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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
Nov 4, 2017
Fatal road-rage cases highlight Japan's rise in aggressive driving
Whatever you call it, road rage can be deadly.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Oct 23, 2017
'Dajare' 101: Why should Japanese have all the pun?
Chicago-born TV personality Dave Spector is the undisputed master of puns in Japan's u82b8u80fdu754c ('geinokai,' entertainment world).
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Oct 21, 2017
Magazines hold their own against TV's 'iron chefs'
Prior to Japan's switch-over to full digital TV broadcasting in 2011, a number of industry insiders were already voicing concerns about how the new technology would affect their bottom line. With expanded bandwidth and additional channels, what — aside from reruns of old programs — could...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Oct 7, 2017
Is the response to scams criminally slow?
One of the more cynical dictums in Japanese goes "Shōjikimono ga baka o miru" ("Honesty doesn't pay"). In pre-modern times, neither did crime. The Osadamegaki Hyakkajo — the criminal code enforced by the Tokugawa rulers — prescribed an extensive list of severe punishments for those found...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Sep 23, 2017
'Ikiryo: Vengeance and Justice': Murder and romance in medieval Kyoto
The mysteries in I.J. Parker's Sugawara Akitada saga, set in the latter part of Japan's Heian Period (794-1185), are now up to 17 full-length books. Throughout, she has skillfully adopted the literary model of the traditional Asian crime novel in which the protagonist, a "righteous official," must investigate...
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Sep 18, 2017
Sumo helps with heavy lifting in language
Consider today's column my personal testimony that the sport of sumo can be a very useful aid for learning the Japanese language.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Sep 16, 2017
Konbini book sales are bound to make a difference
It should be evident to anyone who rides a commuter train or bus that Japan is a nation of people who take reading seriously. Needless to say, however, their reading habits, and readers' tastes, have been changing with the times.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Sep 4, 2017
Japanese packed with phrases for the ages
The Japanese language certainly has no shortage of age-related terms, and the subject can pop up in almost any context.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Sep 2, 2017
The naivete of youth can be a costly problem
From Aug. 15, the Yukan Fuji ran a three-part series by investigative reporter Fumiaki Tada about the "dangerous summer" that confronts Japan's young people, including the possibility of falling victim to fraud or robbery.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / ESSENTIAL READING FOR JAPANOPHILES
Sep 2, 2017
'The Encyclopedia of Japanese Pop Culture': A quality guide to the Showa Era and beyond
As members of Japan's postwar baby boom generation approach their seventh decade, they have been wallowing in an extended nostalgia boom over the historical and cultural accouterments of the Showa Era (1926-89). If you feel left out of the discussion, the antidote is to hunt down a copy of this book,...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Sep 2, 2017
'Soul Cage': Gritty crime tale is step forward for Tetsuya Honda
Lieutenant Reiko Himekawa heads a team of homicide investigators at Tokyo Metropolitan Police headquarters. They are dispatched to the city's gritty Ota Ward, where a human hand had been found without a body. From fingerprints, its owner is soon identified as Kenichi Takaoka, operator of a small construction...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Aug 19, 2017
Japan grapples with its new arrivals
Given its current popularity in certain U.S. political circles, it was inevitable that the word "fake" would eventually find traction in Japan. The September issue of the monthly magazine Bungei Shunju applies it to the headline of an article by journalist Miyu Suzuki titled "'Fake refugees' being forced...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Aug 12, 2017
'Last Stop Tokyo': Foreigner fights fate in Tokyo's terra incognita
Novels in which naive Western sojourners in Japan become drawn into a maelstrom of violence are numerous enough to deserve a genre of their own. The most memorable include "Ransom," by Jay McInerny (1985); "Whore Banquets" by Matthew Kneale (1987); "The Bang Devils" by Patrick Foss (2003); "Tokyo" by...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Aug 5, 2017
Speed bump won't stop Kiyomiya, Japanese baseball's teen powerhouse
So far, 2017 has been a banner year for sports prodigies in Japan, from table tennis and shogi to baseball.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Jul 24, 2017
The stories behind familiar Japanese words
Let's take a look at the origins of half a dozen Japanese words that have found wide usage in English.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Jul 22, 2017
Try checking into a love hotel for a good night's sleep
Around the end of each year's rainy season in July, it's common for the media to run articles on the subject of sleep. Hot weather is not the only factor that makes Japan less conducive to sleeping in summer. Since daylight savings is not practiced, the sun rises before 5 a.m., affecting many people's...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Jul 8, 2017
Abe’s hotel spa and gym visits inflame media speculation
Are Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's weekly "workouts" masking something more ominous?
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Jun 24, 2017
What will we eat when all the food runs out?
Last week, the Yukan Fuji (June 20) reported that 20 outlets in the Kappa Sushi conveyor belt sushi chain in east and west Japan are promoting an all-you-can-eat special, with patrons from middle-school age to 64 years charged ¥1,706 (boys and men) or ¥1,490 (girls and women). Seniors over 65 can partake...
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Jun 12, 2017
Kanji ‘toilet training’ is a hit with kids
The media is abuzz over a new series of workbooks for children titled u3046u3093u3053u6f22u5b57u30c9u30eau30eb (Unko Kanji Doriru, 'Poop Kanji Drills').
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Jun 10, 2017
Today's web of lies and disinformation: It's a lot to stomach
The advent of the internet has given new life to a lot of old wives' tales and urban legends. With so much information (and disinformation) out there, how does one separate the wheat from the chaff? When spotting errors of fact, whether stemming from simple ignorance, laziness or intentional deception,...
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.
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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