For Mark Schreiber's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:

Japan Times

JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN

Dec 10, 2016

Editors thrive on controversy — but it can bite back

In the early hours of Jan. 17, 1995, the Great Hanshin Earthquake struck southern Hyogo Prefecture and the surrounding areas, causing more than 6,000 deaths and seriously damaging infrastructure.

Japan Times

JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN

Nov 26, 2016

Hand over the keys: getting Japan's elderly drivers off the road

On Nov. 12, in the city of Tachikawa in western Tokyo, an 83-year-old female driver — while reaching out her car window to insert a parking ticket into the toll gate machine in a hospital parking lot — accidentally pushed down on the accelerator and lost control of her vehicle. It crossed...

Japan Times

LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL

Nov 21, 2016

Painful bloopers in Japanese can be valuable learning experiences

While working on the island of Guam in the early 1970s, I had regular business dealings with the expat Japanese business community — basically a good-natured crowd who were used to hearing locals mangle their language on a daily basis.

Japan Times

CULTURE / Books

Nov 12, 2016

'Under the Midnight Sun': Keigo Higashino returns with a trail of dead and disappeared

Those who were in Japan in the winter of 1973-74 will recall the aftermath of the Arab-Israeli War: many public baths conserved oil by operating every other day; the neon lights of Ginza were blacked out; and commodity shortages spurred panic buying of laundry detergent and toilet paper.

Japan Times

JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN

Oct 29, 2016

Japanese media cautiously tackle the U.S. election

During the first half of this year, coverage by Japan's print and broadcast media of America's presidential primary campaigns and debates was heavier than usual. But as the two remaining contenders stagger toward the finish line, one gets the impression that Japanese are just as weary as their American...

Japan Times

LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL

Oct 24, 2016

Whenever you meet katakana, expect the unexpected

A second dive into some of the many ways the katakana syllabary is put to use when writing Japanese.

Japan Times

JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN

Oct 22, 2016

Rape allegation casts harsh light on university club

Bright and vivacious young women are in great demand as TV announcers. For many in Japan, the stepping stone to a career in broadcast news has been the annual Miss Keio contest, held during the autumn festival at the nation's most prestigious private university: Keio, in Tokyo's Minato Ward.

Japan Times

LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL

Oct 17, 2016

How do I struggle with katakana? Let me count the ways

The fuss over the use of the 'shin' katakana in the 'Shin Godzilla' film's title highlights the mystery that surrounds this often-frustrating syllabary.

Japan Times

JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN

Oct 8, 2016

Seeking remedies for maladies new, old and absurd

The Sept. 29 cover of Shukan Bunshun was adorned with an illustration of legendary New York Yankees slugger Babe Ruth, portrayed by Makoto Wada in a pinstripe uniform and with bat in hand.

Japan Times

JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN

Sep 24, 2016

Japan's future typhoons: disruptive, deadly and destructive

Six typhoons have made landfall this year on the Japanese archipelago, already giving 2016 the distinction of being the second-worst year in terms of direct typhoon hits in modern times. But it's only Sept. 25 — the season's not nearly over and we're getting closer to matching or surpassing the...

Japan Times

LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL

Sep 12, 2016

Can Japanese speakers really read Chinese? It depends on what you mean by 'read'

Will acquiring the ability to read Japanese give you some degree of literacy in Chinese? Well, it could at least give you a head start.

Japan Times

JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN

Sep 10, 2016

Godzilla hits middle age but is still fueled by Japan's anxieties

Within one month of its July release, Toho's "Shin Gojira" ("Godzilla Resurgence") attracted more than 3.6 million viewers. Box-office takings are already estimated to have surpassed ¥5.3 billion, putting the film more than halfway toward the seldom-attained figure of ¥10 billion. Toho has great expectations...

Japan Times

JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN

Aug 27, 2016

Japan's super-rich: fun to envy, difficult to emulate

Japanese multimillionaires are the object of intense study by members of the country's middle class, especially those who entertain probably unrealistic hopes of emulating them.

Japan Times

LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL

Aug 8, 2016

安: a peaceful character for these turbulent times

One kanji character that learners encounter at a fairly early stage is u5b89, pronounced 'an' or 'yasuraka' and meaning 'peaceful' and, by extension, 'safe.'

Japan Times

JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN

Aug 6, 2016

Japan's media blast away at the 'Pokemon Go' craze

The nation's magazines have a whole lot ot say about the roaring success of Niantic's 'Pokemon Go.'

Japan Times

JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN

Jul 30, 2016

Crimes that imperil Japan's safe image

On July 22, The Japan Times ran an article with the headline, "Crime set to hit postwar low this year, first-half data shows." In it, the National Police Agency reported that the number of criminal offenses is on track to fall below 1 million for the first time since World War II ended, down from the...

Japan Times

JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN

Jul 16, 2016

Terrorism and sexual assault cast shadow over Japanese travelers

Surely if a prize were to be awarded for the week's most controversial article, it would go to Shukan Shincho's piece titled "If you're traveling abroad, here is a phrase from the Quran you should memorize."

Japan Times

CULTURE / Books

Jul 9, 2016

'The Silent Dead': A police procedural that works in strange, original ways

In this modern-day police procedural by Tetsuya Honda, homicide investigators are flummoxed by the discovery of two male corpses wrapped in blue plastic tarpaulins in, and near, a pond in Tokyo's Katsushika Ward. When similar submerged bodies are found in Saitama, the pressure builds to track down what...

Japan Times

LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL

Jul 4, 2016

Free Japanese lessons await those who keep their eyes and ears open

To glean new vocabulary and useful insights, you have to make sure your mental switch remains in the 'on' position.

Japan Times

JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN

Jul 2, 2016

Emotions run high over Tsukiji fish market's move

In 1590, more than 2½ and a half centuries before Edo was to become Tokyo, the city's first central fish market, named Uogashi, was established on the bank of Nihonbashi River.

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

Things may look perfect to the outside world, but today's mom is fine with some imperfection at home.

How 'Reiwa moms' are reshaping motherhood in Japan

By Mai Yoshikawa

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

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