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

LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL

May 20, 2019

Matching the ins and outs of two common kanji

From April 1, the 入国管理局 (nyūkoku kanri-kyoku, Immigration Bureau), which operated under the auspices of the 法務省 (hōmushō, Justice Ministry), was upgraded from a bureau to an agency. Its Japanese name changed to 出入国在留管理庁 (shutsunyūkoku zairyū kanri-chō), which can be interpreted as the agency for control of exit, entry and residence. Its official English name, however, is Immigration Services Agency.

Japan Times

JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN

May 11, 2019

Tabloids press pause as nation celebrates dawn of the Reiwa Era

Welcome one and all to Big in Japan, the Reiwa version. During the just-ended 10-day Golden Week holiday, only one general weekly magazine — Aera (May 13) — went to press, giving it the distinction of being the first publication out of the starting gates in the new era. Aera's coverage of imperial events was fairly low key. A two-page article introduced newly enthroned Emperor Naruhito as a "scholar of history" who, unlike his other antecedents and younger brother, emphasized the study of the humanities as opposed to the natural sciences. The emperor has authored at least five scholarly papers on the subject of water as a means of transport, and expounded publicly on global water resources at several international forums.

Japan Times

JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN

Apr 27, 2019

Trains, planes and automobiles to celebrate Golden Week

If you're looking for some mundane distractions to get you through the holiday period, Shukan Taishu (May 6-13) has got just the thing. Its "Reiwa Commemorative Edition" introduces unusual rides. Okinawa, for example, sports an "Ostrich Land," where you can hop a ride on the back of one of its giant birds. Not to be outdone, a park in Tochigi has camels for the same purpose, as does another in Chiba offering elephant rides. At Hakkeijima Sea Paradise in Yokohama, visitors from age 10 (who can prove they can swim for a distance of 25 meters) may emulate the "boy on a dolphin" theme and ride atop a friendly beluga whale.

Japan Times

JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN

Apr 13, 2019

Japan searches for remedies at the dawn of the Reiwa Era

Japan's weekly magazines do not consider their primary role to be reporting cheery news. It would be more correct to say their practice is to proceed from a pessimistic perspective and then, after readying readers to rude realities, encourage searches for sustenance and survival, if not salvation.

Japan Times

JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN

Mar 30, 2019

When apo-den telephone scams take deadly turns

On Feb. 28, the body of Kuniko Kato, 80, was found in her ransacked apartment in Tokyo's Koto Ward. Her wrists had been bound with clear plastic wrap and her mouth and ankles bound with duct tape. While the specific cause of death has not been made public, she appeared to have suffocated. A police search of the crime scene turned up some ¥1.3 million in a bookshelf and about ¥200,000 in a billfold. A metal strongbox tucked into a closet did not appear to have been disturbed.

Japan Times

JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN

Mar 16, 2019

Does NHK drama credit instant noodles to the right inventor?

Each morning at 8 o'clock, millions of homemakers across the country tune into a 15-minute-long segment of a serialized morning drama on NHK. The current story, titled "Manpuku," relates the saga of the man who invented instant noodles and his devoted wife, played by Hiroki Hasegawa and Sakura Ando, respectively.

Japan Times

LIFE / Language

Mar 11, 2019

Turn an 'H' on its side and look what kanji you get

If you turn an 'H' on its side, you get something that looks like the kanji ku014d or ku, and from there you can go all sorts of places.

Japan Times

JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN

Mar 2, 2019

Dealing with gun issues in a nation with few guns

Japan's reputation as a country relatively free of gun crime is borne out by official statistics. In terms of individuals charged with crimes committed using firearms, the 2018 white paper issued by the National Police Agency listed eight homicides in 2017 — all of which involved members of crime syndicates — and five armed robberies (of which two involved gang members).

Japan Times

JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN

Feb 2, 2019

Facial recognition technology: What would George Orwell say?

