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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
COMMUNITY / Issues / LEARNING CURVE
Apr 10, 2019
Two English teachers stand up for their rights and win — a valuable lesson for anyone working in Japan
The closure of 51 Coco Juku eikaiwa (English conversation) schools in Japan last week, with more to come in June, illustrates just how unstable the English teaching market can be. Companies that used to provide fairly well-paying jobs are now, in many cases, restructuring them into something that resembles a McJob — a brief stop in between a person's schooling and career.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LEARNING CURVE
Apr 10, 2019
Know your rights as a language teacher
Dennis Tesolat is chair of the General Union based in Osaka. Founded in 1991, the organization is part of a national private sector trade union known as Zenkoku-Ippan (the National Union of General Workers), which belongs to a confederation known as Zenrokyo (National Trade Union Council).
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Apr 4, 2019
The Tokyo Ballet's 'Swan Lake' gives fans a fresh take on a classic and an uplifting ending
Picture the scene: The Black Swan seduces the Prince away from the White Swan princess for one of the most timeless love triangles ever enacted on stage. Even those who aren't fans of dance are familiar with "Swan Lake." As Yukari Saito, artistic director of The Tokyo Ballet, puts it, "Swan Lake is synonymous with ballet."
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Mar 23, 2019
An impeccable new biography of Richard Sorge, one of Russia's master spies
Soviet spy Richard Sorge's story remains largely unknown to the Western world, but that's about to change with the publication of a remarkable new biography, 'An Impeccable Spy: Richard Sorge, Stalin's Master Agent,' by Owen Matthews.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / WORKS BY JAPANESE WOMEN
Mar 16, 2019
Yoko Tawada: Wondrously strange subject matter from a fantastical imagination
Prize-winning author Yoko Tawada tethers her playful prose to realistic social issues: gender roles, immigration, aging societies. Writing in both Japanese and German, her novels have crossed multiple cultural boundaries.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
Mar 10, 2019
A new approach to volunteering in Tohoku
When Angela Ortiz describes what it felt like to return to Aomori Prefecture five days after the Great East Japan Earthquake of March 11, 2011, she uses words like "horror," "incredulous disbelief" and "intense curiosity."
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / How-tos
Mar 10, 2019
Earthquakes: What to do before, during and immediately after
Earthquakes are an ever-present danger in Japan so it is important to be thoroughly prepared in the eventuality that one strikes. Although many areas in Japan publish comprehensive guides in English and other languages — see "Tokyo Bousai" ("Disaster Preparedness Tokyo") published by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government as an example — here's a few important reminders:
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Mar 2, 2019
William I. Elliott's lifetime passion for Japanese poetry
A chance encounter with Shuntaro Tanikawa's poem, 'Humanism,' set William I. Elliott on the path to make modern Japanese poetry accessible to all.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / ESSENTIAL READING FOR JAPANOPHILES
Mar 2, 2019
Kenkichi Yamamoto's 'The Singing Heart': A window into modern Japanese poetry
Noted Japanese literary critic and writer Kenkichi Yamamoto's 'The Singing Heart' provides a satisfying, thematic introduction to modern Japanese poetry.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / WORKS BY JAPANESE WOMEN
Feb 16, 2019
Discover new worlds beyond the 'here and now' with Nahoko Uehashi's inventive fictions
Nahoko Uehashi revolutionized the fantasy genre in Japan with her naturalistic works of fiction, using her background as a cultural anthropologist to craft realistic imaginary worlds that garnered her legions of fans across genders and ages.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / ESSENTIAL READING FOR JAPANOPHILES
Feb 2, 2019
'The Lone Samurai': A meticulous portrait of warrior-legend Miyamoto Musashi
William Scott Wilson's definitive 2004 biography, 'The Lone Samurai: The Life of Miyamoto Musashi' stands out not only for its meticulous historical accuracy, but also for the author's expertise on samurai texts.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / WORKS BY JAPANESE WOMEN
Jan 19, 2019
Takako Arai's poetry is a relentless 'dance of language'
Takako Arai's poems unravel complicated lives in an ever-widening mesh of humanity, her style retaining an energy and optimism despite her visceral, often disturbing subject matter.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Dec 29, 2018
Looking back on the dogged nature of canine fiction
To close out the Year of the Dog, why not read some of the best in canine literature in Japan.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Dec 22, 2018
Red Circle Authors: Sending Japanese literature westward
Red Circle Authors is a 'home' for a group of established Japanese writers, helping to promote their work overseas while heightening awareness of the great depth and breadth of Japanese literature.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / WORKS BY JAPANESE WOMEN
Dec 15, 2018
Bluestocking magazine: A call for women's empowerment, still resonant today
Covering issues such as poverty and unemployment, geisha prostitution, arranged marriages, legalizing abortion and women's suffrage, the controversial Bluestocking magazine engendered the birth of the 'new women' (shin-fujin) in Japan, and became a battle cry for wider reform.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Dec 11, 2018
While ballet reigned supreme, a range of dance delighted fans in 2018
For a dance-loving country like Japan, every year brings delight in the variety of performances on offer, but the depth and breadth of 2018 on stage has been particularly grand for fans across a wide range of genres and movements.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / ESSENTIAL READING FOR JAPANOPHILES
Dec 1, 2018
Escape from the everyday with Miyuki Miyabe's 'Brave Story'
Miyuki Miyabe's 'Brave Story' tackles pertinent adolescent issues that are juxtaposed against a supernatural realm of fantasy.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / RECENTLY PUBLISHED BOOKS ABOUT JAPAN
Nov 24, 2018
'Apocrypha: The Legend of Babymetal': A triumphant artistic manifestation of Babymetal hits
'Apocrypha: The Legend of Babymetal,' illustrated by G.M.B. Chomichuk, is a surreal multigenre manga that elaborates on 'kawaii metal' band Babymetal's origin story.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / WORKS BY JAPANESE WOMEN
Nov 17, 2018
Touching on themes of loss and longing, Kaori Ekuni's fiction retains a sense of lightness
A prolific writer with over 50 works published in Japanese since 1987, Ekuni's recent novel, 'Geckos, Frogs, and Butterflies,' won her the 2015 Tanizaki Prize. Her two works translated into English, 'Twinkle Twinkle' and 'God's Boat' address issues of loss and longing with both humor and wisdom.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Nov 13, 2018
Deaf filmmaker Emilio Insolera flexes his superpowers with 'Sign Gene'
Emilio Insolera's "Sign Gene" gave the world its first deaf superheroes. But after writing, directing, producing and starring in the film himself, you might argue that Insolera is the one with the superpowers.
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

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Leading Japan’s sustainability from Tokyo
Leading Japan’s sustainability from Tokyo

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