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April 30, 2024
 

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Daniel Morales
For Daniel Morales's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHY DID YOU LEAVE JAPAN?
May 6, 2017
June Yamagishi: Hitting New Orleans with a suitcase and a guitar
Musician's relaxed personality fits the homegrown lifestyle of the 'Big Easy' well.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Apr 24, 2017
Conquering ‘Commendatore’: Murakami brandishes familiar lexicon in latest novel
Murakami's language has evolved over the course of his career, and knowing some of his tricks will help ease you into this 1,048-page novel.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHY DID YOU LEAVE JAPAN?
Apr 22, 2017
Tsubasa Watanabe: Model mixes punk with fashion on the runways of New York
At her first test shoot in Los Angeles, Tsubasa Watanabe was surprised by the outfit the photographer was asking her to wear: Hanging from the fingers of his outstretched hand was a pair of thong underwear.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Apr 1, 2017
'Killing Commendatore': Murakami's latest lacks inspired touch of earlier works
Haruki Murakami has lost his magic.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Mar 20, 2017
Watch, read, rewind: using Netflix to boost your Japanese
It's a great time to be studying Japanese. As well as the internet, students can mine online video streaming services such as Netflix and Hulu to improve their language skills.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Feb 23, 2017
What to prepare for when you're expecting one of Murakami's mammoths
Haruki Murakami has put scientists to shame. Harvard geneticists recently announced that they are two years away from bringing the wooly mammoth back from extinction, while Murakami is releasing his latest mammoth tonight: His novel "Kishidancho Goroshi" will be published in two 500-page volumes via Shinchosha and given the English title "Killing Commendatore," according to the publisher's website.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Feb 20, 2017
Investing big but wisely in Japanese study aids can reap dividends
An expensive dictionary, a big TV — and a wedding ring: just three of the big purchases that could give your Japanese a lift.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Dec 12, 2016
To email in Japanese, take a layer cake of etiquette and stuff it with meaning
Having set up a bunch of standard remarks at the beginning and end of your email, your job is then to fill it with meaning.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Dec 5, 2016
'Tis the season for 'tegami' — and for facing your Japanese letter-writing fears
There are elements of etiquette involved in letter-writing that can make students of Japanese stop before they even start.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Nov 14, 2016
Japanese translators forced to grab the Trump bull by the horns
A look at how the U.S. president-elect's words have been relayed in Japanese may help explain the source of uncertainty and concern here about his election.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Oct 3, 2016
'Thursday Night Football' NFL draws Friday morning tweeters in Japan
Reading the tweets as they scroll below NFL games shown live on Twitter has become my new Japanese study obsession.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Sep 26, 2016
Wikipedia 'deep dives' can help re-create the joys and pains of Japanese-language immersion
You can use Japanese Wikipedia to recreate the mental anguish of language immersion — of encountering a truly alien topic and being forced to reckon with it.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Aug 1, 2016
A Japanese guide to dealing with gentlemen callers and unruly dogs
Bookworms often have a rare jewel in their collection that they are unable to throw out — despite efforts to こんまり (Konmari, tidy in the method of Marie Kondo by getting rid of clutter) around the house. For me, this book is the 1965 エチケット事典 (Echiketto Jiten, Etiquette Dictionary).
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Jun 20, 2016
Repetition and role-play are crucial for speaking success in Japanese
Applying repetition to speaking practice will help you sound more natural and bring phrases to your tongue more easily.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Jun 4, 2016
Beer essentials: The craft beer boom in Japan shows no sign of running dry
Tomoko Sonoda was a college student during the "Dry Wars," the years immediately following the 1987 release of the game-changing light lager Asahi Super Dry. She and her classmates held tasting parties for the spate of new brews that were released by the three other major breweries in an attempt to compete. Together, they tried to discern the different flavors, but there wasn't much to discover. They were all more or less the same: drinkable light lagers, perfect for the Japanese beer market.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
May 9, 2016
To be a more complete Japanese speaker, leave your sentences incomplete
Often, saying less can make you seem more of a complete natural Japanese speaker.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Mar 28, 2016
Condolences: What to say when there's nothing you can say
In the event of a death, even though there may be nothing you can say that will help the grieving, you have to try. This is a particular challenge in a second language.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Mar 7, 2016
To furu or furareru: In Japanese or any language, breaking up is hard to do
The girl who dumped me wasn't Japanese, so I was surprised to get a Japanese language lesson out of the ordeal.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Feb 1, 2016
Look to 'senpai' to help take your Japanese reading to the next level
If not for the generosity of several brave and patient souls, I would never have developed the foundation necessary to read on my own.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Nov 2, 2015
A pocketful of Japanese immersion is just a few key taps away
Changing your phone into Japanese will drastically increase your exposure to the written language.
When will Japan intervene to support the yen?
Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki has reiterated the government's readiness to take an appropriate action as the yen continues to slide against the U.S. dollar.
'So hot you can't breathe': Extreme heat hits the Philippines
A pedestrian cools himself with a folding hand fan as he waits for a ride along a road in Manila on Wednesday, as extreme heat hit the Philippines.
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.
Yen rebounds strongly after first slide past ¥160 since 1990
The yen dropped to ¥160.245 per dollar on Monday before heading into the other direction to ¥155.01 amid speculation of an intervention by Japanese currency authorities.
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.
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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