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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.
CULTURE / Books
Aug 23, 2014
A Great Valley Under the Stars
A vibrant collection of subdued observation, the poems in this small volume, "A Great Valley Under the Stars," contemplate meaning everywhere — from a truck-stop toilet, over stones in the New Mexican desert and under the great expanse of sky referenced in the title.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LEARNING CURVE
Aug 17, 2014
Could the lingua franca approach to learning break Japan's English curse?
Learning English as a lingua franca (ELF) involves approaching the language as a tongue shared by non-native speakers around the world rather than as a lingo that must be mastered to native-speaker level.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / TELLING LIVES
Jul 20, 2014
NPO chief builds a barrier-free world for the disabled and disadvantaged
The founder of two nonprofit organizations in Japan working across Asia, Michiyo Yoshida has become an expert on international philanthropy, teaching courses on NPOs at universities in Sapporo and traveling all over the nation to counsel others.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Jul 14, 2014
'I am Catherine Jane': a book whose value transcends its style
The memoir of Catherine Fisher's horrific 'triple rape' and her tireless 12-year crusade for justice must be supported.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Jul 5, 2014
Sake Confidential: A Beyond-the-Basics Guide to Understanding, Tasting, Selection & Enjoyment
This book is not just for sake lovers; it's a must read for anyone interested in Japanese culture. Exploring sake from a variety of perspectives in short but informative essays, John Gauntner here distills his 25 years of knowledge and experience living and working with this quintessential Japanese beverage....
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Jul 5, 2014
From the Japanese
This fourth volume of poetry from Tokyo resident Paul Rossiter conveys his 40-year relationship with Japan in collected poems both thoughtful and thought-provoking. These range from the impressions of a startled first-time tourist in 1969 through to Rossiter's visits to Ishinomaki in Tohoku in December...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Jun 18, 2014
NNTT reprises hit 'Rokumeikan' opera based on Mishima play
Midway through the second act of the opera "Rokumeikan," Countess Asako, the wife of Count Kageyama, the conservative government leader, turns to her former lover Einosuke Kiyohara, who heads the progressive opposition party, and emotes in song: "No, we do not talk of politics; it is of love we speak."...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Jun 14, 2014
One woman's mark on the nation's Constitution
In December 2012, 89-year-old Beate Sirota Gordon knew she was dying. The women's rights advocate and tireless promoter of cross-cultural exchange in the arts was ill at home in the New York borough of Manhattan. Yet, she pulled herself out of bed one morning, dressed formally and sat in a chair to await...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Jun 11, 2014
David Bintley bows out with a 'Pagoda' set in Japan
Challenge is intrinsic to artistic creation, but David Bintley relishes it so much that he specializes in conceiving the unlikely.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
May 24, 2014
Small presses fill a niche in books about Japan
Isobar Press (Tokyo)Speciality: Poetry
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
May 23, 2014
Farm life leads to healthy business for Dutch expat
Outdoorsy expatriate lured by the beauty of Hokkaido sets up in Niseko. Sound familiar?
CULTURE / Books / ESSENTIAL READING FOR JAPANOPHILES
May 10, 2014
Kokoro
Peering into the great human divide between the isolated self and the need for emotional validation, Natsume Soseki's "Kokoro" is a psychological glimpse into the "heart of things" that defies easy categorization: It is not a love story, although it retells a love story; it's not a coming-of-age tale,...
CULTURE / Books
May 10, 2014
What the Sky Arranges
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
May 1, 2014
A golden time to dine outdoors
Now is the golden season in Tokyo: balmy days, mellow temperatures, low humidity and no mosquitoes. There's nothing better than a nice, leisurely (and maybe even boozy) lunch outside — dinner, too, as long as you bring a warm jacket or throw.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LEARNING CURVE
Apr 20, 2014
To teach to test or for communication — or both?
Which is more important: to communicate in a second language or to test well?
CULTURE / Stage
Apr 2, 2014
Aichi's thriving drama grassroots
This year is set to be a good one for English theater in Japan, from Shakespearean comedy to original works, from intimate black-box stagings to a rock'n'roll musical. It's not Tokyo or even Osaka serving up this feast, though — but Nagoya, which is home to three thriving companies: The Nagoya Players,...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / ESSENTIAL READING FOR JAPANOPHILES
Mar 22, 2014
The Ise Stories
Before there was "The Tale of Genji," the "The Ise Stories" ("Ise Monogatari") presented ancient Japanese audiences with a titillating series of loosely connected episodes of love that are believed to be based on the romantic encounters of the poet and aristocrat Ariwara no Narihira (825-880).
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Mar 19, 2014
Genders revel in Bausch's iconic 'Kontakthof'
To watch "Kontakthof," Pina Bausch's masterpiece of dance theater, is to be like a voyeur peering from behind a one-way mirror into the everyday battlefield of male-female interaction.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Mar 12, 2014
Paris Opera Ballet chief hails Japan 'challenge'
Thanks to Louis XIV's love of dance, French is the language of ballet and Paris has remained the center of the art for more than 300 years since the Sun King's splendiferous 72-year reign ended with his death in 1715.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Mar 1, 2014
Doraemon, the robot cat, gets your tongue
An earless blue robotic cat, one pocket bulging with gadgets from the future and a lifelong fear of mice: Who is he? Japan roars the answer — but English readers may be stumped. Because, even though he's a government-appointed "cultural ambassador" and a familiar face in more than 30 countries, with...
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.
Pace eyes great strides for Japan’s art market
Pace Japan Vice President Kyoko Hattori, the de facto head of the nation’s business, believes a larger, more lucrative art market will allow Japan to be more attractive for collectors.
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.

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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