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October 15, 2025
 

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Kris Kosaka

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Kris Kosaka
Kris Kosaka, a resident of Japan since 1996, contributes regularly to The Japan Times. She is a lecturer at Meiji Gakuin University in the Faculty of International Studies.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / ESSENTIAL READING FOR JAPANOPHILES
Sep 23, 2017
'One Piece': Manga still popular, influential after two decades
Eiichiro Oda's long-running contemporary manga "One Piece" is the undisputed king of Japanese pop culture today.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / ESSENTIAL READING FOR JAPANOPHILES
Sep 16, 2017
'The Book of Five Rings': The text that showed many a Japanophile 'the way'
Legendary 17th-century swordsman Miyamoto Musashi authored this book in the last years of his life, expanding his 'two heavens as one' double-sword strategies into a complete life philosophy.
CULTURE / Books / ESSENTIAL READING FOR JAPANOPHILES
Sep 9, 2017
'All She Was Worth': Step into a world of loan sharks and debt in modern Japan
Give the lingering late-summer heat the slip and duck into the shadows with 'All She Was Worth,' a classic Japanese crime mystery.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Jul 29, 2017
'Japanese Reflections on World War II and the American Occupation': War through the eyes of everyday Oita citizens
The deafening report of war is such that the cries of its victims are often hard to hear, even decades later.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Jul 22, 2017
'Tokyo Geek's Guide': Mapping the epicenter of 'otaku' culture
Anyone on the lookout for "weird Japan" culture, take note.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Jul 8, 2017
'Fall Down 7 Times Get Up 8': 'The Reason I Jump' author returns with new English collection
The accomplishments of Japanese poet, novelist and essayist Naoki Higashida are impressive. He's published more than 20 books in Japanese, pens a popular blog and is seeing the release this month of his second book in English — all before his 25th birthday in August.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / ESSENTIAL READING FOR JAPANOPHILES
Jun 10, 2017
'Milky Way Railroad': A beautiful if unfinished inquiry into meaning and happiness
This beloved classic of Japanese children's literature is testimony to the difficulties of translation. The title, variously called "Night on the Galactic Railway" or "Fantasy Railroad in the Stars," is a good example.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / TELLING LIVES
May 31, 2017
Puppeteer pulls the strings from the sticks of Toyama, with a point to prove
From Toyama to schools far and wide, Jack Lee Randall lives his lesson — that art can thrive wherever people are.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
May 17, 2017
Dance troupe Condors summon teen spirit for new show '17's Map'
Sitting down with Condors frontman Ryohei Kondo, he says something a bit surprising: “’17’s Map’ is a work in progress.”
CULTURE / Books / ESSENTIAL READING FOR JAPANOPHILES
May 13, 2017
'Musashi: An Epic Novel of the Samurai Era' encapsulates feudal Japan
Those with an interest in feudal Japan are urged not to miss Eiji Yoshikawa's samurai epic, "Musashi: An Epic Novel of the Samurai Era" — just don't expect historical accuracy. In telling the story of Miyamoto Musashi (1584-1685), the famed swordsman and author of "The Book of Five Rings," Yoshikawa's...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / ESSENTIAL READING FOR JAPANOPHILES
May 6, 2017
'Target Tokyo: The Story of the Sorge Spy Ring': Uncovering a little-known chapter in history
Even some dedicated Japanophiles are unaware of an important international espionage ring that operated in Tokyo before and during World War II.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / ESSENTIAL READING FOR JAPANOPHILES
Apr 29, 2017
'Beauty and Sadness': Yasunari Kawabata's last published novel explores the extremes of human emotion
Yasunari Kawabata's last published novel plumbs the depths of human emotion
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LEARNING CURVE
Apr 19, 2017
With parents' support, kids in Japan stamp out stuttering
Thanks to the tireless efforts of an international team of women, an Australian program to tackle speech disfluencies is changing lives in Japan.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / ESSENTIAL READING FOR JAPANOPHILES
Apr 15, 2017
'The Just Bento Cookbook': Riffing on the theme of the Japanese packed lunch
Nourishment means nurturing in Japan, and nowhere does this hold more true than in the daily bento.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / TELLING LIVES
Mar 22, 2017
Author returns to China civil war siege that haunts her, still seeking honor for its dead
Scarred by her childhood ordeal in Changchun, Homare Endo channeled her energies into helping Chinese students in Japan.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Feb 22, 2017
