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April 30, 2024
 

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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.
For Kris Kosaka's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Jun 20, 2020
‘Hojoki’: The paradox of desire and detachment in recluse literature
Kamo no Chomei's 'Hojoki' taps into the universal appeal and cognitive dissonance of a fundamental question of Buddhism: Can humans ever eliminate desire and attachment?
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
May 2, 2020
'Breasts and Eggs': Not just some elevated piece of literary chick-lit
“Breasts and Eggs” emerges as a triumph of storytelling that champions the power of storge (Greek for familial love) — between sisters, between father and son or mother and daughter, between friends and colleagues.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / Children's Literature in Japan
Apr 18, 2020
Satoshi Kitamura’s key to children’s literature? Making complex ideas simple
To round out our series on Japanese children's books, this month we profile Satoshi Kitamura, who has authored more than 20 books in his award-winning career as a writer and illustrator of children's literature.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Apr 11, 2020
Japanese books to get you through a lockdown
With "staying in" now the new "going out," housebound activities have become officially the cool thing to do. But what if you’re stuck for a good book? Read on to see four of our critics’ top reads for an extended period of self-isolation.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / RECENTLY PUBLISHED BOOKS ABOUT JAPAN
Mar 28, 2020
'The Salaryman' review: Spilling the secrets of Japan's everyman
Alongside its humor, Michael Thuresson's recent memoir, "The Salaryman," provides an insightful look at Japan's corporate workforce. In 2008, Thuresson was a 32-year-old product manager at a small LA software startup who suddenly landed a high-paying job with a Japanese corporation of over 50,000 employees. Thuresson spent eight years working in four different Japanese companies, and his various struggles to thrive make for a thoroughly entertaining read.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / Children's Literature in Japan
Mar 21, 2020
Momoko Ishii: Shaping Japanese children's literature for the modern era
Dedicated to children's literature since her youth, Momoko Ishii authored and translated dozens of books, and her tireless advocacy changed the way postwar society valued children's literature for decades to come.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Mar 14, 2020
'Factory Girls': Verses for the workers, who toiled all day long
Takako Arai's newest poetry anthology in English, 'Factory Girls,' takes readers into the vanishing world of Japan's textile industry.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Feb 29, 2020
'The Only Gaijin in the Village' offers laugh-out-loud lessons from Japan's proud countryside
Iain Maloney's 'The Only Gaijin in the Village' is a thought-provoking, lively examination of one immigrant's quest to create a new home outside his country of birth.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / Children's Literature in Japan
Feb 15, 2020
Shuntaro Tanikawa: Acclaimed poet, beloved children's author
The best in children's literature earns devout adult fans too, and perhaps no other Japanese writer embodies such cross-generational popularity than Shuntaro Tanikawa.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / RECENTLY PUBLISHED BOOKS ABOUT JAPAN
Feb 8, 2020
'The Chronicles of Lord Asunaro': Period drama, modern satire
One of the newest novellas out from Red Circle Minis, "The Chronicles of Lord Asunaro" by Kanji Hanawa, covers far more ground than its size might suggest.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / Children's Literature in Japan
Jan 18, 2020
Rieko Nakagawa: From 'Guri and Gura' to Studio Ghibli
Rieko Nakagawa, born in 1935 in Sapporo, was working as a teacher in a small nursery school near Komazawa Park when she wrote her first children's book.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Jan 4, 2020
Books to get you in the mood for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics
In this grand year of Olympic celebration, here are the books that view sport authentically, acknowledging both the very best and worst of humanity.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / Children's Literature in Japan
Dec 7, 2019
For children's book author Mitsumasa Anno, pictures speak louder than words
Travel around the world with Mitsumasa Anno's iconic 'Anno's Journey' series, which introduces children to countries and customs through meticulous illustrations.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Nov 30, 2019
'Travels with a Writing Brush': 1,000 years of travel writing, united by a poetic thread
From 'The Tale of Genji' to Matsuo Basho, Meredith McKinney travels across Japan through 1,000 years of Japanese poetry.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / Children's Literature in Japan
Nov 16, 2019
Keiko Sena: Whimsical books with a hint of horror
Keiko Sena's children's books, with their collage-like, simple illustrations, have been bestsellers for decades. This year, a special art exhibition celebrates the 50th anniversary of her first publication.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Nov 9, 2019
Back to 'The Factory' in a new era of meaningless work
Hiroko Oyamada's award-winning debut novel, "The Factory," measures out in terse detail an indictment of contemporary work culture. Set in modern Japan where the norms of underpay and overwork are well-known, the novella evokes the worst of the Silicon Valley-type tech campuses and asks the question: How can we find meaning if the meaningless directs our days?
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / 2010S: DECADE IN REVIEW
Nov 2, 2019
Our critics' favorite Japanese books of the decade
As 2020 approaches, The Japan Times' book reviewers look back at a decade of literature and their favorite and most impactful books written about Japan or by Japanese writers.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / RECENTLY PUBLISHED BOOKS ABOUT JAPAN
Oct 26, 2019
'Cats of the Louvre': A storied museum reveals its secrets
In this surreal work by Taiyo Matsumoto, a small band of stray cats take refuge inside the attic of the Louvre. Their adventures and interactions with the humans of the Louvre unfold in connected chapters of 'secrets.'
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / Children's Literature in Japan
Oct 19, 2019
Naoko Takeuchi: 'Sailor Moon's' strong-willed guardian of girls manga
Naoko Takeuchi's 'Sailor Moon' is one of the most popular manga for girls of all time, and 'beautiful guardian warriors' remains a global trend across a wide spectrum of adolescent literature today.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / RECENTLY PUBLISHED BOOKS ABOUT JAPAN
Oct 12, 2019
'Noon: An Anthology of Short Poems': Wit and wisdom in 14 lines or fewer
In 'Noon: An Anthology of Short Poems,' editor Philip Rowland shows there's more to the short form poetry genre than haiku or tanka.
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.

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