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May 06, 2024
 

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Matthew Hernon
For Matthew Hernon's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHY DID YOU LEAVE JAPAN?
Aug 3, 2019
Jessica 'JJ' Rabone: Dancing on air in the U.S.
A passion for dance led JJ to get into a Californian groove
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Jun 22, 2019
Frau Krumm: Redefining German bread in Tokyo
A longtime love of bread inspired former professional tennis player Kimiko Date to open Frau Krumm, a German bread bakery in Tokyo's chic Ebisu neighborhood.
Japan Times
CULTURE / TV & Streaming
Jun 6, 2019
Japan's king of comedy, Yoshimoto Kogyo's Hiroshi Osaki, expands his realm
It has been 10 years since Hiroshi Osaki took the reins at Yoshimoto Kogyo, and in that time Japan's oldest and arguably most influential entertainment agency has veered down several different paths. While comedy remains at the forefront of the company's activities, as it has for over a century, these days it's about much more than just promoting and showcasing owarai geinin (comedy performers).
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
May 16, 2019
Despite being only 10 years old, actor Kokoro Terada is taking on tough topics
A heart-warming tale about an elderly woman's struggles with dementia as seen from the perspective of her young grandson, "Grandma is Okay" ("Baba wa, Daijobu") is the latest movie by Yokohama-born filmmaker Jacky Woo.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHY DID YOU LEAVE JAPAN?
Apr 6, 2019
Yasushi Hirano's aria of operatic commitment
From techno fan to bass baritone opera singer, Yasushi Hirano now celebrates 20 years living and singing in Vienna.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Mar 27, 2019
Kengo Kora and the perfect period drama sword fight
'Game of Thrones" star Sean Bean is well-known for dying in almost everything he stars in. If you had to find a Japanese equivalent, though, it would certainly be Kengo Kora.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Mar 7, 2019
Actress Junko Abe breaks into the world of international films
Following her breakthrough role in Naomi Kawase's 2014 Palme d'Or nominated film "Futatsume no Mado" ("Still the Water"), Junko Abe looked as though she was destined to go on to become a big star in Japan. Back then she was known by her stage name Jun Yoshinaga and was viewed as one of the brightest young actresses in the country.
Japan Times
CULTURE / TV & Streaming
Feb 6, 2019
Life after 'The Bachelor Japan': The one who got away
Searching for love on the reality TV series "The Bachelor Japan," a record number of women have already applied for the show's third season, set to stream on Amazon Prime Video later this year. Bosses at the paid subscription service will no doubt be hoping for more of the same regarding viewing figures following the success of last year's series, which finished with IT executive Rintaro Oyaizu proposing to illustrator Mami Kurata.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHY DID YOU LEAVE JAPAN?
Jan 5, 2019
Takehiko Nakamura: Kicking around the U.S. for a career in soccer
A U.S. education, says sports fan Nakamura, helped him score a goal in life.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Jan 3, 2019
Comedian Akira Ohashi 100% reveals his naked ambition
His naked tray act may not be to everyone's liking, but Akira Ohashi is too focused on the positives to worry about that. The Saitama-born, 44-year-old comedian, who is better known by his stage name Akira 100%, clearly loves being in the public eye, and after more than two decades struggling to make a name for himself in the entertainment industry, who can blame him?
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Nov 8, 2018
Beverly Caimen: 'Music is universal and goes beyond languages'
When Beverly Caimen moved from the Philippines to Japan in 2016 she was a relative unknown who could barely speak the language. Several months later, however, an unexpected encounter with actor Shun Oguri drastically changed her life.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHY DID YOU LEAVE JAPAN?
Sep 8, 2018
Koki Nakano: Notes on moving to France
Fukuoka-born pianist Nakano takes classical music to new heights in Paris
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Sep 1, 2018
'Yokohama Burning': Destruction, massacre and tornadoes of fire
One of the most fascinating and controversial books about the Great Kanto Earthquake is Joshua Hammer's 2006 release 'Yokohama Burning,' in which the former bureau chief for Newsweek magazine suggests a link between the national response to the 1923 disaster and Japan's descent into World War II.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jul 17, 2018
Didgeridoo player Hiroki 'Goma' Morimoto survived a car crash and relearned a culture
Hiroki Morimoto will be celebrating a musical milestone when he hits the stage at Fuji Rock Festival this year: 20 years with his instrument of choice, the didgeridoo. A serious car accident nine years ago, however, nearly brought his musical career to an end.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Jun 30, 2018
