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April 29, 2024
 

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Kaori Shoji
Kaori Shoji writes about movies and movie-makers for the Film Page, plus takes a turn at the Bilingual Column. Biggest mistake of her career: taking the very dignified Nagisa Oshima to McDonald's for an iced coffee.
For Kaori Shoji's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Mar 24, 2020
Can’t find tissues? Get some towels, it’s moving time
It’s a bad time to run out of toilet paper and tissues. March is a month of big life changes in Japan such as 入学 (nyūgaku, entering university), 入社 (nyūsha, entering a company) and 転勤 (tenkin, company transfers), and those will often require your moving to a new apartment. A 空っぽな (karappona, empty) toilet paper dispenser is the last thing you’ll need.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
Mar 21, 2020
Family dynamic shifts as schools remain closed nationwide
Japanese dads are coming under scrutiny — again. Ever since Environment Minister Shinjiro Koizumi officially made ikumen (men who take an active role in child-rearing) fashionable by publicly taking two weeks off for paternity leave, fathers who let their spouses shoulder all the burden of child care have become very unpopular figures — both in terms of social media and in real life. Intriguingly, however, the discussion has shifted from whether employers should encourage their male employees to take time off after childbirth to how much fathers are actually contributing when they do stay home.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language
Feb 25, 2020
Shinjiro Koizumi and the new Japanese father
Shinjiro Koizumi joins the growing ranks of 'ikumen,' dads who challenge the norm of the Japanese father by taking stronger interest in raising their kids.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
Feb 22, 2020
The rebirth of cool: It's not easy being a lovable middle-aged man in Japan
For the first time since … never, the ojisan (middle-aged man) is on a roll. 
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Feb 14, 2020
'Shape of Red' shows what Japanese women really want
Yukiko Mishima addresses the dangers of traditional gender roles with her latest film, 'Shape of Red,' adapted from a Rio Shimamoto novel.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Jan 28, 2020
Going green with your Japanese vocabulary
Everyone seems to be talking about the environment and if you're going to get people to step up and help then we'll have to know what language to use.
Japan Times
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / Wide Angle
Jan 17, 2020
NHK's taiga drama hopes to shake off its curse
Amid celebrity scandals and low ratings, NHK launches the latest installment of its long-running Sunday evening drama series.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
Jan 11, 2020
Infestations in Tokyo begin to align with zodiac animals of the year
It’s hard to associate Tokyo with anything else besides people, buildings and cars, but a closer inspection of the city and its outskirts reveal otherwise.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Dec 24, 2019
'Tis the season for a lot of gift-giving
If you want to give gifts at Christmas, Hanukkah or New Year's Eve, then get the language of giving and receiving down pat
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle / 2019 in Review
Dec 22, 2019
Japanese trends you couldn't have missed in 2019
Amid the hard news of the past year, there were some trends that lit up Japan's media offered the nation a sense of, if not a little hope, at least some relief.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
Dec 21, 2019
Cat cafe operators in Japan seek to end stigma with a fresh approach
Cat cafes have come under increased scrutiny in recent years, with animal rights groups criticizing some establishments for their allegedly shady practices and ethics. 
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHY DID YOU LEAVE JAPAN?
Dec 7, 2019
Tohru Miyano: Reverse-engineering an unlucky situation
Though nomadic and grueling, Tohru Miyano's experience of being moved from factory to factory across East Asia and the U.S. has, he says, left him feeling liberated and more open-minded.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
Dec 7, 2019
Cheaper deals in Japan sometimes come at a personal cost
Although the cost of living in Japan is expected to increase in 2020, wages are forecast to remain about the same. This means consumers are constantly on the lookout for better deals, while businesses are scrambling for ways to cut prices and still protect their bottom line.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
Nov 30, 2019
Japan's love of ramen tempered by mortality warning
Slurping down a steaming hot bowl of ramen is a great way to warm the soul on a cold winter’s day but overindulging in the dish could prove deadly, a British medical paper has warned.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
Nov 9, 2019
It's time for the Brave Blossoms to be on a level financial playing field
After six boisterous weeks, the 2019 Rugby World Cup is over. By all accounts, the tournament has been a roaring success, with Nikkei Business estimating that it has injected more than ¥430 billion into the economy.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Nov 4, 2019
How to express the ups and downs of a tax hike
Describing the rise in a tax hike and a rise in prices means using two different words in Japanese. In either case, things aren't looking up.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language
Oct 28, 2019
Words to live by: The vocabulary of evacuation
There are a few Japanese words and phrases that can help you out when it looks like disaster is about to strike.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
Oct 26, 2019
Will Japanese society let fathers help out with child care?
Women in Japan have long been expected to handle the bulk of child care duties, whether it be feeding and bathing a child or dropping them off at day care in the morning and picking them up from the center later the same day.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHY DID YOU LEAVE JAPAN?
Oct 12, 2019
Leaving the urban jungle for northern wilds
Having traded city life in Tokyo for the nature of Chena, Alaska, Masako Tokida says she can't imagine returning to an urban existence in Japan any more.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHY DID YOU LEAVE JAPAN?
Sep 21, 2019
Natsuyo Nobumoto Lipschutz: Getting the word out in the United States
Public speaking coach Lipschutz has a plenty to say about taking command of language in a foreign country.
Number of homeless in Japan hits record low
Homeless people sleep on the street in Tokyo's Shinjuku Ward in August 2021.
Raising kids in Japan as a single parent? It takes a village.
Making things work as a foreign, single mother in Japan isn't easy, but these tips and tricks can help you through the hardest parts.
JAL cancels international flight after captain gets drunk at Dallas hotel
A Japan Airlines' flight from Dallas to Tokyo was canceled last week after its captain got drunk at a local hotel.
In Japan, regional revitalization fails to halt population decline
Sakiyama elementary school in Tamba, Hyogo Prefecture, in March .Over the past decade, the government has directed efforts toward policies designed to give young people incentives to base themselves in rural areas.
Putin’s war will soon reach Russians’ tax bills
Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks during a meeting in St. Petersburg on Friday.
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.
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.

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

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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