Bausch's legacy blossoms as emotions unfold on stage
When the curtain opens on a stage blanketed in silk flowers, a beginner might think "Nelken" ("Carnations") by Pina Bausch was about to offer some sweetly whimsical vision of poetry in three dimensions. That, however, would be to ignore dark underlying themes of power and love, and a certain sagacious...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Feb 11, 2017
'Something Other Than Other': The poetry of Philip Rowland captures quotidian Tokyo life
Tokyo poet Philip Rowland's third full-length collection of verse, "Something Other Than Other," quietly resonates with profound images of the quotidian humanity he finds around him.
CULTURE / Books / ESSENTIAL READING FOR JAPANOPHILES
Jan 28, 2017
'Slam Dunk': Japan's greatest sports manga?
Takehiko Inoue's "Slam Dunk" is one of Japan's most popular manga, spawning four films and numerous video games. To date, more than 157 million copies of this 31-volume series have sold worldwide. Written when Inoue was a rookie, and first serialized in Shonen Jump from 1990 to '96, the manga won a Shogakukan...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LEARNING CURVE
Jan 25, 2017
Your school may be international, but what values does it teach?
If you are vested in an international school as a parent, student, member of staff or management, here are four questions to consider.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / ESSENTIAL READING FOR JAPANOPHILES
Jan 7, 2017
'Vagabond': An epic manga based on the life of a 17th-century samurai
Epic samurai manga "Vagabond," first serialized in 1998, is an award-winning series created by author and illustrator Takehiko Inoue after his popular "Slam Dunk" manga. "Vagabond," told across 37 volumes, is based on Eiji Yoshikawa's 1935 historical novel "Musashi," which is a popular account of 17th-century...
Hypothermia in the land of the rising Sanae
Amid the election of Sanae Takaichi as Liberal Democratic Party president, and possibly the next prime minister, Japan's economy shows signs of recovery, but weak wages, a conservative corporate culture and currency issues raise doubts about a true economic thaw.
Number of scenarios now on the table for who might be Japan’s next prime minister
Newly-elected leader of Japan's Liberal Democratic Party Sanae Takaichi (right) celebrates with Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba after winning the LDP leadership election in Tokyo on October 4.
After plenty of ups and downs, Osaka Expo concludes with message of unity
The sun sets on the Grand Ring on the final day of the Osaka Expo on Monday.
A frenetic diplomatic schedule looms for Japan’s next leader — whomever that may be
As horse-trading and speculation surge over who will be elected the next prime minister in parliament — the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's Sanae Takaichi or a possible candidate put forward by a unified opposition — Japan’s next leader will be confronted with a quick succession of key diplomatic events.
Ghost of Yotei’s bloodstained fun sidesteps Ainu identity
Ghost of Yotei, the follow-up to 2020's smash hit Ghost of Tsushima, is a violent, vengeful and engaging romp through 17th-century Hokkaido that fails to stick the landing on its most sensitive cultural material.
A frenetic diplomatic schedule looms for Japan’s next leader — whomever that may be
As horse-trading and speculation surge over who will be elected the next prime minister in parliament — the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's Sanae Takaichi or a possible candidate put forward by a unified opposition — Japan’s next leader will be confronted with a quick succession of key diplomatic events.
Ghost of Yotei’s bloodstained fun sidesteps Ainu identity
Ghost of Yotei, the follow-up to 2020's smash hit Ghost of Tsushima, is a violent, vengeful and engaging romp through 17th-century Hokkaido that fails to stick the landing on its most sensitive cultural material.
At Osaka Expo, gas giants promote a greener future. But is it a lot of hot air?
The Gas Pavilion had welcomed around 500,000 visitors by the end of August, making it one of the most popular exhibits at the Osaka Expo.
‘Takaichi trade’ starts unwinding as political calculus upended by Komeito exit
Less than a week ago, Sanae Takaichi seemed set to become Japan's first female prime minister.
‘Save the Ring’ calls intensify as Osaka Expo’s end nears
Visitors lounge on the grassy hill on the top of the Grand Ring during the 2025 Osaka Expo in the city of Osaka in May.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

Rock group The Yellow Monkey played K-Arena Yokohama in June as part of a nationwide tour. Concerts are increasingly popular in the age of social media as users value in-person experiences.
Inside Japan’s arena boom: Sports, sound and city-building
By Patrick St. Michel

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