A culinary tour of Yokohama, the historical juncture of Western-Japanese fusion
Several of Japan's beloved Western-style dishes, such as doria and Napolitan spaghetti, originated in the culinary melting pot of Yokohama.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jun 19, 2018
The most harrowing story actress Ayame Misaki has to tell is her own
Model-turned-actress Ayame Misaki has played a variety of roles over the past decade, including a soldier in "Attack on Titan" and a manipulative hostess in the film "Judas," but her own story is arguably more dramatic and harrowing than any role she has appeared in.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHY DID YOU LEAVE JAPAN?
Jun 16, 2018
Haruka Kuroda: Taking advantage of stereotypes
Best-known for her role voicing Noodle in Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett's virtual band Gorillaz, Haruka Kuroda has been working in the British entertainment industry for nearly two decades.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Apr 5, 2018
His darkest hours behind him, Kazuhiro Tsuji returns to Hollywood and Oscar glory
After two Academy Award nominations for his work doing makeup and hairstyling on the films "Click" (2006) and "Norbit" (2007), Kazuhiro Tsuji finally got his hands on an Oscar to call his own at last month's ceremony.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Mar 28, 2018
Casting director Ko Iwagami plays matchmaker in Hollywood
It was Ko Iwagami's love for American cinema, and "Indiana Jones" in particular, that took him to the United States. Now a successful casting director, he understands that Hollywood isn't always so kind.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHY DID YOU LEAVE JAPAN?
Feb 10, 2018
'Taka' Hirose: Looking and playing the part
A veteran of the U.K. music scene, Takashi "Taka" Hirose has been playing bass guitar in popular British indie-rock band Feeder for more than two decades. As chilled off stage as he is energetic on it, the 50-year-old Gifu Prefecture-native reminisces about his time in the group, which began back in 1994 when he posted an advertisement in the English magazine Loot.
Japan says Biden's description of nation as xenophobic is 'unfortunate'
The National Diet building in Tokyo
As visitors surge, Japan seeks ways to make tourism eco-friendly
Much like other hot spots across Okinawa, Onna has diligently strived to captivate both domestic and international tourists, while at the same time grappling with the environmental strain induced by the influx of visitors.
G7 eyes plan on U.S.-led $50 billion aid package for Ukraine
A local resident visits the Lychakiv cemetery in Lviv, Ukraine, on Thursday. The U.S. is in talks with close partners to lead a group of allies that would give as much as $50 billion in aid to Ukraine.
Japan drops to 70th in press freedom rankings
A businessman reads a newspaper outside a train station in Tokyo.
Kishida talks up bolstered Latin American ties as China cements position
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida holds a news conference in Sao Paulo on Saturday.
'Monster' Inoue ready to tear down Luis Nery in title defense at Tokyo Dome
Naoya Inoue (left) and Luis Nery following a pre-fight news conference in Yokohama on Saturday, two days ahead of their super bantamweight title fight.
Debate on constitutional revision at a standstill despite Kishida's pledges
With less than two months left before the conclusion of the current session of parliament, any possibility that Prime Minister Fumio Kishida can deliver constitutional reform before the end of his term as Liberal Democratic Party president in late September, as he has promised, appears remote.
Sapporo court ruling on Ainu fishing rights presents tough questions
A traditional Ainu preserved food called <i>satchep</i> (dried fish) being made at the government-run National Ainu Museum and Park, nicknamed Upopoy, in the town of Shiraoi, Hokkaido, on Dec. 25. The Sapporo District Court ruled last month that the Raporo Ainu Nation's rights as an Indigenous people did not extend to having an inherent right to fish for commercial reasons.
With eye on China, defense chiefs agree to bolster interoperability
From left: U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, Australian defense chief Richard Marles, Japanese Defense Minister Minoru Kihara and Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro hold a joint news conference in Honolulu on Thursday.
Yellow sand allergy: A health issue made worse by climate change
A screenshot of the Meteorological Agency's satellite image of clouds and yellow sand (in pink) on Sunday.

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

Rows of irises resemble a rice field at the Peter Walker-designed Toyota Municipal Museum of Art.
The 'outsiders' creating some of Japan's greenest spaces
By Stephen Mansfield

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