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May 17, 2024
 

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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
Jun 18, 2016
How Trump fares in Japan's tabloids
If Japan's weekly magazines appear to be devoting an inordinate amount of space to coverage of U.S. politics this election year, it's thanks largely to the flamboyant antics of Donald Trump, who can be counted on for verbal outbursts and surprises.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Jun 4, 2016
The struggles of a local sumo hero
An oft-repeated question these days, and one not necessarily confined to sports media, is whether 29-year-old wrestler Kisenosato will make it to sumo's highest rank. Or is he destined to remain a perennial bridesmaid?
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
May 30, 2016
How breaking news bulletins in Japan evolved from lights to bytes
From news tickers to TV alerts, a look at the ways breaking news was disseminated in the days before the internet and social media.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
May 21, 2016
The second life of Kakuei Tanaka
In July 1976, the month when 218 million Americans were feting their nation's 200th birthday, dramatic events were taking place on other continents also. On July 4 — America's Independence Day — an Israeli commando force staged a dramatic raid on Entebbe airport in Uganda, rescuing all but...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
May 7, 2016
Have you read any good mooks lately?
The word "mook" is a portmanteau of the words "magazine" and "book." I had long assumed, mistakenly, that it was one of those examples of wasei-eigo (Japan-made English terms), such as "open car" (a convertible) or "virgin road" (the aisle down which the bride walks at a wedding ceremony). But from online...
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
May 2, 2016
Stalking the elusive subtleties of Japan's political humor
Certain Japanese publications are rife with political word play, and deciphering these puns and riddles can be a fun challenge for language learners.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Apr 23, 2016
The sudden exit of Japan's convenience store pioneer
Among last week's dispatches from earthquake-hit Kyushu was an article in Yukan Fuji (April 19) about the "battle for food provisions" in the city of Kumamoto.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Apr 4, 2016
Luckily for English speakers, machine translation still can't match a native's touch
The consensus is that translation will one day inevitably be taken over by computers — but we're not there yet.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Apr 2, 2016
Shincho gets back in tabloid battle with scoop on Ototake
When the weeklies go to war, nobody's safe.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Mar 19, 2016
Japan's tabloids book front-row seats at the Trump circus
Donald Trump. And now that we've got your attention ...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Mar 5, 2016
Bunshun editor Manabu Shintani returns in a blaze of scoops
Shukan Bunshun magazine has been making headlines since late January thanks to a string of major scoops on no fewer than seven topics.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Feb 29, 2016
Joining Japanese words together to reveal the true nature of things
Once you understand how the pieces fit together, you can magically turn verbs into nouns and vice versa, expanding your Japanese vocabulary by leaps and bounds.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Feb 20, 2016
Deja vu as Shukan Shincho turns back the clock
The title of the Japanese government's White Paper on the Economy for the 31st year of Showa (1956) was "The 'postwar' era is over." That same year, a delegation from the World Bank headed by Alfred Watkins spent five months studying the feasibility of extending a loan for an expressway linking the cities...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Feb 6, 2016
Does sumo commentary need to stress the foreignness of the wrestlers?
Let's scroll 10 years back to 2006, when a wrestler named Tochiazuma emerged victorious in the January Grand Sumo tournament. That win, by a native Japanese grappler, was already a rare occasion, as Mongolian yokozuna (grand champion) Asashoryu almost completely dominated the sport and another Mongolian,...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Jan 23, 2016
Tabloids go nuclear on North's bomb test
On Jan. 6, North Korea once again stunned the world with a test of what it claimed was a hydrogen bomb, ratcheting up tensions in northeast Asia.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Jan 9, 2016
Publisher Takarajima-sha bets on shock therapy to revive its fortunes
With the temporary demise of its flagship publication, Takarajima looks to Showa nostalgia and shock ads in a bid to stay relevant.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Jan 9, 2016
Pacific Burn
Who's killing off members of Kyoto's artistic Nobuki family, and why? First a son is murdered on a visit to Napa, California; then a sniper nearly succeeds in gunning down the father, a famous artist. After the younger son and his fiance are thrown off a precipice in Kyoto, the sole daughter —...
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Jan 4, 2016
From Airbnb to LGBT, 'hit products' capture the zeitgeist of 2015
A look at the products, services and other economic activities that stood out during the previous 12 months, according to the Nikkei Marketing Journal.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Dec 19, 2015
Gangs, girl power and getting old: Japan's magazines ring out 2015
A roundup of the final weekly magazines of 2015 finds many preoccupied with the split within the Yamaguchi-gumi yakuza group.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Dec 12, 2015
No tolerance at the inns for China's shoppers
Last August, Nikkei Business magazine reported the travails of a businessman from a regional city on a sales trip to Tokyo. His company's accommodation allowance covered a maximum of ¥8,000 per night, but he couldn't find a centrally located hotel room for under ¥20,000.
Japanese stripper bids to have her porn movies taken off internet
Plaintiff Miyuki Ariga (left) speaks at a news conference along with her lawyer, Yoshitomo Morohashi, after filing a lawsuit at the Tokyo District Court on Monday.
Kishida defends planned rule to revoke foreigners' residency
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida speaks during a meeting of the Lower House Judicial Affairs Committee on Wednesday.
Human bone-like objects found at Nippon Steel plant’s molten iron pot, with one worker missing
Police believe it’s highly possible that human bones found in a molten iron pot at Nippon Steel's Oita factory belong to a missing male employee.
Was Onosato's defeat of Terunofuji an era-defining bout?
Onosato (right) defeats Terunofuji at the Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo on May 12. While nothing in sumo is guaranteed, it seems almost inevitable that Onosato is destined for the top of the sport's pyramid.
Man suspected of using smart glasses to cheat on Waseda University exams
The Waseda University campus in Tokyo. An 18-year-old male test-taker is suspected of using smart glasses to cheat during the university's entrance exam.
Japanese billionaire sues Meta over investment scams using his image
Entrepreneurs Yusaku Maezawa (second from right) and Takafumi Horie (third from right) attend a study session on fake social media ads and investment scams at the Liberal Democratic Party headquarters in Tokyo on April 10.
Japanese rap creates its mecca in Pop Yours
Tokyo-based artist Jumadiba says he forgoes the label of simply “rap” for his music because the Japanese rap scene isn’t confined to a particular sound.
Who’s toughest on China? Biden’s tariff tactic ups ante as election looms.
U.S. President Joe Biden speaks about new actions to protect American workers and businesses from China's "unfair" trade practices, in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington on Tuesday.
Was Onosato's defeat of Terunofuji an era-defining bout?
Onosato (right) defeats Terunofuji at the Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo on May 12. While nothing in sumo is guaranteed, it seems almost inevitable that Onosato is destined for the top of the sport's pyramid.
Ishin struggles to set itself apart from other parties
Nippon Ishin no Kai Secretary-General Fumitake Fujita (right) speaks beside Yui Kanazawa, the party's candidate in the Tokyo 15th district by-election on April 28. Nippon Ishin lost in this by-election as well as another in Nagasaki held on the same day.

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

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

Vol. 35: Travel in time — and stay there
Vol. 35: Travel in time — and stay there

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