This coming June, British author George Orwell's dystopian novel, "Nineteen Eighty-Four," marks the 70th anniversary of its publication. In the United States, Penguin has announced plans for a special 75,000-copy reprint. According to The New York Times, the publisher noted that, sales of the novel have increased by 9,500 percent since the inauguration of U.S. President Donald Trump.

Japan Times

JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN

Jan 19, 2019

Tolerant attitudes make Japan a drinker's paradise

If any doubts existed that Japanese people are exceptionally tolerant toward the imbibing of alcohol, those were erased in 2014, when the Pew Center, as part of its Global Attitudes Project, surveyed people's views on drinking in 40 countries.

Japan Times

JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN

Jan 5, 2019

Examining the strange synergy of Heisei Era crimes in Japan

There's a tendency in some societies to associate a period of history with the crimes that occurred therein. This is why we use expressions such as "crime of the century."

Japan Times

LIFE / Language

Dec 17, 2018

'Politically Correct Bedtime Stories' and a dose of 'Murphy's Law' to make learning Japanese fun

I am still waiting for someone to publish a concise history of humor from the 30 years of the Heisei Era. Thinking back, I can recall two bestselling books that conveyed American-style humor in translation. Both appeared in the 1990s, and they demonstrate how Japanese people, much to their credit, take a strong interest in what makes people in other cultures laugh.

Japan Times

JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN

Dec 15, 2018

Namie Amuro tops Nikkei Marketing Journal's list of 2018's most popular products and services

Described in its choice for the year's yokozuna (grand champion) as dasa-kakoyosa — something that's behind the times, but cool nonetheless — entertainer Namie Amuro appeared at the top of the Nikkei Marketing Journal's 48th annual Hitto Shohin Banzuke (ranking of hit products) on Dec. 5.

Japan Times

CULTURE / Books

Dec 8, 2018

Japan's modern crime literature: Centuries in the making

Japan boasts an impressively large and growing body of native-grown mystery fiction that dates back to the 1920s.

Japan Times

JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN

Dec 1, 2018

Magazines explore the inevitability of death and taxes

From this week, beneath the glitter of tinsel and glimmer of outdoor seasonal illumination, the bonenkai (year-end party) season begins in earnest.

Japan Times

LIFE / Language

Nov 26, 2018

The kanji used for 'normal' are pretty extraordinary

In May, an article in the business magazine President cited a survey of newly hired company workers in which a majority of those recruited this year indicated they were content to 'strive for the commonplace.'

Japan Times

LIFE / Language

Nov 19, 2018

'The Year Book of the Contemporary Society' celebrates the Japanese buzzwords that will lead us into the new year

What's that word, the one for when you like a person but are too shy to say so? Or how about the one you use when you visit Tokyo Disney? Well, one book has all the answers.

Japan Times

JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN

Nov 17, 2018

Flamboyant 'host club king' Takeshi Aida given an extravagant sendoff

An extravagant wake and funeral was held earlier this month in memory of host club Ai Honten's flamboyant founder, Takeshi Aida, who passed away on Oct. 25 at the age of 78 after a prolonged illness.

Japan Times

CULTURE / Books / RECENTLY PUBLISHED BOOKS ABOUT JAPAN

Nov 10, 2018

'Tinian and the Bomb': Historical details shed light on one island's overlooked role in World War II

Along with unfamiliar historical details from the U.S. side, made possible through recent declassification of archival documents, Don A. Farrell's 'Tinian and the Bomb' provides an account of how the use of atomic bombs influenced the Japanese government's decision to end the war.

Japan Times

JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN

Nov 3, 2018

Little buzz in Japan over Canada's move to legalize marijuana

Japan's media coverage of Canada's Oct. 17 announcement that possession and use of marijuana would be legalized — subject to certain restrictions — has been mostly brief and low-key.

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

When trying to trace your lineage in Japan, the "koseki" is the most important form of document you'll encounter.

Climbing the branches of a Japanese family tree

By Alex K.T. Martin

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